Someone is snacking on the onion, what needs to be done. What pest cuts onions. Bob for short hair

I have been growing onions using my own method for several years now. Neighbors come to marvel at my turnip onions and I am happy to share my experience with them. There are no special secrets here: labor-intensive physical labor and unimaginable care. You will just need to hill it several times during the entire ripening period of the onion. You can see this in my photos. On the Internet you can read the most unusual growing methods; I am especially surprised by fertilizers and fertilizing. I can definitely say that I don’t like onions. fresh manure and constant moisture. I’m not going to criticize those who haven’t even held a shovel in their hands, I’ll just tell you how I grow onions. I plant onions in early May, when the ground dries out and warms up.

I dig up the bed for sowing onions, break up all the clods of earth, for this I walk over it with a rake and scatter some ash. I bought onion sets, sorted them out, cut off the top ends with scissors and immersed the entire onion in a pre-prepared bright pink manganese solution. I have it there for about half an hour. I pour the used solution into a watering can and, diluting it with water, water the currant bushes (this is only good for currants.)

I draw out a bed of onions with a stick special for this purpose on the line for planting the sets, a gap of 15 cm. Then in each line with the same stick I make indentations every 15 cm to a depth of 2-3 cm. I lower the sets into these holes with the cut end up. Then I fall asleep and lightly clap my hand. In dry weather I make sure to water it. After 3-5 days, the onion emerges evenly green pen I make sure to water it every evening. I carefully hill up the grown onions, and at the same time remove the weeds. I carry out the hilling two more times, as the greenery grows. Important condition, if you want to get a large turnip, then you don’t need to tear off the central feathers, otherwise some fans will tear off everything for the salad and wait for new ones to appear, and besides, the onion will grow gigantic.

In July, onion feathers noticeably grow, becoming long and juicy. I am carrying out the third hilling of the onion. And it seems that there are no more worries with him. When watering, I check how it feels. No yellowing, lodging, or bolting. For prevention, I water the onions with a pink solution of manganese once every two weeks. In the very bottom photo you can see how juicy the onion feathers are and the moment when I raked the soil from the neck of the onion. Now the turnip will be big, very big!

At the end of July I prepare the onions for final ripening; now the task is not to grow the feather, but to allow the development of the turnip itself. To do this, I scrape off the soil from each neck of the bulb, but not too much. The bulb itself will do the rest as soon as it feels free. You will immediately notice this transformation; in just a few days the onion will become larger. But the feathers in the garden bed will begin to lie down, this is a sign that the onions are ready for harvest. Green feathers can be collected and used for food; they are not bitter at all, and are quite suitable for many dishes. I prepare okroshka, salads, and freeze most of it along with dill in the form of briquettes for the winter. I’ll tell you about this and show you in the next topic. I stop watering so that the onions don’t rot. I usually harvest onions before August 8-10. I do this early in the morning, in sunny, dry weather. I don’t dig up the onion, I just pull it out by the feather and leave it to dry in the garden. During the day I stir it so that it is better ventilated. In the evening, I trim the feathers and take the onions under the shed, where I scatter them for further drying. Onions store well, lasting until the next harvest. Absolutely without any chemicals and environmentally friendly.

Help them eat onions!

A pest has now appeared in the garden, a light gray caterpillar about 3-4 cm; eats the onion, and the onion feathers fall onto the garden bed. Help, how to fight and who is it?

It was the onion fly that laid its faces, now they have become worms and are eating your onions. Water the bed with an insecticide solution. Remove affected bulbs. For the future: spray onions and garlic at the end of May with insecticide or plant onions and carrots mixed.

I also ate it, the folk recipe is to pour a quarter or a pack (a little more) of water per 10 liters of water with a solution of salt... It helped me :) But even before sowing, I simply sprinkled the ground with salt. Not very much!

The correct advice is to plant with carrots, in rows. So cool! Onions grow quickly in spring, and carrots grow slowly, so carrot rows will never get lost! The beds are elegant...carrots repel the onion fly, and the onion repels the carrot fly...Wonderful! Give it a try.
And it’s not very good to pour poisons, because you also need environmentally friendly onions. Do this: sprinkle with red pepper immediately after watering, and after a couple of hours with ash. And after a week, feed well with diluted mullein. Strong plants no infection takes away!

Each season you need to rotate crops.
Place beds of carrots and onions side by side.
When the feather reaches 8 centimeters, water the onion with a solution of table salt, at the rate of 200 grams per 10 liters of water, being careful not to get it on the feather.
On 1 square meter mix 200 grams of wood ash, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper and 1 teaspoon of tobacco dust and dust with this repellent against each generation of onion fly during its flight and laying eggs. After dusting, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of 2 - 3 centimeters.
Treatment with tobacco solution is effective in the fight against larvae. It is prepared as follows: pour 200 grams of shag or tobacco dust into a bucket, add three liters of hot water and leave for 2 days. Then add water to the top of the bucket, add 1 teaspoon of black or red ground pepper, 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Strain the solution and spray the soil and plants.
Treat with Bazudin in the second ten days of May. Mix the granules with sand or sawdust (30 grams of the drug per half-liter jar of sawdust) and apply to the soil over an area of ​​20 square meters.

Control measures. There are several methods to combat onion fly:

Treatment at planting: Carbofuran, Clarefan, Nifos, Oxamyi, Aldicarb;
- granulated Trichloronate (Inchloronate);
-biological method: planting sterile male onion flies.

In the fall, after harvesting, remove all post-harvest residues and dig up the soil well; this will kill the fly pupae. Planting or sowing onions should be done in early dates so that the seedlings become stronger before the flies fly out. Plant onions next to the carrot beds (onion phytoncides repel the carrot fly, and carrot phytoncides repel the onion fly). To repel flies during their summer, sprinkle tobacco or shag dust along the rows of onions. Dust is taken in pure form or in half with lime ash, naphthalene, mixed with sand in equal parts. Consumes 1-2 kg per 10 m2.

Some summer residents do not know why the onion goes into the arrow, what needs to be done in this situation. Many of them eliminate the problem by removing the arrows, however, this method of dealing with them does not allow obtaining a rich harvest of bulbs. If a summer resident wants to grow full-fledged, large bulbs, he needs to prevent the process of formation of arrows. This is done taking into account several nuances of growing onions.

The onion arrow is an inflorescence that is responsible for the formation of seeds after the flowers appear. Therefore, the peduncle is designed to carry out the function of onion propagation. Experienced gardeners claim that if onions shoot, one should expect consequences such as the formation of underdeveloped bulbs.

Therefore, so that when growing an onion suitable for eating, the arrow does not form, but the head forms, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for its growth and development. To do this, you need to know what factors contribute to the formation of a bow arrow.

Why does the bow go into the arrow?

There are several factors that influence whether the bow goes into the arrow or not. These include the following reasons:

• use for planting a large bulb, the diameter of which exceeds 3 centimeters;
• poor storage conditions for planting material, characterized by high humidity, the presence of sharp temperature fluctuations;
• early planting of material, that is, planting in unheated soil.

The likelihood of bow arrows appearing is quite high under the influence of any of these factors.

Seed storage

To get a good bulb harvest, it is very important to store the seeds correctly. To do this, they should be stored at a temperature of 1–3 degrees. Low temperatures will not affect the quality of the plant in any way, since it is resistant to frost. On the contrary, higher temperature indicators will have a negative impact on it: the plant will be weaker and the harvest will be smaller.

You can grow a turnip from seeds only in two stages. First of all, the seeds are sown to grow sets - small bulbs with a diameter not exceeding 2-3 centimeters. The resulting seedlings are stored in the basement in the winter, and there should not be too much room in the room. high humidity. Otherwise, the seedling will germinate and send out an arrow in the garden bed. Then the set is planted on the turnip. The only exceptions to this rule are hybrid varieties, which allow a summer resident to grow a full-fledged bulb in 1 year.

Planting material size

To avoid the appearance of onion shoots, it is necessary to choose the right seed. Bulbs for planting should be distributed according to their size. Only sets - small bulbs, suitable for planting on turnips.

Onions whose diameter exceeds 3 centimeters should be eaten. If you have large onion bulbs and want to get feathers, they can also be planted on country cottage area to a separate place.

Experienced summer residents claim that if the size of the planting material - seedlings - does not exceed 1 centimeter, such plantings will not bolt. This feature persists during storage without creating special conditions.

Landing dates

Bulbs up to 3 centimeters in diameter will not produce shoots if they are planted in late April. You need to plant the seedlings in warm soil, but if the soil is not warmed up well enough, the likelihood of froth development increases.

If you plant the seedlings late, the bulb may not grow fully formed. Such plants are often exposed to various diseases, stop growing and forming a head.

How to prevent bow shooting?

To prevent the appearance of shoots, the crop can be planted for the winter. But this should only be done in those regions that differ warm winter. If there are frosts in winter, it is better to use other methods of combating the appearance of shoots. To reduce the risk of vegetable bolting, remember to follow some recommendations:

• For cultivation, you only need small bulbs - sets, otherwise arrows will appear, which will need to be trimmed in the future;
• you need to prepare the planting material personally, since when purchasing it, it is not known how the seed was stored or whether it needs to be processed before planting;
• if the set has been purchased, before planting it must be heated on a wooden substrate on a radiator for 20 days;
• if seeds were purchased, they should be treated with potassium permanganate.

All of these tips will help you plant bulbs in the spring, reducing the likelihood of bulbs developing.

The bow has gone into the arrow: what to do?

If the onion begins to shoot, you must immediately remove the formed peduncle. It should be cut as close to the neck as possible. It is worth considering that in this case the arrows will be constantly formed, and each of them will need to be removed immediately. After the shoots have formed, the onion can be grown for greens, but the onion will not be large. Because of this peculiarity of the crop, you cannot plant an onion that has previously bolted. It can be identified by the presence of a thick neck.

To reduce the likelihood of bolts occurring, some gardeners use two varieties of onions for planting. In this case, you need to find out from the seller which of them is best to take for growing in a particular region. Even if one variety has gone into feathers, the second will be able to produce a full harvest of bulbs.

If arrows appear on the onion, most summer residents advise not to throw them away, but to use them to complement various dishes, prepare rolls or salads. This ingredient makes the dish piquant and gives it an unusual taste.

Many experienced summer residents have created a set of special rules that allow them not only to eliminate the risk of a peduncle, but also to benefit from the arrows that appear:

1. First of all, summer residents recommend growing your own seedlings and not trusting markets. The fact is that the buyer remains unknown how this planting material was stored. Most likely, some factor was disturbed, and in the process of growth the turnip goes into the arrow.
2. If the plant goes into arrows, you can immediately dig it up and use it for food or tear off the arrows of the onion at their base. In the first case, the harvest will be a small turnip, and in the second, the stems of the peduncle can become an excellent ingredient for preparing main courses and salads.
3. If the onion that shoots has nevertheless formed a full-fledged large head, it should be consumed immediately, since the shelf life of such a crop is minimal.
4. If a person does not like the taste of onion arrows and does not want to preserve them, add them to fresh salads, flower stalks can be used as fertilizer by placing them in the garden bed after being torn off.
5. To grow onions, you should use oatmeal - bulbs whose diameter does not exceed a centimeter. Such planting material almost never forms shoots, even if stored improperly. The only difficulty in growing oatmeal is storing it in cool rooms, since at elevated temperatures it quickly dries out.
6. It is recommended to plant oat before winter.
7. Plants should be planted in the ground later than April 25th.
8. If the set has been purchased, it must be warmed up before planting.

Subject to all of the above rules experienced summer residents, as well as recommendations to minimize the risk of arrows forming, you can get a rich harvest of onion turnips. The resulting harvest from non-shooting bulbs has a long shelf life, excellent taste and nutritional qualities. If, nevertheless, arrows appear on the plant, such a planting should be grown to obtain tasty, healthy, juicy greens.

Onion fly, or onion flower fly

Basic information. Onion fly is a dangerous pest of onions. Slightly damages onions, leeks, shallots, very slightly damages garlic, etc. It also damages bulbous flower crops, especially. Causes significant harm to lettuce.

Significant harmfulness is observed during the years of mass flight of flies during the period of growth and the beginning of onion development. Onions sown with seeds to obtain sets suffer especially from damage, because With thick stems, larvae crawl from dead plants to healthy ones, often covering a distance of over 0.5 m. When thinning is not necessary and the risk of infection is minimized, the harmfulness is lower.

Onion plants affected by neck rot or stem nematode are especially damaged by the larvae of the onion fly Delia antiqua and the sprout fly Delia platura.

IN middle lane gives 2 generations, in the northwestern regions - usually only one, but in warm autumn, a second. In the southern regions, the development of the third generation is possible.

Signs of damage. Seedlings in the cotyledon or first leaf phase wither in groups; inside the bulbs there are passages of the larvae - at the base of the cotyledons and leaves the larvae themselves. In older plants, the leaves in the neck of the bulb are damaged; there is a small hole on the outside at the bottom or neck. During the growth phase, the leaves in the neck of the bulb are damaged from the inside or the bulb is damaged, as a result of which the leaves wither. The leaves turn yellow, the bulb rots; the plant gradually dies.

Regardless of the type of damage, onion sets die when only one or two onion fly larvae penetrate the plant. The same thing is observed on onion plants if their growing point is damaged.

Description of the pest. Adults are ash-gray; body length 6-8 mm. Legs black wings slightly yellowish. The male has a dark stripe along the abdomen; hind tibia with a row of short thick setae.

The eggs are white, elongated, about 1.2 mm. The larvae are worm-like, off-white; rounded on the ventral and dorsal sides, narrowed towards the anterior end; body length up to 10 mm; jaws are hook-shaped. On the posterior segment there are two round dark-colored plates with respiratory openings. The pupae are in a yellowish-brown false cocoon.

The spring flight of onion flies coincides with the flowering time of dandelion or lilac. Reproductive maturation occurs with additional nectar feeding for a week.

In nigella onion crops, oviposition is already observed from the phase of 2-3 true leaves. Females place eggs on onion seedlings, between leaves or under lumps of soil near plants in groups of 5-20 pieces. The laying period lasts up to 1.5 months.

Egg development normally occurs at 25-80% soil moisture. Embryogenesis lasts about 6 days at a temperature of 13...14°C, about 4.5 days at 17...22°C, or from 6 to 3 days in the range of 23...29°C.

The larvae penetrate into the pulp of the bulbs, gnawing through the base of the leaves in the neck, less often - from the bottom. Individuals hatched from the same clutch stay together, eating away at the common cavity. They can migrate to neighboring plants. The duration of larval development is 2-3 weeks. The larvae pupate near damaged plants in the soil.

The second generation of onion flies appears in July. Pupae overwinter in areas where onions were grown, at a depth of 10-20 cm. Often, underdeveloped larvae can be carried on bulbs into storage facilities, where they pupate.

Fighting the onion fly. Drugs used:

• Fly eater at a rate of 50 g/10 m2 by applying to the soil surface when planting bulbs;
• Medvetox at a rate of 30 g/10 m2 by applying to the soil surface when planting bulbs with simultaneous loosening;
• Ants at a rate of 30 g/10 m2 by applying to the beds immediately after sowing,
• Zemlin at a rate of 30 g/10 m2 by applying to the soil surface when planting bulbs with simultaneous loosening.
• Tobacco dust or Tabazol is also used by dusting during the growing season at a rate of 3 g per 1 sq.m.

Onion hoverfly, or onion root beetle

Basic information. Appears occasionally, but harms onions and bulbous plants flower crops inflicts strong. It also damages carrot and beet root crops and potato tubers. Hoverflies, unlike the onion fly D. antiqua, cause damage in the second half of the growing season.

Together with the onion hoverfly, the tuberculated hoverfly is found, which differs from the first in that the males have a small tubercle at the base of the hind thighs.

Signs of damage. Damaged plants are stunted; the ends of the leaves turn yellow and wither. The bulbs soften and, when rotting, acquire specific smell. During group feeding, the inner part of the bulb is destroyed, turning into a black rotting mass.

Description of the pest. Medium size stocky flies, body length of females 5-7 mm, males 5-6 mm. In males the apex of the abdomen is slightly swollen, in females it is flat. The body color is bronze-greenish, there are two light stripes on the back. gray. The antennae are black. The entire abdomen is metallic green, blue or black. The thighs of the hind legs are thickened. The paws are black or black-brown.

Females lay up to 100 eggs on already weakened plants, often damaged by onion fly or stem nematode. Eggs are laid in small groups on bulbs.

shallot aphid

Basic information. Dangerous pest of forced onions; also harms other bows. May damage strawberries. The scientific name comes from the main food plant, shallots.

The dispersal of aphids is carried out under the influence of anthropogenic factors. The pest gets into greenhouses with planting material, on bulbs and on the “under-growing”, which is planted along with new batches of onions. In greenhouses, aphids cause the greatest damage to forced onions in the autumn-winter and early spring.

The shallot aphid is an infertile species. In the greenhouse, aphids are worried unfavorable period on weeds and in bulbs between scales. In addition to greenhouses, it also overwinters and causes damage in vegetable stores. After planting onions in greenhouses, aphids begin to feed on succulent scales and the bases of leaves. As a rule, there are no winged females. The main reservoir of the pest is the onion, which has not had time to form a marketable feather. It is from here that the aphids move to new plantings. Aphids are known to transmit certain viruses.

Signs of damage. Shallot aphids are found on the scaly leaves under the outer involucre of the bulb and on young leaves. Affected plants are stunted, leaves become distorted and wither. The feather going to the greens becomes contaminated with honeydew and molt skins.

Description of the pest. The body is ovoid, brown or red-brown in color. The larvae are greenish-brown or dull yellow. The eyes are black-brown. The antennal tubercles are well developed and converge in front. The antennae are longer than the body. The 4th-5th antennal segments and the 6th antennal segment are black. The remaining segments have body color. The tubes are cylindrical, light, tapering towards the apex, but end in a small darkened funnel. The thickness of the tubes is 8 times less than their length.

Protective measures. Treatment of onions with pesticides is prohibited. The use of biological agents is difficult and economically unprofitable. Therefore, a special role in pest control is given to agricultural techniques.

• soaking the bulbs in hot water before planting;
• storage and cultivation of “underdog”, separate from the main array;
• removing weeds and carrying out preventive work between rotations.
• It is possible to use infusions from the tops of insecticidal plants.

Tobacco or onion thrips

Basic information. Tobacco thrips is very damaging onion, weaker - . Garlic suffers little from thrips damage. The pest damages both the feather and the bulbs themselves during storage. By the time of onion harvesting most of thrips migrates to others cultivated plants and on weeds, where adults feed before leaving for the winter. Some thrips get under the dry onion scales, and thus the pest is brought into storage. The quality of commercial onions, as well as onion sets, is greatly reduced.

Distributed in the southern and middle zones open ground, to the north it is found as a pest of greenhouse crops.

Signs of damage. The fleshy scales become rough and later dry out. On green leaves whitish-silver or whitish stripes and spots appear, among which small dark dots are noticeable - dried excrement. The quality of the onion per feather decreases - severely damaged leaves become completely whitish in color, often bend, turn yellow, and dry out.

Due to the suspension of growth, the bulb becomes small. Onion seed inflorescences, significantly populated with thrips, produce puny seeds of low germination or dry out. Damage to onions by thrips combined with sun exposure is very dangerous for plants.

Description of the pest. The adult is elongated with narrow wings folded along the body. Body length 1.0-1.3 mm. The general color is yellowish. The eyes are red; antennae are usually yellow. The fore wings are slightly darker than the hind wings, with a fringe of fine hairs. The antennae are 7-segmented, i.e. their stylus is 1-segmented; maxillary palps 3-segmented.

The egg is kidney-shaped, whitish, 0.25-0.26 mm long and 0.15 mm wide. The larval stage has 2 instars. The hatched whitish or light yellow larva soon begins to feed on the plant. As they grow older, the greenish-yellow intestine begins to show through in the abdomen. The body length of the 2nd instar larvae is 0.8-0.9 mm. They do not feed and are usually found in the soil.

The adult tobacco thrips overwinters in all kinds of plant debris in greenhouses and in the greenhouse area in the upper layer of the substrate, as well as under dry scales of bulbs in vegetable stores.

The female's fertility is about 100 eggs. She places them one by one under the skin in the leaf tissue. After 3-6 days the larvae hatch. The development of one generation in the southern regions takes 14-30 days; further north development is slower.

Protective measures. It is effective to spray plantings during the growing season with Aktara and VDG preparations - 2 times per season. Karate Zeon, ISS - 2 times per season, liquid consumption 200-300 l/ha. The waiting period is 25 days.

The main thing in the fight against the onion pest is to carry out two treatments close in time with an interval of 5-7 days. This is due to the fact that some individuals at the egg and nymph stages are highly resistant to drugs or are inaccessible to them.

Basic information. It affects onions, spring onions, chives, and garlic. It also feeds on and other plants from the Amaryllis family. Distributed everywhere, but harmful in patches.

The onion rattle is often confused with the onion rattle, which has a black head and legs rather than red. In the middle zone, the leaf beetle develops in 1 generation, in the southern regions - in 2 generations.

Signs of damage. Onion rattle beetles gnaw at onion leaves through holes, causing the leaves to break. The larvae eat holes in onion leaves and shoots and gnaw flower stalks. Adult larvae usually burrow into the tubular leaf.

Description of the pest. Bright red beetles, 6-8 mm long. The legs are red, the antennae and the underside of the body, except for the tip of the abdomen, are black. Eggs are elongated, smooth, orange color, 1 mm long. The larva is thick, off-white in color, with black dots on the sides, and six-legged. The head, chest shield and legs are black. The larvae cover themselves with their own excrement, resulting in a brownish mucous mass.

Basic information. Onion borer damages onions, leeks and garlic during the growing season. The harmfulness is especially great on weakened, stunted plants. Distributed in the European part of Russia and the Far East.

Four-legged onion mite, or tulip mite, or garlic mite

Basic information. A widespread pest - known from the Moscow region to Krasnodar region. Harmful to onions, garlic, and many ornamental crops of the Amaryllis family. The mite causes maximum damage during the period: weak plants with ugly or dwarf shoots and flowers subsequently develop from damaged bulbs. The garlic mite is a carrier of the Onion mosaic virus. The virus is acquired by tick prelarvae while feeding on bulb cells for 15 minutes. After molting, it remains in the body of females for 9 days. The virus is not detected in eggs.

The primary spread of the mite occurs with planting material; secondary - with the help of wind and insects.

Signs of damage. Green or yellow spots. During winter storage, damaged scales dry out, which makes the stains more noticeable. During the onion growing season, the tops of the leaves turn yellow. In spring, garlic mites move to leaves and flowering shoots, which become chlorotic with a whitish color. Shoots damaged by mites are deformed, often twisted in a loop; plants are sharply retarded in development and growth.

Description of the pest. The female is about 0.2 mm long, the body is very elongated, whitish in color, with 2 pairs of legs located in the front of the body. The shield is semicircular, without a visor. Skin with ring grooves. There are an average of 83-87 dorsal half-rings, up to 76 abdominal half-rings. The genital shield has longitudinal ribbing. There is one strong seta on the tibia of the legs of the first pair. Larvae differ from adults in appearance by being smaller in size and having fewer half rings on a relatively short body.

The garlic mite overwinters in all phases of development between the scales in the bulbs. Most individuals concentrate in the neck area, wearing away at it. Under cold storage conditions, mite development slows down. Under favorable conditions in the storage, mites begin to reproduce, and when the temperature rises to 18...25°C, they spread to neighboring bulbs.

Females lay 1 egg per day, but over the entire life period they can lay up to 25 eggs. At a temperature of 9°C, eggs develop in 3-5 days. Under favorable conditions, the duration of generation is 9-10 days. In dry conditions, migrating ticks die, but in a humid environment they can live without food for up to 80 days.

Onion mite

The most intensive accumulation on onions is observed during storage. Typically, bulb damage begins at the bottom, but mites also penetrate bulbs damaged by insects, nematodes and molds. Through the worn-out and rotten mass of the bottom, mites settle inside the bulbs between the fleshy scales. Damaged bulbs rot.

The main condition for obtaining a healthy harvest of onions and garlic is compliance with crop rotation. You cannot return lily crops (onions, garlic) to their original bed earlier than after 4-5 years.

Before storing onions and garlic, you need to disinfect the storage 2 months in advance with a solution of bleach (400 g per 10 liters of water). Before planting, it is recommended to warm the sets with warm air (40°-42°) for 10 hours.

Diseases and pests of onions and garlic

Onions suffer from onion fly damage from year to year. The first flight of the fly is observed when the dandelions bloom. At this time, a repellent is used - watering is carried out ammonia(1 tablespoon per bucket of water).

This event is held every week. The onion bed must be moved to a different place every year; the best predecessor is carrots.

Pre-planting treatment of the sets helps onions to grow healthy - heating them in the sun several hours before planting, soaking them in hot strong potassium permanganate, and then dusting them with ash. You can dust the onions with bazudine, but under no circumstances use such onions on feathers - the drug is poisonous.

As soon as the bow emerges from the ground, the secretive proboscis attacks. The feather becomes pale, and the larvae of the secretive proboscis settle inside it. For prevention, you need to constantly sprinkle the onion with ash, cut off the affected feather and destroy it.

Onion fly (Delia antiqua Mg.) and hoverfly (Eumerus strigatus Fall.) - dangerous pests onion plants, damaging the underground parts of onions, spring onions, leeks, shallots, and garlic. Pests are common in all areas where onion plants are grown and are especially harmful on sandy and loamy soils, as well as on personal plots during their continuous cultivation. The onion fly overwinters in the puparia (pupa in a reddish-brown, shiny cocoon, about 7 mm long) in the soil at a depth of 10 to 20 cm.

The flight of the first generation flies begins in early May at a sum of effective temperatures of 103-141°C (this coincides with the flowering of lilacs) and lasts 30-40 days. The flies are ash-gray, with a distinct brownish longitudinal line on the abdomen.

Flies emerging after overwintering feed on the nectar of flowering plants. 5-10 days after departure, females lay eggs (5-12 pieces each) near plants, in cracks in the soil, between the bulb and the soil, openly on the soil, leaves, in the axils of the leaves and between dry scales of the bulb.

After 4-6 days, at an air temperature of 18.5-21.5°C and a relative air humidity of 65-75%, the larvae hatch. Adult larva white, legless, narrowed in front and widened at the posterior end, up to 10 mm long.

On the obliquely cut segment there are two spiracles, and along the edges there are 16 small outgrowths (tubercles), of which the most noticeable are the 4 lower middle outgrowths. Of all types of onions, female onion flies prefer onions.

Moreover, the plants of the first generation are the most populated. In nigella crops for sowing, egg laying is already observed, starting from the phase of 2-3 true leaves. The larvae hatching from the eggs bore into underground part bulbs, damage the vascular bundles of the plant.

If there is not enough food for the further development of the larva, it moves to a neighboring plant. In damaged plants, the bulbs rot, the leaves turn yellow, wither and dry out. Plants are easily pulled out of the soil.

On onions of the second year of development (turnip sowing), at the beginning of the growing season, the fly lays eggs mainly on the soil and onion, and as the plants develop, in the axils of the leaves and openly on the leaves. The hatched larvae migrate to the plant and actively penetrate into it either through the bottom or through the neck.

In this case, the former feed on the tissues of the bottom (false stem), the latter - on the tissues of fleshy scales and leaves. Regardless of the type of damage, onion sets die when only 1-2 larvae penetrate the plant.

The same thing is observed on onion plants (especially in the first half of the growing season), if their growing point is damaged. The first generation larvae damage onions in May - June. Their development lasts about 20 days.

Then, having finished feeding, they emerge from the bulb into the soil and pupate in it. At the end of June - in the first half of July, the years of the second generation of flies begin. There are few of them, since a significant part of individuals (up to 35%) of the first generation go into diapause.

The onion fly develops in two generations. The greatest damage to plants is caused by onion fly larvae in the early stages of development.

As a result of the research, it was established that all types and varieties of onions are colonized and damaged by phytophages to one degree or another during the growing season. But the main type of onion that is largely damaged by dipterous pests is onion.

Sweet varieties of onions (Yalta local, Orange), which have a minimum dry matter content (6-9.7%) and essential oil(0.018-0.025%). On the crops of these varieties, the maximum number of eggs laid is noted - 14.8-18.2 eggs/plant.

On spicy varieties (Strigunovsky, Skvirsky, Zolotisty) with high content dry matter (up to 18%) and essential oil (up to 0.05%), the number of eggs laid per plant and damage by onion fly is 3-4 times lower compared to sweet onion varieties. The peninsular varieties Lugansky and Karatalsky with an average content of secondary substances occupy an average position, the damage of which is about 26%.

Research has shown that, depending on the number of nests in the bulb, onion varieties with 1-2 nests were less colonized and damaged by the onion fly. Thus, the crops of multi-nest shallots with 6-7 nests were almost half infested with pests, and their damage was at the level of 40.5%.

At a time when the population of small and medium-sized onion varieties was at the level of 20.5-28.0%, and the damage was 10-21.6%. This indicates that onion fly larvae can leave damaged plants and crawl onto others only when the plants are very close to each other.

Onion hoverfly. The fly is 7-10 cm long, shiny, greenish-bronze, with three semilunar spots on the top of the abdomen. The male differs from the female in having larger eyes that almost touch at the base of the antennae.

The pest overwinters in the pupal stage (puparia) in the soil at a depth of 10-25 cm and in the larval stage (middle and older ages) in the plant remains of mother bulbs, as well as in stored plants. planting material, in which by mid-winter they form puparia and pupate. Thanks to this intraspecific flexibility, the population size of the onion hoverfly is constantly maintained at a high level.

The onion hoverfly emerges at the end of May. The fly is active throughout the day and high temperatures are not a deterrent.

After additional feeding with nectar, the female selects well-lit open areas and lays white eggs, somewhat concave in the middle part, on the soil surface near the plant, on the outer covering scales and in the neck of the bulb. After 4-7 days, larvae hatch, distinctive morphological feature which is the presence of spiracles clearly visible to the naked eye, protruding at the posterior end of the body, as well as their high plasticity.

In the bulb, the larvae feed on the succulent internal tissues of the plant for 17-25 days, mainly in the lower, root part. They molt three times, after which they form a false, light yellow cocoon with a brownish tint.

In July, flies of the second generation fly out, the larvae of which damage onions and garlic after planting. The onion weevil (Cruthorrhynchus jakovlevi Schultze.) is a small beetle 2-2.7 mm long. Its body is black, covered with white scales, oval in shape, with a long, slightly curved rostrum, and club-shaped antennae.

The end of the head is extended into a “proboscis”, usually bent down. The abdomen is not covered on top with elytra. It damages onions, spring onions, most often shallots, less often garlic and leeks.

Beetles overwinter under plant debris, dried grass and lumps of soil on the turfed slopes of ditches, ravines, along roadsides, and forest belts. They awaken in early spring, in the second half of April (according to observations, their years coincide with the flowering of dandelions).

At first, the beetles feed mainly on sprouted onions left in the field, then they move to early onion crops. They gnaw small holes in the leaves and, plunging their proboscis into them, eat out small cavities in the pulp of the leaf, under the skin.

The damage looks like round whitish spots located along the edge of the leaf. Onion seedlings are particularly affected. They often dry out and die.

It should be noted that in last years The number and harmfulness of the onion secretive proboscis has greatly increased, which is primarily due to high temperatures and lack of precipitation during the period of its development (late April - May). Females lay small, whitish, round-oval eggs through a hole they make in the feathers on the inside of the leaves.

The larvae that hatch after 5-16 days are yellowish, legless, C-shaped bent, with a brown head, up to 6.5 mm long, gnaw passages in the pulp of the leaves, and whitish longitudinal stripes form on the outside. The leaves turn yellow, starting from the top, and if severely damaged, they dry out.

If there are 3-5 larvae on one leaf, especially in dry, hot weather, the seedlings die. The larvae stop causing damage by early June, and new leaves grow on the affected plants. However, the yield as a result of the “activity” of the secretive proboscis is significantly reduced.

The larvae develop for 15-20 days, then gnaw holes in the leaves, go into the soil and pupate at a depth of 3-6 cm. The pupa is located in the soil, in a loose earthen cradle.

The second generation of beetles appears in late June - early July and feeds on leaf tissue and inflorescences of onion plants in the summer. If the succulent stalks are completely gnawed, the flowers die, and if partially, puny seeds are obtained. The onion moth (Acrolepia assectella Zell.) damages onions, leeks and partly garlic during the growing season.

Butterflies overwinter in plant debris. The butterfly is up to 12-14 mm in wingspan, the front wings are brown with large stripes and spots, and the hind wings are gray with long fringe. The summer of onion moth butterflies begins in mid-May.

They fly at night, soon after additional feeding with nectar they mate and lay yellowish, round eggs up to 0.4 mm long on bottom side leaf, on the neck of the bulb, flower arrows of onion and garlic. After 5-7 days, yellowish-green caterpillars with brown warts hatch, penetrate into the leaves, shoots and inflorescences, eat up the flower primordia, and during the flowering of the plants, gnaw the pedicels.

Caterpillars pupate on leaves, on the surface of the soil near the bulbs. The development of the pupa lasts 9-12 days. In July, butterflies of a new generation emerge, the caterpillars of which usually cause damage in the second half of July and in August.

Tobacco (onion) thrips (Thrips tabaci Lind.) are most common in the southern regions of Ukraine (and today almost throughout the entire territory of Ukraine) and harm not only onions, but also cucumbers, watermelons, and cabbage. When onion sets and garlic are stored warmly (+18°C), thrips feed and reproduce throughout the winter, significantly reducing their planting qualities.

Thrips overwinter in the top layer of soil, in plant debris under dry scales of onions and garlic. Appears on crops in late April - early May. The female lays up to 100 small whitish eggs, placing them singly in the fleshy scales of the bulbs.

The root mite penetrates into mature bulbs through the bottom, which cracks and turns into a rotten mass. Thrips and their larvae feed by sucking juice from leaves. Whitish spots form on the leaves, which merge when severely damaged.

Damaged leaves turn yellow and dry out. You can see small black dots on them - the excrement of the pest. The bulb of the affected plants is small. By the time of onion harvesting, if the weather is warm, thrips fly to cabbage, cucumbers, and various weeds.

Onion crops are damaged by root (onion) mite (Rhizoglyphus echinopus R. et F.) and garlic four-legged mite (Aceria tulipae Keif.). Ticks - small arthropod insects, length from 0.5 to 1.1 mm.

Moisture-loving and heat-loving organisms, reproduce weakly at temperatures above +13°C and relative air humidity above 70%. They are distinguished by their fertility: one female lays up to 800 eggs. Each generation develops within 10-30 days.

When conditions worsen or there is a lack of food, a very resistant form of the pest (hypopus) appears. In this form, ticks can exist for a long time without feeding. The root mite penetrates into mature bulbs through the bottom.

With severe damage, the outer scales lag behind the bottom - it becomes bare, becomes rotten, and the bulb rots. With mild infestation, the mites remain between the fleshy scales and damage onions in storage.

The root mite can also feed on bulbs of hyacinths, daffodils, and even potato tubers and rotting roots of carrots and beets. The garlic mite, unlike the root mite, damages the leaves and juicy scales on the outside of the bulb and causes especially great harm to onion sets.

Overwinters in bulbs, soil and seeds. In onion waste, on dry scales, being in the dormant stage, it can persist for more than two years, and in dried garlic - up to five.

When introduced into a humid environment, the nematode leaves the dormant state and becomes active. After sowing or planting onions and garlic in contaminated soil, the stem nematode penetrates the plant tissue and lays eggs in them. The emerging larvae and adult nematodes feed on the sap of plants, which at the same time lag behind in growth, their first cotyledon leaf swells and bends.

Severely damaged seedlings die. In plants, leaves (feathers) become deformed, wrinkled with yellowish veins, bend, and thicken at the bottom. The internal tissues of the bulbs when cut have a loose granular structure.

Cavities often form between the juicy scales of a diseased bulb (that’s why it feels soft to the touch), and its bottom cracks. Affected bulbs continue to deteriorate during storage. The set is drying up.

When garlic is infected with a nematode, it is stunted in growth, its pseudostem thickens, and longitudinal cracks form on it. The bulb becomes loose and wet, and it completely collapses. The onion leaf beetle (Lilioceris merdigera) is found everywhere, but causes damage in patches.

The beetle overwinters in plant debris. Before germination, it feeds on unharvested queen cells and sets discarded during planting, and on the shoots of overwintered bulbs from last year.

With the emergence of seedlings, it moves on to young shoots and inflorescences - it gnaws holes in the shoots, gnaws on pedicels and flowers. The larvae damage leaves and arrows; pupate in the soil. Leaf beetle larvae are large and are collected by hand.

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