Cooperative
Extension Service
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
George
Boyhan, Extension Horticulturist-Vegetables
East Georgia Extension Center
Rosenwald Building, Third Floor
PO Box 8112
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA 30460
912-681-5639 | 912-681-0376, Fax | 912-682-3481,
mobile
Representatives of the University of Georgia met with representatives of some of the seed companies as well as Bobby Harris with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and some of the growers to discuss changes to the rules concerning testing onion varieties as well as the University's position with regards to the criteria for testing.
The University's position continues to be that there should be three years of testing before any recommendations are made. In addition, the committee charged with making the recommendations (Boyhan, Torrance, Randle, Bailey) continue to recommend that the criteria for recommendation should be that onion shape (width to height ratio) should be no less than 1, that the pungency be less than 5.0 umol/gfw of pyruvate, and that they be acceptable by consumer taste panel testing.
Additional discussions at the meeting concerned to what extent seed companies could conduct on-farm trials and whether these onions could be sold. Although no decision was made, there was discussion to allow up to 2 acres of onions on any farm of new material that would be allowed into the marketplace. As of this writing, I don't believe the Georgia Department of Agriculture has adopted any rules concerning these discussions.
Three years ago when I first came to Georgia, the Department of Agriculture and the onion growers were in discussions about limiting the onion varieties to just 12 varieties. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Tommy Irvin, came to a meeting in Lyons, Ga., at that time to discuss limiting the varieties. Based on the tenor of the meeting, I assumed the Commissioner was not going to act. The meeting was split about 50-50 concerning this issue. Unbeknown to me and a lot of others, the Commissioner did indeed issue a letter to theVidalia Onion Committee on June 20, 1997, limiting the varieties to these 12 varieties.
Last year, as you know, rules were adopted that allowed the Commissioner to add new varieties based on recommendations from the Director of the Experiment Station at UGA (Dr. Gale Buchanan). In addition, three varieties -- 'Sweet Dixie,' 'Sugar Queen' and 'Spring Express' -- were specifically excluded as Vidalia onion varieties. On June 30, 2000, the Vidalia Onion Business Council (the lobbying arm of the Vidalia onion growers) recommended that all growers refrain from growing the following varieties: Centaur (XP 6712) from Asgrow Seed Co.; SSC6371, SSC6372, SSC6436 from Shamrock Seed Co.; King Midas (RCS1919) from Sunseeds; Sweet Advantage (DPS1058), Southern Honey and Southern Belle from D. Palmer Seed Co. The VOBC felt there should be more testing on these varieties before they are grown as Vidalia onions. The Department of Agriculture then issued an intent to consider a rule change that would have expressly included the following varieties: Centaur (6712) from Asgrow Seed Co.; Georgia Pride, SSC371, SSC6372, SSC6436 from Shamrock Seed Co.; King Midas (RC1919) from Sunseeds; Sweet Advantage (DPS1058), Southern Honey and Southern Belle. Hearings were held on this rule change on August 24, 2000. The Department of Agriculture then decided not to adopt these rule changes, thus effectively barring these varieties from being grown.
The only varieties that can be grown as Vidalia onions based on these rules are varieties that were grandfathered in -- that is, those grown in 1995 and 1996 as well as the 12 varieties that the Commissioner allowed in 1997 for the 1998 growing season. All other varieties are effectively barred.
The 1995 variety list includes: Dessex, F-1, Granex 33, Improved F-1, Improved Granex, Mr. Max, Primavera, Rio Bravo, Royal Sluth 201, Royal Sluth 235, Savannah Sweet, Sweet Dixie (removed, see above), Sweet Georgia, Sweet Success 1514, Sweet Vidalia, Y-33 and 6020.
The 1996 variety list includes: Dessex, F-1, Granex 33, Improved F-1, Improved Granex, Mr. Max, Pegasus 6020, Primavera, Rio Bravo, RS 235, Savannah Sweet, Southern Belle, Southern Honey, Sweet Dixie (removed, see above), Sweet Georgia, Sweet Magnolia, Sweet Success 1514, Sweet Vidalia, Y-33, 1516 and 1919.
The restricted 1997 list (varieties for the 1998 growing season) included: Sweet Vidalia, Granex 33, Savannah Sweet, Pegasus, Granex F1, Sweet Success, Dessex, Southern Belle, Southern Honey, Rio Bravo, Mr. Max and Adonis.
As of now, if a variety is not on one of these three lists, it cannot be grown as a Vidalia onion. There is some overlap from one list to another as well as some varieties being listed twice in one year under different names. For example, Granex 33 and Y-33 are the same variety. In addition, some varieties are no longer available, such as Mr. Max, Royal Sluth 235 and Royal Sluth 201.
This restriction of varieties available to growers has led to the possibility that there may be a shortage of seed for this season. With this in mind, Dean Buchanan has recommended three additional varieties based on data generated from past years. These varieties include SXO 1519 and Sweet Melody from Sunseeds, and Cyclops (XP 6995) from Asgrow Seed Co. I do not know if the Department of Agriculture will include these three varieties in the above-mentioned lists.
Of all the varieties we have been testing over the past two years, we have only two years of data on the following varieties: Centaur (6712), DPS 1032, Sweet Advantage (DPS 1058), Granex 33, Pegasus, Savannah Sweet, Sweet Melody, Sweet Success, Sweet Vidalia, SXO 1519, WI-3115, WI-609 and Cyclops (XP 6995). Among these varieties, several are already grandfathered in: Pegasus, Savannah Sweet, Sweet Vidalia and Granex 33.
Because of these developments, Bill Johnson with Shamrock Seed Co. has decided to drop out of the trials. In addition, Mary Jo Wannamaker with Wannamaker Seed has been trying to contact me prior to entering their varieties. I suspect she will also be reconsidering their participation in our trials.
While researching this story, I did come across a rule that gives the Commissioner of Agriculture the right to dictate an opening harvest date. This has been discussed and debated among the growers, but I am unaware of the Commissioner ever designating an opening date; however, the Department of Agriculture has stopped growers from harvesting onions too early.
From My DeskSorry about the delay getting this newsletter out, but in light of the developments at the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the delay was fortuitous. Just a reminder about soil testing for plantbed onions. Remember, growers can now send in their soil tests indicating they are growing for plantbed onions and get a specific recommendation. Talk to you next month.