Data Source: www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov

Vegetation Health index (VHI):

VHI is a proxy characterizing vegetation health by combining moisture and thermal conditions. If the indices are below 40 indicating different level of vegetation stress, losses of crop and pasture production might be expected; if the indices above 60 (favorable condition) plentiful production might be expected. VH (VHI, VCI, TCI) is very useful for an advanced prediction of crop losses.

Commentary:

• Howard Schwartz - Colorado

  September 15, 2011 Lower temperatures and rain occurred in most onion regions, and may contribute to late-season problems with bacterial and fungal diseases in the field and storage. aggravate some late-season fungal problems in seeded fields.

  
  
• Chris Cramer - New Mexico
  

  August 1, 2011 Harvesting of intermediate-day cultivars of the spring-sown crop is mostly complete. Only long day cultivars still need to be harvested. All four sentinel plots have been harvested. Sporadic rainfall may cause some harvest delays of the latest maturing cultivars. This will be the last commentary report from New Mexico.

  
  
• Dan Drost - Utah
  

  August 14, 2011 Crop growth is good and early bulbing stage achieved in most fields. Earliest plantings are in growth stage 7 (4-7.5 cm with late plantings in stage 6. Growers were please with some fields at our 9 Aug field day but expressed concern about sizing in those later planted fields as leaf initiation complete and sizing occurring. No top down reported but tip scorch noted in some areas.

  
  
• Lindsey du Toit - Washington
  

  September 27, 2011 - Most onion crops in the Columbia Basin of WA and OR have been harvested or windrowed. August and September were warm and dry overall. Bulb rots (neck rot, black mold, and bacterial) have been observed in quite a few fields, suggesting this may be a problematic storage season.

  
  
• Mary Hasubeck
  

  September 8, 2011 - Many growers have harvested their fields for the season. The neck rot previously reported is still being observed in central Michigan fields.

  
  
• Krishna Mohan
  

  Sept 08, 2011 Harvesting of Onions in another 8 to 15 days.Crop growth is good with hot and dry conditions.Apart from confirmed IYSV, no other disease to report. Minor incidence of Cladosoprium from the dead and dying leaf tips. Thrips encountered in all the plots and their numbers are subsiding with the approaching harvest.

  
  
• Brian Nault
  

  September 19, 2011. Most of the crop in NY has been pulled and harvested. Bulb yields are below average. Many fields in the Black Dirt region in the Hudson Valley, where 40% of the onions in NY are grown, were flooded after Hurricane Irene. For those fields in NY that have been harvested, onion quality has been decent and there have not yet been reports of serious rot problems.

  
  
• H.  
  

  July 11, 2011. With hot and dry weather, onion crops are developing well. High thrips populations and thrips damage is evident in some fields. No other significant pests or diseases are observed.

  
  

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