Leek (Allium porrum L.) is a non-bulb forming tetraploid plant of onion family. Except large Size it looks like green onion. It’s cultivation is not commercial in India and grown only in kitchen gardens. Leek is cultivated for blanched stems and leaves. It is consumed as salad and used in flavouring the soups.
VARIETIES
PPL-1. It is a selection from exotic germplasm. The hollow plant is consumed. Leaves light green, swollen stem and do not form bulb. Ready in 150-160 days and good replacement for green onion.
London Flag and American Flag are also commonly grown in India.
CLIMATE AND SOIL
Leek requires cool season and is more hardy than onion. It thrives well on fertile medium soils having good amount of organic matter with 6.0-8.0 soil pH.
CULTIVATION
About 5-6 kg seed is sown in the nursery during mid September-October to transplant in one hectare area. Seedlings are transplanted when they attain 15 cm height.
MANURE AND FERTILIZERS
Apply 200-250 q well rotten FYM or compost along with 80-100 kg N, 60 kg PO, and 80 kg KO/ha. Transplanting should be done in 15-20 cm deep trenches made at 30-40 cm apart to facilitate blanching. Maintain 10-15 cm distance between plants.
WEED CONTROL
Blanching is an important cultural operation in leek cultivation which improves the quality of crop, however, other operations are same to onion. Blanch the plants by covering them gradually with soil to a certain height as they grow. Avoid blanching at early stage of plant growth when they are young.
HARVESTING
Harvesting should be done by lifting the green leaves manually.
YIELD
Yield varies from 250-300 q/ha.
Read More:– Garlic Crop Cultivation Guide Click Here
Green onions are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B2. Apart from this, it is also a good source of thiamine and vitamin K.
The fibers present in it serve to nourish the body in a better way.
Along with this, there is also a quantity of pectin available, which is helpful in preventing various types of cancer. With a lot of vitamins, salts, and other nutritional compounds necessary for health, Spring Onion is a healthy option.
