Although Brits in the North-West province of South Africa may not be the biggest onion-producing region of the country, it is certainly an important part of the overall supply picture. Brits is close to the 2 largest fresh produce markets in the country, Johannesburg and Tshwane, as well as large centres of population and many chain store operations. This proximity means an advantage over more distant production areas in that distances are shorter and reaction times quicker. It also means smaller-sized loads are feasible for serving more specialised customers. Brits can also be a challenging area in which to produce onions with typically heavy, black clay soils and some serious disease problems such as white bulb rot, Sclerotium cepivorum. Water quality is another factor receiving constant attention with the Hartbeeespoort dam the main source of supply. Bearing in mind the importance and uniqueness of Brits to the onion industry, Starke Ayres has been conducting trials for several years
with the objective of identifying varieties able to perform consistently in the area. Early on in this process, the variety Tusker showed great potential. It had quick, uniform germination and vigorous early growth resulting in uniform crop development. This translated to an end result of excellent uniformity of both size and shape of bulbs, increased yields and a very high first-grade packout of preferred sizes. Tusker has realised this early potential in the first commercial plantings in Brits. It proved to be early maturing when compared to most standard varieties and delivered top yields of high-quality bulbs. It also has proven resistance to Pink Root Rot, which is common in South African onion productions. Using a resistant variety such as Tusker is an efficient means of reducing risk from the disease. Although Tusker may be the young bull on the block it is making a lot of noise!
