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Onion a bulbous herb, Allium cepa, of the family
Alliaceae. The plant is characterised by an edible bulb composed of food
storage leaves.
The above-ground green leaves are typically long and tubular,
and are also eaten. In Bangladesh onion is grown in an area of
about 34,455 hectares and total onion production is about 1,38,000
m tons. It possibly originated in Western Asia. The pungency,
which varies with cultivar, is due to a volatile oil known as
allyl-propyl disulphide.
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Onion, Allium
Cepa |
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Onion plant |
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Onions can be grown on all types of soils. The optimum
time of transplanting in Bangladesh is December or the 1st week of January.
Onion bulbs reach maturity when plants cease to produce new leaves. The
average yield is 4-5 m tons/ha. Tahirpur and Faridpuri are two important
varieties; the bangladesh
agricultural research institute has recently released one variety
called BARI Piaj-1. Onion is grown in all districts, but Faridpur is the
largest producer of onion. It is used as a fresh vegetable;
as a spice and as an ingredient of curry, sauce, soup, pickles, seasoning
food, etc.
[AKM Matiar Rahman]
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