Horizontal Windbreak Nets for Welsh Onion Cultivation in Winter Reduce Losses
Every year when the northeast monsoon arrives in autumn and winter, onion farmers on the windward side grow nervous. Welsh onion leaves are slender and hollow, and are most afraid of strong winds blowing for long periods. In mild cases the leaf tips dry out and turn yellow; in severe cases the whole field lodges and the market grade plummets. The Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station is promoting "horizontal windbreak nets" to address this long-standing problem. In demonstration fields, Welsh onions stand upright even on windy days, with losses greatly reduced, even approaching zero loss.
How does strong wind "bully" Welsh onions?
Wind damages onions in three main ways: first, friction and shaking, as the leaves repeatedly whip back and forth, and after the tissue is injured the leaf tips lose water and dry out, becoming unsightly "yellow-tail onions"; second, lodging and breakage, as the plants are blown crooked and down, bending the white stalks and lowering the grade; third, indirect effects, as wind accelerates soil moisture evaporation, weakening plant growth and reducing yield. Traditional vertical windbreak nets are erected on the windward side and can only protect a certain distance behind the net, and turbulence easily forms at the edges, reducing the protective effect.
What are the advantages of horizontal windbreak nets?
As the name suggests, a horizontal windbreak net is a net "erected horizontally": posts and steel cables fix the net above the onion plants, like propping up a protective cover over the onion field. When strong wind passes through the mesh, it is weakened, and the wind speed above the whole field drops simultaneously. Its advantage is comprehensive coverage: rather than protecting only one side, it reduces wind evenly across the whole field, noticeably reducing both leaf-tip drying and lodging; the net surface retains breathable pores, so it does not turn the field into a stuffy greenhouse, and photosynthesis proceeds as usual. Demonstration results from the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station show that, together with normal field management, Welsh onions remain upright, green and intact during the windy season, with better guaranteed quality and yield.
Installation and use precautions
To introduce this setup, you can start from several aspects: first, the structure must be sturdy, with posts driven firmly, cables tightened, and the net surface securely fixed; check everything before a typhoon arrives to avoid the net being blown over and instead injuring the onion plants; second, choose weather-resistant, UV-resistant netting, with a pore density that noticeably reduces wind without completely sealing it off, since too dense and airtight a net easily accumulates moisture and induces disease; third, leave enough height, keeping space between the net surface and the onion plants for growth and operations, making fertilizing and field inspection convenient; fourth, it can be used together with vertical windbreak nets and windbreak hedges, adding another barrier on the windward side for more comprehensive effect; fifth, for daily maintenance, repair holes promptly when found, and clean and store the net after the windy season to extend its service life. In addition, many places offer subsidies for windbreak nets and other disaster-prevention facilities, with standards varying by locality; before applying, consult the local agriculture and rural affairs department or agricultural machinery authority, and the published regulations shall prevail.
In one sentence: wind damage is not "predetermined by fate." Erect horizontal windbreak nets before the windy season arrives, break strong winds down into nothing, and the Welsh onions naturally will not be blown down, sparing onion farmers one more heartache.