In 2012, an onion variety trial was evaluated for the first time at the Williston Research Research Extension Center's Nesson Valley Irrigation site. The site, which is about 25 miles east of Williston near the Missouri River, receives irrigation via well water as well as river water. The irrigation system for the onion trial consists of overhead linear sprinklers.

The overall goal of the onion research is to see if a sizeable onion crop can be grown in western North Dakota for processing purposes. Other important things to note with the onion research is the architecture of the plant, the leaf color, the number of plants that bolted or went into flowering, any visible defects, and the number of single centers versus double centers from 10 onions selected at random. Something else to consider for trial evaluations and home gardening is the type of onion, such as yellow, red or Spanish. Knowing the type of onion will help determine the harvest times (early, mid or late season), yield potential, and storage potential.

For this years data, click here.