The Basque agricultural sector faces the challenge of improving the profitability of its farms due to increasing production costs and the need to comply with crop rotations established by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to ensure sustainability. However, these practices in Euskadi are constrained by the climate, as high humidity and a limited weather window from autumn to early spring restrict viable agronomic alternatives for completing these rotations.

To find suitable options for this environment, Neiker, under the Department of Agriculture, has evaluated the potential of the onion as an alternative for crop rotations in the region. During the 2025 campaign, the center analyzed the agronomic behavior, yield, and adaptation of five onion varieties—Stingrain, Valero, Legend, Joaquin, and Citation—in the Álava municipality of Gauna.

The objective of this study is to provide the primary sector with valuable technical information before large-scale implementation. The data obtained highlight the good performance of the Legend, Citation, and Valero varieties, which have produced onions with an average size of between 60 and 80 millimeters in diameter. This format directly meets the current requirements of large distributors and supermarkets for direct sale to consumers, as stated by the research center.

The Stingrain variety has shown technical quality achieving smaller sizes, although its commercial outlet this year is good due to an excess of large calibers in the current market. The current goal is for farmers to plant these varieties. Neiker also aims for the transition to these new species to be carried out using existing machinery from the potato sector on their farms, to avoid dependence on complex manual labor.