Tropea Round Red Onion Seeds

• Tropea Round Red Onion
• The Tropea Round Red Onion Plant
• How to Sow Tropea Round Red Onion
• How to Grow Tropea Round Red Onion
• Tips for Tropea Round Red Onion
• Diseases and Pests of Tropea Round Red Onion
• Uses and Curiosities of Tropea Round Red Onion
• Properties of Tropea Round Red Onion
• Nutritional Values of Tropea Round Red Onion

Tropea Round Red Onion

The Tropea flat-round red onion, also called "early type", is the first ecotype to mature among the varieties of the Tropea Calabria PGI Red Onion, with a rounded flattened bulb and bright red-violet skin.

The Tropea Round Red Onion Plant

Allium cepa belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. This ecotype develops a flat-round bulb with white flesh streaked purple, particularly sweet thanks to its low pyruvic acid content and the high sugar content typical of the Calabrian Tyrrhenian coast.

How to Sow Tropea Round Red Onion

Sowing takes place in a protected seedbed between August and September; seedlings are then transplanted into the field between November and December, burying seeds about 1-2 centimetres deep.

How to Grow Tropea Round Red Onion

Being the shortest-cycle ecotype, it requires regular but moderate watering and light, well-drained soil. Prolonged exposure to direct sun during the hottest hours should be avoided in the early growth stages.

Tips for Tropea Round Red Onion

Harvesting takes place from mid-April to the end of May, once the bulb has reached its characteristic flat-round shape. It is advisable to harvest once leaves begin to bend, letting bulbs dry a few days before storage.

Diseases and Pests of Tropea Round Red Onion

Like other onions, it can be subject to downy mildew and neck rot in waterlogged conditions; common pests include onion fly and thrips.

Uses and Curiosities of Tropea Round Red Onion

Thanks to its exceptional sweetness, it is the ecotype best suited to fresh raw consumption in salads, but also lends itself well to cooked preparations such as caramelising or sweet-and-sour, keeping a harmonious, never pungent flavour.

Properties of Tropea Round Red Onion

Rich in anthocyanins, the antioxidant pigments responsible for the red-violet colour, this onion also has diuretic and detoxifying properties, plus a good vitamin C content.

Nutritional Values of Tropea Round Red Onion

Per 100 grams, Tropea round red onion provides about 32 kcal, 1 g protein, 7.4 g carbohydrates (of which sugars about 4.8 g), 0.1 g fat and 1.4 g fibre. It has a good vitamin C content (about 7 mg) and potassium (about 140 mg).