The aim of the thesis was to start research about the process what sown onion requires before storage. In this case it means drying after the harvest. The drying process was done with a self-made dryer. The dryer design and construction was one of the cornerstones of the work.

We have our own farm shop, which is open from autumn to spring and there we sell vegetables to the consumers. Onion is one of our products and we would like to offer it through the season. This is only possible, if the quality of the onions remains good enough in the storage. Riutta farm has commissioned this work and I am one of the farmers.

This work is successful if the quality of the onions is good after the drying process and if the shelf life in the stock does not fall. The most important information is how much there are storage losses. It is also important to investigate the reasons why the quality begins to fall, and how fast it will happen. Onions shelf life is affected with the drying process but the events of the growing season and cultivation measures will also affect. For this reason the cultivation measures have been presented extensively.

I got a lot of good information and I can use it in the future seasons. My dryer works well, but the drying process could succeed better and I must pay more attention to it in the coming season. Storage conditions were right, but after a few months of storage, the quality of the onions began to fall quickly. The wet conditions of an exceptionally late harvest season combined with badly done drying process shortened the storage durability.