Materials and methods
Improving of postharvest storability of onion varieties or breeding selections
has been part of the breeding program of the Kazakh Research Institute of Potato
and Vegetable Growing (KazRIPVG). To assess the storing ability of onion bulbs
we have exploited conventional unregulated ambient conditions, requiring no extra
costs and resources. In our studies we used an easy and cheap way to evaluate the
storability of onion bulbs - the Institute’s unregulated onion storehouse. The goal
of our study was to assess the storability of onion accessions grown in breeding
nurseries. The onion breeding selections were exposed for the study during 2012-
2013 storage seasons.
Sowing of onion breeding selections in nurseries was conducted manually
on raised beds. To provide an average of 380 thousand plant stand per 1 ha, at
the phase of 2-3 true leaves onion seedlings were thinned in all entry plots of the
experiment field.
On the experimental plot were applied recommended rates of fertilizers,
which were done at the basic soil preparation in the spring and by side dressing
during vegetation period. Onion seeds were sown in mid-April, and harvested in
the second half of September.
Recommended onion cultural practices consisted of the main processing
(plowing at 25-27 cm - in the fall, deep cultivation in assembly with harrows - in
the spring), seedbed preparation (surface cultivation and leveling the beds), manual
seed sowing, treatment with herbicides, hand weeding and furrow watering.
Totally mother bulbs of 117 onion breeding accessions were deposited, but to
research investigations just 68 selection numbers were subjected, which provided
reliable data collection on losses from natural decline in mass and onion bulb rot
during storage.
To study the storing ability 20 onion bulbs with no outward diseases’ lesions
from each breeding selections were deposited in storage. The onion bulb weight
in the samples varied 29,5 g to 159,1 g. Onion bulbs were stored in polypropylene
netted bags, which are placed bulk on the wooden shelves. Storage temperature in
the autumn and in the spring seasons fluctuated from 5-8
0
to 10-12
0
C, and in the
winter season it was around 2-5
0
C. Observations and surveys were conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the instruction guides [2,3].
In the spring after prolonged storage (October to April) the natural decline in
mass, losses from disease and storing ability percentage of the stored mass were
rated. There exist many diseases to promote rotting of onion bulbs in storage.
Several bacteria and fungi produce bulb rots in onion. These include basal plate rot
(Fusarium oxysporum) [4], Enterobacter bulb decay ( Enterobacter) [5], Bacterial
Soft Rot (Erwinia) [6], Grey neck rot (Botrytis) [7], black mould (Aspergillus
niger) [8], Blue (green) mold (Penicilliurn) [9], and etc.
In our experiments, contribution of the mentioned diseases to bulb infection
varied depending on the genotype the onion breeding selections. There were
some complications in clear identification of particular pathogens on onion bulbs
of breeding selections studied. Because of the presence of pathogens of several
diseases’ symptoms or their mixture on the onion bulbs simultaneously, in this
paper are presented the results for the total loss from the diseases.
It should be noted that in this study under the category of a storable onion
bulbs were recognized only those samples that are suitable for planting for seed
reproduction, i.e. all of the healthy bulbs regardless of sprouting ones were taken
into account.
Results
Despite the fact that the conditions for onion bulb storage in this study
significantly deviated from the accepted standard conditions, yet still there was
an opportunity to assess the onion breeding selection material to obtain relatively
conclusive results for onion bulb storability at prolonged storage.
|