Interrelationship between yield attributing and quality traits and theireffect on bulb yield in Onion (Allium cepaL.)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21276/AATCCReview.2025.13.01.331
Abstract
The development of kharif onion cultivar is a better option to meet the onion demands and
stabilize the market price. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate eighteen onion
(Allium cepa L.) genotypes for elucidating the genetic variability as well as the
interrelationship between yield attributing and quality traits on onion bulb yield. The
genotypes were evaluated consecutively over two years following Randomized block design
maintaining three replications. The result revealed the presence of substantial variability for all
the studied traits among the onion genotypes. Characters like plant height, double bulb
percent, total bulb yield, marketable bulb yield, dry matter, and pyruvic acid content in bulb
exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as a percentage over mean,
indicating the influence of additive genetic variance. The present data set also revealed the
existence of non-additive variation for traits like days to maturity, polar diameter, and
equatorial diameter of the bulb, highlighting the possibility of heterosis breeding for
improvement of these traits. Correlation studies indicated that the genotypic correlation
coefficients were higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlation coefficients for all the
characters reflecting the predominant role of heritable factors. Onion genotypes with better
leaf diameter, polar diameter, equatorial diameter and marketable bulb yield with late duration
would be beneficial for getting better yield potential. The marketable bulb yield exerted the
highest direct effect on total yield. Bulb weight, along with the polar and equatorial diameter
of the bulb, were identified as key factors that significantly impact onion bulb yield. The
negative correlation of bulb yield with quality traits signified that breeders have to compensate
for quality traits during yield improvement. The findings of the present investigation would be
valuable for future onion improvement programs.