Abstract
Onion (Allium cepa L.), a member of Alliaceae family, is one of the important export oriented vegetable crop cultivated across the world. In India, it is the most popular and consumed spices in the daily human diet. In world, India ranks first in area and second in onion production (Kumar et al., 2015). Most cultivated Alliums lack many important traits, including resistance to pests and environmental stresses. Both producers and consumers face severe problems during crop failure due to price fluctuations. Underutilized Allium genotypes are an essential source of various biochemical components, vitamins, micronutrients and, thus, these are valuable component to attain nutritional security. Underutilized Alliums spp. can be used as a supplement to onion and garlic during crop failures. Current efforts and employment of both classical and novel tools for genetic and physiological studies are expected to accelerate improvements in terms of distribution, yield, and quality of these important crops. The present investigation was framed and conducted with 40 Allium genotypes laid out in RBD in three replications at ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Rajgurunagar, Pune, Maharashtra, during rabi season of 2017-18. Physiological traits namely, chlorophyll, leaf membrane stability index, Relative water content, TSS, Leaf area, Dry matter content and Moisture content were estimated from leaf sample. Allium tuberosum showed the highest total chlorophyll content (3.92g/ml), Allium angulosum showed the highest membrane stability index (34.61%) Allium angulosum showed the highest relative water content (84.04%) Allium macranthum showed the highest TSS (11.33%) Allium cepa showed the highest leaf area (19.53 cm²) Allium chinense showed the highest dry matter content (40.78%), Allium angulosum showed the highest moisture content (86.13%) physiological content in underutilized Alliums was significantly higher compared to cultivated Alliums which provide ample scope for selection of promising genotypes under study.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have