Sugars and pungency of different day length adapted onions (Allium cepa L.) grown in long day temperate climate of Kashmir valley

Abstract

Sugar content and pungency are traits of critical importance for onion bulb quality. These traits were estimated as reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and pyruvic acid in different photoperiod and temperature sensitive genotypes grown in long day, temperate agroclimate. Reducing sugars varied from 2.26% to 3.79%, non-reducing sugars from 2.97% to 4.29% and pyruvic acid from 1.73 to 11.33 µmol/ g fresh weight. The lowest reducing sugar content (2.26%) was found in OA-18-09 and OC-18-89 and about two-third of the germplasm (2.28% to 2.94%) was at par with them. Highest non-reducing sugar content (4.29%) was found in OA-18-27 with about two-third of the germplasm (3.41% to 4.42%) statistically at par with it. For pyruvic acid content (µmol/g fresh weight), significantly higher values were found in OB-18-58 (11.33) and OB-18-53 (10.48). The lowest content (1.73) was found in OC-18-75 with nine other entries at par.