18 Sep Improved Varieties of Onion
प्याज की बेहतर किस्मेें Onion (Allium cepa L.) 2n=2x=16, is one of the important bulb crops belonging to family Alliaceae and has gained the importance of a cash crop in recent years because of its very high export potential. The common onion contains 88.6-92.8% moisture, 0.9-1.6% protein, 0.2% fat, 5.2-9.0% carbohydrates, 50-51mg sulphur and 23-28 calories energy per 100 g of edible portion. Onion is characterized by its distinctive flavour and pungency, which is the due to Allylpropyl-disulphide, a sulphur containing compounds found in the scales of the bulb. The red and yellow colour of outer skin of onion is due to presence of Anthocyanin and Quercetin, respectively. Anti-fungal activities in onion is due to a phenolic factor i.e., Catechol. India is a leading producer of onion supporting 20.2% of the world production. The major onion growing states are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The cultivation of onion is highly technical and depends on environmental conditions such as photoperiod, temperature, etc. Keeping in view the different research institutes has developed improved varieties suitable for particular region and season. The commercially grown varieties of onion are classified into three groups based on skin colour viz., Red, White and Yellow. The promising varieties of onion grown in different parts of...