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- Author or Editor: Christopher S. Cramer x
- HortScience x
Heritability estimates of bolting percentage (BP), pink root (PR) and Fusarium basal rot (FBR) incidences, and percentage of single centered (PSC) bulbs were calculated for an intermediate-day, open-pollinated onion population using selection response and half-sib (HS) family analyses. BP was determined by counting the number of seedstalks per plot when the population was seeded at an earlier planting date to induce bolting. PR and FBR incidences were determined by rating 30 bulbs/plot for the severity of PR and FBR, and calculated an incidence rate from the number of infected bulbs out of 30 rated. The PSC bulbs was determined by cutting transversely 30 bulbs at the vertical center of the bulb and looking for the presence of a single growing point or multiple growing points within 1.3 cm from the center of the bulb. Families were also evaluated for bulb quality that consisted of shape, size, maturity, firmness, number of scale layers, and dry outer scale thickness, adherence, retention, and color. Families were selected based upon an index that equally weighted BP, PR and FBR incidences, PSC bulbs, and bulb quality. No progress was made for BP even though the narrow sense heritability (h2) estimate was 0.51. PR and FBR incidence was reduced by 18% and 12%, respectively, and realized heritability (RH) estimates of 0.65 and 0.60, respectively, were calculated. h2 estimates calculated through HS family analysis was 0.46 and 0.37, respectively, for these two traits. Very little progress was made for the PSC bulbs and this was reflected in a RH estimate of 0.17. However, the h2 estimate was 0.71, suggesting that progress should be possible.
Fusarium basal rot (FBR), caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.:Fr. f. sp. cepae (H.N. Hans.) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans, is a soilborne fungal disease that affects bulb onions (Allium cepa L.) worldwide. Short-day onion cultivars that are resistant to FBR are lacking. The goal of this project was to screen fall-sown onion germplasm for FBR resistance using a mature bulb field screening at harvest and after 4 weeks in storage. The project was conducted for 2 years, and in each year, 26 fall-sown onion lines were grown in a field known to produce a high incidence of fusarium-basal-rot-infected bulbs. When all the bulbs in a plot were mature, the basal plates of 20 bulbs were cut transversely and each plate was rated for disease severity on a scale of one (no diseased tissue) to nine (70% or more diseased). Bulbs were stored and rerated at 2 and 4 weeks after harvest. Disease severity and incidence were higher in the first year than in the second year. Both severity and incidence increased as bulbs were stored for 4 weeks. NMSU 00-25 exhibited the lowest disease severity and incidence in both years at harvest time and after storage. `Buffalo' and `Cardinal' exhibited the highest severities and incidences across both years and at harvest time and after storage. Other entries exhibited high or low disease severity and incidence but not consistently across years and between harvest time and after storage. In the development of FBR resistant cultivars, breeding lines should be evaluated over multiple years and bulbs should be stored for 4 weeks before being screened.