Post-harvest Storage Losses Study in Onion Genotypes

The study was conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur during Rabi season 2021-22 with the objective to study the storage losses in various varieties of onion and identify those varieties with a good storage life. The experimental material consisted of 15 onion genotypes from different locations in India. Observations on physiological loss in weight, rotting and sprouting percentage were recorded at fortnight level upto 90 days. Variety and storage time had significant effect on weight loss, sprouting and rotting. Overall, during the three months of storage period, minimum physiological loss in weight was observed in LC-1 (5.80%) which was statistically at par with LC-2 (6.05%), Patna Red (6.20%), Bhima Shakti (6.21%), Agrifound Light Red (6.54%) and NHRDF local (6.83%). The minimum rotting was observed in LC-1 (13.32%) which was statistically at par with LC-2 (14.73%). Sprouting was not observed throughout the storage period in any of the genotypes. LC-1, LC-2, Patna Red and Bhima Shakti had good storage as compared to other genotypes. These genotypes can be explored in the breeding programmes for production of high yielding varieties with good storage potential.