The scientists of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana worked for ten years to develop a new High Yielding Variety of onion entitled POH-1. This is a flowerless onion variety and can be stored for a longer period. Scientists claim that the onion of this variety can be stored safely for more than four months.
It is reported that POH – 1 will not have the problem of bolting. It is further claimed that The production of this onion will be higher than the production of other onion varieties.
The Head of the Department of Vegetable Sciences Dr. Tarsem Singh is of the opinion that the new onion variety has been developed by Dr. Ajmer Singh Thatt. POH-1 can be stored for four months at normal room temperature. It does not rot.
The storage time for the hybrid variety of onions of the private sector and others remain only one to two months.
The problem of bolting comes after transplanting the onion seedlings. During bolting onions bear flowers due to which onion bulbs remain shorter in size. This leads to reduction of weight as far as total production is concerned. Due to non-flowering, the size of bulb increases leading to high production and more economic growth of farmers.
Currently, the districts of Punjab that produce onions are Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala and S.S. Nagar preferably. About 10,340 hectares of area come under onion cultivation in Punjab. The production of onion there is not in accordance with the demand. Due to this, onions are imported from the other states including Maharashtra and Jammu. Due to expenses on import, the cost of onion is increased in the state . If farmers grow POH-1, the production of onion will be increased considerably to satisfy the demand.
Scientists report that to learn the technique of hybridization involve in the development of this new variety of onion, Dr. Ajmer Singh had to go to America during the year 2008-09. He developed the hybridization programme further after coming back and applied biotechnology for the second hybridization.
Scientists report that the hybrid variety was produced by crossing more than two parents of different varieties. They applied cytoplasmic male sterility system to produce the doubly crossed onion variety. This is also called as three-line system.
The Three lines –System involves three parents of different species. The first one remains male sterile which is called as the Line One. The second parent is called as maintainer (line B), and the third one is called as Pollinizer (Line C).
Seeds are produced by making cross between A and B and then between AB and C. The offspring of the B generation bear flowers. The AB line parents are crossed with line c parents to produce POH-1, which does not bear flowers. The onions produced through this technique of three line hybridization remains for consumption. POH-1 is the first of the North India and 4th of All India Hybrid Varieties.
Onions of flowerless plants, POH-1, Developed in Punjab, Punjab Agricultural University, Hybrid Varieties, hybridization,
