Responses of onion cultivars to sulfur fertilization and their genetic variability under field conditions

Shamil Younis Hassan  AL-Hamadany; Wiam Yahya Rasheed Al-Shakarchy; Amer Abdullah Hussein Al-Jubouri; Muhanad A. Ahmad; Badran S.  Agha; Ahmed AbdelHady Rashedy

doi:10.55779/nsb18212935

Authors

Shamil Younis Hassan AL-Hamadany University of Mosul, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Mosul (IQ)
Wiam Yahya Rasheed Al-Shakarchy University of Mosul, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Field Crops, Mosul (IQ)
Amer Abdullah Hussein Al-Jubouri University of Mosul, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Mosul (IQ)
Muhanad A. Ahmad University of Mosul, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Mosul (IQ)
Badran S. Agha University of Mosul, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Mosul (IQ)
Ahmed AbdelHady Rashedy Cairo University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Pomology (EG) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0297-1594

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55779/nsb18212935

Keywords:

Allium cepa L., bulb, genetic advance, heritability, yield

Abstract

Sulfur (S) nutrient play a vital role in the formation of aroma, flavor and pungency of onions. This research was conducted under the agro-environmental conditions of College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. It was aimed to investigate the impact of four S application levels (0, 45, 90, and 135 kg ha⁻¹) on growth and yield of three onion varieties (Long Red, Round Red, and Round White). For the effect of S level, the highest affected parameters by raising level of S up to 135 kg ha^-1 is leaf area, bub weight and yield which increased over the control by 43.53%, 31.1 and 13.1%, respectively. Regarding the effect of variety, Long Red variety was significantly higher in leaf area, bulb weight, bulb length and total yield compared to the other two onion varieties. Regarding the interaction effect (sulfur level x onion variety), the highest S level (135 kg ha^-1) improved bulb yield by 20.59, 51.27 and 25.32% for the Long Red, Round Red and Round White, respectively. Genetic variance was significant for all traits except neck diameter and bulb percentage. Broad-sense heritability estimates were particularly high for leaf area and bulb length, indicating a strong genetic contribution to phenotypic expression. Expected genetic advance was high for bulb length, moderate for leaf area, bulb weight, and total yield, and low for the remaining traits. These findings highlight the importance of sulfur fertilization and varietal selection in improving onion productivity and provide valuable insights for future breeding strategies.

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