Assessment of Genetic Diversity of the “Acquaviva Red Onion” (Allium cepa L.) Apulian Landrace

Abstract

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is the second most important vegetable crop worldwide and is widely appreciated for its health benefits. Despite its significant economic importance and its value as functional food, onion has been poorly investigated with respect to its genetic diversity. Herein, we surveyed the genetic variation in the “Acquaviva red onion” (ARO), a landrace with a century-old history of cultivation in a small town in the province of Bari (Apulia, Southern of Italy). A set of 11 microsatellite markers were used to explore the genetic variation in a germplasm collection consisting of 13 ARO populations and three common commercial types. Analyses of genetic structure with parametric and non-parametric methods highlighted that the ARO represents a well-defined gene pool, clearly distinct from the Tropea and Montoro landraces with which it is often mistaken. In order to provide a description of bulbs, usually used for fresh consumption, soluble solid content and pungency were evaluated, showing higher sweetness in the ARO with respect to the two above mentioned landraces. Overall, the present study is useful for the future valorization of the ARO, which could be promoted through quality labels which could contribute to limit commercial frauds and improve the income of smallholders.

Development of chloroplast derived SSR markers for genus Allium and their characterization in the allies for genetic improvement of alliums

“…Allele number ranged from 2 to 4 which is lower to those found in our previous study of cpSSR of Allium paradoxum (Jayaswall et al2021,) but similar to Ziziphus cpSSR markers (Huang et al 2015). Compared to cpSSR, higher number of alleles were reported using genomic and EST-SSRs which could be due to higher sequence conservation in chloroplast genome (Ricciardi et al 2020;Baldwin et al 2012). In our previous work on Allium paradoxum cpSSRs, where PIC value ranged from 0.09 to 0.68 and heterozygosity from 0.104 to 0.733 (Jayaswall et al 2021) whereas in the present study, comparatively lower PIC (0.007 to 0.427) and heterozygosity (0.009 to 0.540)(Table 2) is observed that might be due to reduction in genetic diversity, during the process of domestication and selection of cultivated Alliums.…”

Salt Tolerance Potential in Onion: Confirmation through Physiological and Biochemical Traits

“…In India, onions are grown in a wide range of climatic conditions [ 2 ]. Onion is consumed both fresh as well as in the form of processed products, owing to its nutritional and medicinal properties [ 3 ]. Onion contains bioactive compounds (quercetin, rutin etc.)…”

Selenium Modulates Antioxidant Activity, Osmoprotectants, and Photosynthetic Efficiency of Onion under Saline Soil Conditions

“…Onion (Allium cepa L.) is the second most broadly cultivated vegetable crop in the world for their economic importance, nutritional value, flavor, and medicinal properties [1]. In 2019, worldwide bulb onion production was approximately 100 million tons harvested from an area of approximately 5.2 million ha.…”