Potential of short day onion (Allium cepa L.) exotic cultivars in India

Allium crops are widely grown in Asia. Crops including onion, garlic, leek and shallots are grown in India, however, onion and garlic are commercially grown in larger areas. Of the 14.6 million tonnes of onion produced in Asia, India produces 3.6 million tonnes. Short day onion cultivars (Red skinned) viz. Agrifound Dark Red, Agrifound Light Red, Pusa Red and Agrifound Rose are widely cultivated in India. Based on skin colour, productivity for export and consumer demand the c.v. Cream Gold (Australia) is highly rated and can be commercially grown between latitude of 30-35 degrees. Other promising cultivars are Bola Precoce, Creol Red and Violet De Galmi Among hybrids HA 950 was found to have the highest yields, and other promising hybrids are H-226, Elad, HA-870, Rojo, Rio Raji Red, Cardix and Suprex. Presently India is a traditional exporter in Red Skinned pungent varieties to Malaysia, Dubai, U.S.S.R., Kuwait, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bangladesh. The promising cultivars identified possessing bulb weights between 65-80g and diameter of approximately 6.0 cm allowing onions to be exported to Europe and America in high quality packaging.