Evaluation of two breeding methods for onion improvement in the arid tropics of Sudan

Abstract

Two breeding methods, mass selection and inbreeding followed by bulking, were adopted in purifying the popular red Sudanese onion variety 'Saggai', selecting for high yield and high dry matter content in addition to uniformity of color, shape and size, and against doubling and premature bolting. The breeding program that lasted for six seasons, followed by yield and adaptability trials for three seasons, conducted at the research station as well as on-farm, revealed that the results of the two methods were not significantly different; in selecting for or against the forementioned characters and consequently for the purification of tropical onions either of the two methods could apparently be used successfully.