Abstract:
Onion is the most important and widely cultivated bulb vegetable in Ethiopia. High
postharvest loss during storage is one of the main challenges of onion production and
productivity. The present study was therefore conducted with the aim of evaluating the
effects of selected pre-harvest treatments on shelf life and postharvest quality of onion
varieties in diffused light storage structure. The bulbs of three hybrid (Red coach, Russet,
Jambar) and one open-pollinated (Bombay red) varieties produced in Woramit Research
Site of ARARI during the 2023 irrigation season using uniform and standard agronomic
practices. The pre-harvest treatments were toppling at 70% neck fall with (easy of pulling
up) and without irrigation, toppling at 90% neck fall, and harvesting at 70% neck fall
without toppling. Moreover, the postharvest parameters of bulbs were collected at 0th 4
th ,8th
and 12th week of storage, Accordingly, the treatments were arranged with 4*4*4 factorial
combination in RCBD with three replications in the storage experiment. Based on the
treatment setup, bulbs were stored in DLS in Zenzelema campus of Bahir Dar University
for three months. Data on postharvest quality parameters were collected and analyzed using
mixed model combined analysis SAS (version 9.4) software where pre-harvest treatment
and variety were considered as fixed variables while storage duration was considered as
random variables. The results of combined analysis of variance revealed that variety, pre
harvest treatment and storage duration influenced most of the tested parameters of onion in
the storage. Similarly, the interaction of variety and pre harvest treatments influenced decay
percentage (P<0.001), bulb firmness (P<0.001), total soluble solid of onion bulbs
(P<0.0001) and marketable bulbs yield (P<0.001) throughout the storage duration. The
varieties Jambar and Russet and the practice of toppling at 90% maturity recorded the
lowest sprouting and weight loss percentage of onion bulbs in the storage and highest
proportion of marketable bulbs highest bulb firmness. On the other hand Bombay red
variety, toppled at 70% maturity followed by irrigation recorded the highest sprouting,
decay percentage, bulb weight loss and the lowest bulb firmness. It is conclude that the use
of Jambar and Russet varieties and the practice of toppling at 90% maturity are therefore
suggested to maintain the quality and reduce postharvest losses of onion bulbs in the
storage . As the study is limited to single location and season, it is recommended to repeat
the study in multiplications and seasons.