EFFECTS OF BULB SIZE, DEPTH OF STORAGE AND BULB ORIENTATION ON STORAGE LOSS OF ONION (Allium cepa L.)

Abstract

Onion is a major crop grown in northern Nigeria. It is popular for its nutritional and medicinal benefits worldwide. However, a lot of postharvest losses occurs especially during the storage of onion. This work was carried out to investigate the effects of bulb size, depth of storage and bulb orientation on physiological weight loss, sprouting and rotting of onion (red creole variety) in the modified IAR open rack onion storage structure for a sampling period of three months. A Complete Randomized Design (CRD) Anova was employed. Data were collected for a sampling period of 12 weeks and analysed using the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) at 1% and 5% significant levels. Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was used for the mean separation of the significant variables. The results obtained showed that the total weight loss of onions during the sampling period was 19.6%. Bulb orientation had a major effect on sprouting and physiological weight loss. Medium bulb sizes of (5 – 7cm Major Diameter) were better suited for storage.