Diversity Analysis of Onion Germplasm Collections from Northern Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh

Onion germplasm diversity was collected from three northern Telangana districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad in April 2009. Seventy-four samples (bulbs-66; seeds-8) were sampled from 33 villages and 23 mandals. Wide range of variation was observed for the two qualitative and six quantitative traits recorded in the fi eld. Majority of the accessions possessed fl at globe (34.8%) and globe (36.4%) shapes. White (54.5%), dark red (22.7%) and light red (13.6%) were the more commonly occurring colours. Bulb weight showed maximum diversity, followed by number of centres, neck thickness, equatorial diameter, TSS and polar diameter. Highest TSS (>14%) was observed in IC572010 and IC571965 (Adilabad). Promising accessions for equatorial diameter (>60mm) were identifi ed including ICIC571912, (Karimnagar), IC571972 (Adilabad) and ICIC571973 (Adilabad). These cultivars hold potential for possible utilization in breeding programmes. Specific diversity rich areas identifi ed through DIVA GIS can be developed into onion villages for on-farm in-situ conservation.