Conservation and quality of onion bulbs under environmental conditions

ABSTRACT Onions are a vegetable of great importance worldwide, and the production has been growing in several regions of the Country, especially in the Northeast Region. Vale do São Francisco Region in Pernambuco is considered to have great agricultural potential, attracting significant investments in agriculture. Post-harvest conservation is important for the commercialization of onions, which exhibit large price variations. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics and post-harvest losses of open-pollinated cultivars and commercial hybrids. The experiment was carried out on HORTIVALE-Sementes do Vale farm in the city of Petrolina-PE. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with eight open-pollinated cultivars and commercial hybrids with three replications. After harvesting, the bulbs were stored under uncontrolled ambient conditions for 75 days. We observed that the bulbs stored at ambient temperature showed significant mass losses in relation to storage time, mainly after 45 days. The authors verified that most cultivars showed good characteristics, in relation to shelf life and bulb quality concerning commercial interests, after 40 days of storage at uncontrolled ambient temperature.