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Pak. J. Bot., 45(2): 455-460, 2013.

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INFLUENCE OF CURING METHODS AND STORAGE CONDITIONS ON THE POST-HARVEST QUALITY OF ONION BULBS

GHULAM NABI¹, ABDUR RAB¹, MUHAMMAD SAJID¹, FARHATULLAH^2*, SAYED JAFFAR ABBAS³ AND IMRAN ALI³

Abstract: Influence of curing methods, storage conditions and duration on the post harvest quality of onion bulbs was studied at Agriculture Research Institute Tarnab, Peshawar, during 2006-07. Onion bulbs were cured with and without foliages and stored under different conditions e.g., cold store, cemented room and mud room for four months and evaluated for different quality attributes. Results indicated that the quality of onion bulbs was significantly affected by curing methods, storage conditions and duration. The maximum dry matter (17.5%) and TSS (11.5%) was recorded in bulbs cured with foliage as compared to 15.7% DM and 9.36% TSS with curing without foliage accordingly. The DM (21.2%) and TSS (14.9%) recorded in cold stored bulbs was followed by 15.65 and 13% DM with 9.44 and 6.65% TSS in mud and cemented room storage accordingly. Curing with foliage resulted in significantly lower weight loss, sprouting and rotting. The rate per month weight loss (1.95%), sprouting (2.4%) and rotting (0.4%) were the lowest in cold stored bulbs, while maximum 59.3, 59.5 and 31.3% accordingly were observed in bulbs stored cemented room. Weight loss, sprouting and rotting percentage increased with increasing storage duration. The lowest weight loss, sprouting and rotting (0 % each) obtained in cold store during the 1st month storage duration and highest percentage (13, 2.5 and 1.67 respectively) recorded with cemented room. After four months storage, the minimum percentage of weight loss (6%), sprouting (9.6%) and rotting (1.7%) was recorded in cold stored bulbs while the maximum weight loss (98%), sprouting (100%) and rotting (70%) was observed in bulbs stored cemented room.

¹Departmetn of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan

²Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan

³Agriculture Research Institute Tarnab, Peshawar, Pakistan

^*Corresponding author’s e-mail: drfarhat@aup.edu.pk