Onions and Allied Crops,Volume I: Botany Physiology and Genetics

288 Pages·1989·69.15 MB·English

by  Brewster

Onions
and
Allied Crops
Volume I
Botany, Physiology, and
Genetics
Editors
Haim D. Rabinowitch, Ph.D.
Chairman
Department of Field and Vegetable Crops
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Rehovot, Israel
James L. Brewster, Dr.Phi1.
Principal Scientific Officer
National Vegetable Research Station
AFRC Institute for Horticultural Research
Wellesboume, Warwick, U.K.
Boca Raton London New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Onions and allied crops / editors, Haim D. Rabinowitch, James L. Brewster
p. cm.
Includes bibliographies and index.
ISBN 0-8493-6300-4 (v.1)
ISBN 0-8493-6301-2 (v.2)
ISBN 0-8493-6302-0 (v.3)
1. Onions. 2. Allium. I. Rabinowitch, Haim D. II. Brewster,
James L.
SB341.062 1990
635’.25—dc20 89-25330
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may be apparent.
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ISBN 13: 978-1-315-89606-9 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-351-07516-9 (ebk)
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INTRODUCTION
The edible alliums are of major economic and dietary importance in all parts of the
world. The common onion (A. cepa) and garlic (A. sativum) are grown, traded and consumed
in most countries (Tables 1 to 3). Because of their economic importance, great efforts have
been made in the selection and breeding of locally adapted cultivars, and in the development
of cultural techniques. As a result these crops can be cultivated from the tropics to subarctic
regions. Other edible alliums are more localized in economic significance although they are
still of great importance.
It is estimated that the value of the world production of bulb onions alone approaches
$5 billion annually, more than 90% of which is consumed within the countries of production.
Bulb onions are an easily transportable commodity and between $400 and $500 millions
worth (at 1984 prices) are traded internationally each year. The crop is a major export earner
for some economies. In addition, the common onion is also an important salad crop when
eaten green (scallions). Statistics on this crop are harder to come by, but by way of example,
in the U.K., the monetary value of this crop is approximately 65% of that of the dry bulb
crop. Leeks (A. ampeloprasum) are a valuable crop in Europe (Table 4). Although total
European production is well below that for bulb onions, the price per unit weight of leeks
is higher than for bulb onions, and in monetary terms the value of the leek crop approaches
that of the dry bulb onion crop. Several other alliums are of major economic importance in
far eastern countries (Table 5). The annual production of the Japanese bunching onion (A.
jistulosum) in Japan is approximately 50% of that for dry bulb common onions. However
the mean wholesale prices (yen per kilogram obtained during the period January 1983 to
December 1985 in Tokyo for common onion, Japanese bunching onion, Chinese chive (A.
tuberosum), and rakkyo (A. chinense), respectively, were 93, 216, 344 and 27 1 .6 Thus the
monetary value of the Japanese bunching onion crop is probably similar to that of the
common bulb onion in Japan. Japanese bunching onion, Chinese chive, and rakkyo are also
important crops in China.5 Hence, the alliaceous crops are clearly a major agricultural asset
and have a great impact on many economies.
It is a quarter of a century since the last comprehensive account of the edible Allium
crops was written by Jones and Since then, continued and increased efforts have
been made to better understand the physiology, chemistry, genetics, and pathology of these
important crops. Some of these investigations have involved topics which were unexplored
as regards alliums in 1963, for example, tissue culture, the effects of plant growth regulators,
the biochemistry of carbohydrates and flavor compounds, and mycorrhizal associations, to
name but a few. Scientific information concerning virtually all aspects of these crops has
been accumulating at an accelerating rate in recent years. The extent of this knowledge
means that it is no longer feasible for any individual to competently review the alliaceous
crops. Consequently, in this book, we have brought together contributions from experts in
many disciplines. It has been the policy of the editors to allow authors to freely express
their views on matters on which there is still some scientific uncertainty or debate. We,
therefore, make no apologies for any difference of emphasis or views which may be apparent
between chapters. We are confident however, that these volumes consitute an up to date
and soundly based summary of the current knowledge on the edible Allium crops.
TABLE 1
Total Production and Areas Harvested of Dry Bulb
Onions in 1988l and Exports in 19872
Exports
Total Area
production harvested Amount Value
1000MT 1000ha 1000MT 10%
World 25496 1787 2009 467
Africa 2088 159 67 32
N. and Central America 2286 67 256 57
S. America 1990 136 29 7
Asia 12120 1003 520 93
Europe 4817 233 1063 260
Oceania 178 5 73 19
TABLE 2
The Leading Ten Producer, Exporter, and Importer Countries for
Dry Bulb Onions in 19872*3
Producer country Total production l000 MT Area harvested 1000 ha
China
India
USSR
U.S.
Turkey
Japan
Spain
Brazil
Iran
Poland
Exporter country Quantity 1000 MT Value 10%
Netherlands
Spain
India
Mexico
Turkey
U.S.
Poland
Italy
Australia
Pakistan
Importer country Quantity 1000 MT Value 10%
FR Germany
UK
U.S.
France
Malaysia
Canada
United Arab Emirates
Belgium
Singapore
Kuwait
TABLE 3
Garlic Production in 19874
Production Area harvested
1000 MT 1000 ha
World 2662 421
Africa 237 8
N. and Central America 137 15
S. America 140 32
Asia 1612 264
Europe 488 90
Oceania 4 -
Leading Ten Countries
China
Korean Republic
Spain
India
Egypt
Turkey
Thailand
Brazil
USA
Pakistan
TABLE 4
Production of Leeks Within
Countries of the European
Economic CommunityS
Production' Area harvested
1000 MT 1000 ha
EEC Total 601 26.8
Major Producer Countries
France
Belgium
Netherlands
U.K.
Spain
FRG
Greece
Italy
Data are for 1987.
TABLE 5
Production of Japanese Bunching Onion
(A. fistulosum), in Japan and South
Korea and Production of Rakkyo
(A. chinense) and Chinese Chives
(A. tuberosum) in Japan6
Production* Area
Crop 1OOOMT 1OOO ha
Japan
Japanese bunching onion 563 24.1
Rakkyo 31.5 2.3
Chinese chives 66.1 2.6
South Korea
Japanese bunching onion 432 18.9
Data are for the year 1984.
REFERENCES
1. FAO, Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, 1988.
2. FAO, Trade Yearbook, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, 41, 149, 1988.
3. FAO, Production Yearbook, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, 41, 190, 1988.
4. FAO, Production Yearbook, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, 41, 192, 1988.
5. Eurostat, Crop Production Quarterly Statistics 4-1987, Statistical Office of the European Communities,
Luxembourg, 1987, 35.
6. Komochi, S., personal communication, 1987.
7. Jones, H. A. and Mam, L. K., Onions and Their Allies, Leonand Hill Books, London, and Interscience
Publishers, New York, 1963.
Haim D. Rabinowitch, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture,
The Hebrew University of Jersalem, Rehovot, Israel and currently leads the Group of
Vegetable Physiology and Breeding.
Prof. Rabinowitch graduated from the Hebrew University of Jersalem, in 1965, obtained
his M.Sc. (suma cum laude) in 1967, and received his Ph.D. in 1973 from the same
university. He was appointed Lecturer in Vegetable Production at his alma mater in 1976,
promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1981 , and to Associate Professor in 1986, at Rehovot.
He did post-doctoral work at the Department of Applied Genetics, the John Imes
Institute, Norwich England, from 1974 to 1976. In 1981 -1982 and in 19861987 he spent
sabbatical leaves at the Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center Dur-
ham, North Carolina
Prof. Rabinowitch is a member of the American Society for Horticultural Science, The
International Society for Horticultural Science, The Scandinavian Society for Plant Physi-
ology, and EUCARPIA. He is a member of the National Vegetable Commodity Committee
and of the Professional and Research Committees for Onion Breeding and Production, and
for Seed Production, of the Israel Ministry of Agriculture; Member of the Working Group
on Allium, the European Cooperative Group for the Conservation and Exchange of Crop
Genetic Resources, the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR); served as
a consultant to the IBPGR on Germplasm Conservation of Allium species; in charge of the
IBPGR Global Field Bank for vegetatively propagated short-day Allium species; and recipient
of the American Society for Horticultural Science, National Food Processing Association
Award in raw products research for 1983.
Prof. Rabinowitch published more than 45 scientific papers, developed 2 tomato cul-
tivars, and 3 short-day F, onion cultivars for fresh market and for the dehydration industry.
His current research interests are in physiology and breeding of alliaceous and some Solan-
aceae crops, and in the protective mechanisms against oxygen toxicity in plants.
James L. Brewster, D.Phil is a Principal Scientific Officer in the Crop Production
Division, Institute of Horticultural Research, Wellesboume, Warwick, U.K.
Dr. Brewster graduated in 1966 from Wye College, University of London, with a B.Sc
(Honors) degree in Agricultural Science and obtained his D.Phil degree from the University
of Oxford in 1971. He remained at Oxford working on the quantitative modeling of nutrient
uptake by plant roots until transfemng to Wellesbourne in 1974.
Dr. Brewster is a member of the Society of Experimental Biology, Association of Applied
Biologists, and Institute of Horticulture. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Hor-
ticultural Science. He is a member of the Onion panel for the National Institute of Agricultural
Botany, U.K. He has frequently presented lectures on aspects of his work at scientific and
technical meetings in the U.K. and Europe.
Throughout his research career he has been concerned with aspects of the physiology
of alliums and has authored 33 research papers covering aspects of the nutrition, flowering,
growth rate, control of bulbing, and agronomy of these crops. The main theme of his research
is to obtain quantitative relationships for the environmental control of physiological processes
and to apply these to understand and predict growth in the field.
As editors and also as contributors, we would like to thank firstly the heads of our
respective institutes, namely Professor T. J. Swinburne and Professor J. K. A. Bleasdale,
of the Institute of Horticultural Research, Wellesbourne, U.K. for J. L. Brewster, and
Professor Ilan Chet, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Rehovot, Israel, for H. D. Rabinowitch for their support for the production of this book.
Prof. Rabinowitch also wishes to thank Professor Irwin Fridovich, Duke University Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina, with whom he spent a sabbatical. Without the help and
facilities available at the above institutes, the task would not have been possible. We would
also like to acknowledge the support of the contributing authors to these volumes, who have
so generously given of their time and expertise. We thank them and the institutions in which
they are based. We would also like to thank Dr. Suren S. Apte and other staff at the
International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen, Netherlands for arranging, and the Govern-
ment of the Netherlands for providing scholarships for 1 month of intensive joint editing
work at Wageningen. Again without this generous support, it is difficult to imagine this
project being completed. We would like to thank many individuals who contributed their
assistance and expertise. In particular Miss Heather A. Butler of IHR Wellesbourne, for
meticulously redrawing some figures, for checking reference abbreviations, and her careful
and rapid work in many other respects. Also, we would like to thank Mrs. Margaret Jonas
of IHR Wellesbourne for much secretarial assistance with the production of papers and with
correspondence. We would like to acknowledge the help of our computer departments,
particularly Mrs. Julie Rose at Wellesbourne and Mrs. Zehavit Regev at Rehovot. Without
the BITNET and EARN communications between U.K. and Israel and U.K. and U.S., it
is difficult to envisage how we as editors could have completed this task. We acknowledge
the help of a number of colleagues in the reviewing of chapters on subjects on which our
own expertise is limited. In particular we would like to thank Dr. Lesley Currah, Mr.
B. D. Dowker, Dr. R. J. Whenham, Dr. D. J. Ockendon, and Professor Y. L. Bar-Sinai.
DEDICATION
Prof. Haim D. Rabinowitch would like to dedicate these volumes to his wife, Shoshie and to
his mother, Sara. Prof. Jarnes L. Brewster would like to dedicate these volumes to his parents.