DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2017.v05i04.003

Pages: 271-277

An experiment was conducted to determine the post-harvest storage potentials and shelf-life in eight varieties of onion Namely - Ex-Dutsi; Ex-Huguma; Ex-Kudan; Ex-Kura; Ex-Romi; Wuyan Bijimi; Ex-Kwadon; and Wabe. The study was conducted between March and June 2016 at the Biological Garden of the Department of Biological Sciences, Gombe State University, using a simple and cost effective technology of aerated thatch bed. Data were recorded on bulb rot; weight loss and sprouting, and subjected to analysis of variance using R-statistical v.3.0 software. Ex-dutsi; Wabe and Wuyan Bujimi were the varieties identified to have the highest bulb weight loss (6.6 Kg and 10.0Kg respectively) among the varieties. Similarly, Ex-kudan (22.9 Kg) and Romi (20.5 Kg) recorded the lowest average bulb weight loss. The remaining three varieties have varying initial and final weights. Wuyan Bijimi; Ex-Dutsi and Ex-kwadon, recorded the highest average number of sprouted bulbs (48.9; 38.1 and 30.9) respectively, compared to Ex-kudan and Romi which recorded lowest sprouts of (0.6 and 1.3) respectively. There was no much significance difference observed in Ex-Huguma; Ex-Kura; Ex-Kwadon; and Wabe, which made them to be intermediate in their response to deterioration during storage. ‘Romi and Ex-Kudan’ recorded the lowest percentage of rot (6.3 and 5.4%) and are therefore determined to be the best varieties for storage and shelf-life.