ARS | Publication request: REVIEW OF MORPHOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, AND MOLECULAR MARKERS IN ONION

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: January 20, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Among vegetables harvested in the United States during 1997, onion (Allium cepa L.) ranked second in yield per hectare, third in total production, fourth in total value, and fifth in the number of hectares harvested. Five public and 21 private breeding programs in the United States are dedicated to improving onions. In addition, numerous other countries support public and private breeding programs in onions. The study of onion genetics has been limited, as compared to other crops, by the biennial nature of the onion plant increasing the time required to complete these studies. The number of genetic markers in onion has increased several fold with the identification and mapping of molecular markers. This paper reviews the known onion morphological, biochemical, and molecular markers and presents the current availability of the markers.