Onion Seed Production

Rebeca Unghiatti Rosales

Departamento de Ciencias Vegetales
Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
raunghia@uc.cl

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)

Sterility results from

• A condition under which a plant is unable to produce
mitochondrial genes
functional pollen. causing cytoplasmic
• Extra nuclear genetic control dysfunction

• Non-Mendelian inheritance
Fertility restoration relies
• The cytoplasm of a zygote comes primarily from egg cell on nuclear genes that
suppress cytoplasmic
• The progeny of male sterile plants is always male sterile. dysfunction.
• CMS systems are a valuable tool in the production of
hybrid seed in vegetable crops such as onions.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)

CMS line MF Maintainer line Restorer line Cytoplasm Nucleus
Rf Rf Rf rf rf rf
rf rf X rf rf Rf Rf
With
C N N fertile fertile ♂ sterile
URF 13
♀ ♂
♀ ♂
♀ C
Without
CMS line X fertile fertile fertile
rf rf Rf Rf Restorer line URF 13
C N
N
Rf rf Which line/s are fertile?
♀ ♂
♀
Which line/s are sterile?
C
Which line/s may be used by onion producers?
♂
♀ Which line/s may be used by carrot producers?
Male fertile hybrid Which lines may be used by sunflower producers?

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Onion Seed Production Biology
Bulb formation
1. Climate Minimum photoperiod to produce a Long day: >a 14.5 to 15 hr
1.1 Photoperiod 10 mm bulb Intermediate day : >13.5 to 14 hr
1.2 Temperature Short day: >12 to 13 hr
1.3. Relative humidity
1.4 Wind 17

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2. Soil: pH 6 to 6.8 15

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3. Weeds
13

12

11

10
jul ags sep oct nov dec jan feb

Biology Flower induction

Sowing: Bulb harvest
SD: Febr-March November-December
ID: April-May December-January
LD: May-July Febr-March

18 25
20
p h o to p erio d

tem p era tu re

15
10
5
SD
10 0 Vernalization: 7 to 13º C
Plant stage:
v
ju l
b

m r

e
jan

jun

jan

Leaves: 5 to 9
s

c
t
p
ar

ay
ab

no
oc
fe

ag
se

de
en
m

Flower induction Flower induction: Seed-bulb-seed method

18 25
Bulb diameter
20
photoperiod

temperature

15

10

10 0
v
b

b
r

l
n

c
n
p
ar

t
ay

ju
ap

no
oc
fe

fe
ja

ju

ja
ag
se

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m

Ner of leaves
Vernalization: 7 to 13ºC Sowing: Bulb harvest
No flower
Plant stage: SD: Febr-March Nov-December
Vernalization: 7 to 13º C induction
Leaves: 5 to 9 ID: April-May December-January
Plant stage:
Bulb: 15 mm LD: May-July February-March
Leaves: 5 to 9
Bulb: 10-15 mm

2
Flower induction: Seed-bulb-seed method
Storage
18 25

20
photoperiod

temperature
15

10

5
Bulb 2007
Seed prodution 2008
10 0

v
b

b
r

l
n

c
n
p
ar

t
ay

ju
ap

no
oc
fe

fe
ja

ju

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Sowing:( 2007) Bulb harvest Bulb planting (2008)

SD: Febr-March November-December March-April
ID: April-May December-January April-May
LD: May-July February-March May-June

Flower induction: Seed to seed Methods of seed production

18 25
Seed-bulb-seed
20
Flower induction
Sowing:(2007) Bulb harvest Bulb planting (08) Seed harvest (08)
photoperiod

temperature

Vernalization: 7 to 13º C 15
SD: Febr-March Novem-Decem April-May October
Plant stage: 10
ID: April-May Decem-January May-June November
Leaves: 5 to 9
5 LD: May-July February-March June-July December
Bulb: 10 -15 mm
LD
10 0
v
b

b
r
n

n
l
s

c
p
ar

t
ay

ju
ap

no
oc
fe

fe
ja

ju

ja
ag
se

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m

Sowing: (2008) Seed harvest (08)

No bulb formation Seed-seed SD: December September-October
ID: January October-November
Sowing: (2008) Seed Harvest (08) LD: January-Febr November-December
SD: December September-October
ID: January October-November
LD: February November-December

Methods of seed production Production

• Seed-bulb-seed: Cebolla 4. Isolation: 1000-1500 m
• First year: bulbing Cytoplasmic male sterility
• Storage of mother bulb Insect pollinated
• Roguing
• Mother bulb planting
• Flower induction
5. Roguing
Seed to seed: Plant morphology
• Seed to seed: Seed–bulb-seed: Plant morphology
• Modification of the sowing date
Bulb morphology
• No bulb formation
• Roguing
• Yields

3
Production Producción
6. Downy mildew 7. Pollination
(Peronospora destructor) • Honey bees
Chemical control • Unattractive
Weed control

Harvest

Carrot Seed Production

Rebeca Unghiatti Rosales
Departamento de Ciencias Vegetales
Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
raunghia@uc.cl

Carrot Seed Production Botany

Biennial

Flower induction
Vernalization:
Plant stage:
Leaves: 6 to 8
Root: 5 -10 mm
Temperature and vernalization:
Cultivars: 50 days 15°C
15 to 60 days
temperature of 4 – 15ºC

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 Seed Production
Botany
1. Production Methods:

• Seed to seed
Direct Planting: Late summer
¾ 90% of the seed is located in Vernalization: Winter
the first four orders. Blooming: Spring
¾ The first three umbel orders Harvest: Summer
are economically important.

• Seed – root – seed

Bed planting: Mid summer
Root selection and disinfection
Replanting stecklings: late
autumn
Winter vernalization
Harvest: mid-summer

Seed Production
Seed Production
Genetic purity:
• Open-pollinated lines:
protandry Wild carrot
Volunteer
• Hybrid seed: Cytoplasmic male
sterility (CMS) Isolation:
• Split: 2 ♂ : 4 - 6 ♀ Hybrids: 2000 m
• Male steckling planting: 15-30 Open-pollinated:1500 m
days before female.

Pollination: honey bees 5 hives/ha

sometimes alkali bees
♂ ♂

Seed Production Seed Production

Density and yields

Distance spacing effect on carrot seed production

(Jacobsohn and Globerson, 1980)

Row Yields Seeds in the

spacing Primary umbel
♂ ♂ ♀ cm Per plant (g) Per ha (kg) %

80 x 40 5.7 178 25

♂ ♂ 80 x 7 8.8 1577 37

♂ ♂ 40 x 7 3.5 1253 50
♀
20 x 7 3.4 2408 51

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 Seed Production
Seed Production
Harvest

Harvest
The primary or king umbel
matures first

Seed Production Seed Production

Drying Threshing

Seed Production Seed Quality

• Seed Conditioning
Debearders
Air-screen cleaner • Germination is low in some years
Gravity table
Indent cylinder
• Is accompanied by increased number of abnormal
seedlings.
Some use size graders
• Early harvest may contribute to this problem

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