Short-duration water stress decreases onion single centers without causing translucent scale

Abstract

Single centeredness has become an important onion attribute for marketing because of the use of onions in food products such as onion rings. Although onion single centeredness is largely cultivar dependent, it may also be influenced by growing conditions. These trials tested the effects of early-season, short-duration water stress on onion single centeredness. The effects of the short-duration water stress were also evaluated on onion yield, grade, and translucent scale. Translucent scale is a physiological disorder thought to be influenced by water stress. Onions were drip irrigated automatically at a soil water tension (SWT) of 20 kPa and were submitted to short-duration water stress in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Onions in each treatment were stressed once at either the two-leaf, four-leaf, early six-leaf, late six-leaf, or eight-leaf stage and were compared with a minimally stressed control. Onions were stressed by interrupting irrigations until the SWT at a 0.2-m depth reached 60 kPa, at which time the irrigations were resumed. Onion single centeredness was reduced by short-duration water stress in 2003 and 2005. Onions were sensitive to the formation of multiple centers with water stress at the four-leaf to late six-leaf stages. The 2004 growing season was characterized by cool, moist conditions, and water stress did not affect single centeredness. Among all treatments and years, marketable yield was only reduced in 2005, with stress at the four-leaf and eight-leaf stages. The incidence of translucent scale was very low each year and was not related to early-season water stress.