Low Pungency, Long Day Onion

Abstract

The present invention includes long-day onion plants comprising bulbs having low pungency and methods for obtaining such onions. The present invention also provides reagents and materials that can be used in the methods for obtaining such onions.

1 .- 72 . (canceled) 
     
     
         73 . A plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, wherein said plurality of onion plants require 14 or more contiguous hours of daylight to initiate bulb formation, wherein said plurality of onion plants are characterized as producing yellow or white globe shaped bulbs having an average bulb size of between 300 and 700 grams and an average pyruvic acid development (PAD) value less than 5.5 μmol pyruvic acid/gram fresh weight (μmol/g FW pyruvate) at harvest and an average PAD value that increases no more than 20% after storage for two months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity,
 wherein said plurality of onion plants is grown from a seed obtained by one or more crosses between 
 a first onion plant selected from the group consisting of WYL 77-5128B having seed deposited as NCIMB Accession No. 41329, WYL 77-5168B having seed deposited as NCIMB Accession No. 41330, WYL 77-5128B that possesses a male sterility trait, WYL 77-5168B that possesses a male sterility trait, and
 a second onion plant selected from the group consisting of commercial cultivars Daytona, Ranchero, Granero, Sabroso, Tamara, Hamlet, Fortress, Norstar, Teton, Vaquero, Bravo, Regiment, Riviera, Seville, Tesoro, Tribute, Valiant, Vantage, Vega, Viper, Vision, and Mira. 
 
 
     
     
         74 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said low pungency is measured by an average PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         75 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said variety produces bulbs that maintain low pungency after storage for a period of about 4 months. 
     
     
         76 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said variety is further characterized as producing bulbs which have an average PAD value that increases no more than 15% after storage for two months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity. 
     
     
         77 . The plurality onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said plurality of onion plants are cytoplasmically male sterile. 
     
     
         78 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said parts are selected from the group consisting of a plurality of seeds, bulbs, leaves, pollen, protoplasts, ovules, and cells. 
     
     
         79 . A tissue culture of cells obtained from an onion plant of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 . 
     
     
         80 . A container of onion bulbs obtained from a population of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 , wherein said bulbs comprise an average PAD value of less than 5.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest and are characterized by a lack of an average PAD value increase of more than 20% after storage for two months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity. 
     
     
         81 . The container of onion bulbs of  claim 80 , wherein said bulbs comprise an average PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         82 . The container of onion bulbs of  claim 80 , wherein at least 75% of said onion bulbs have a PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         83 . A container of seeds obtained from the plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 , wherein said seeds are capable of producing bulbs having an average PAD value of less than 5.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest, wherein said bulbs are characterized by a lack of an average PAD value increase of more than 20% after storage for two months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity. 
     
     
         84 . The container of seeds of  claim 83 , wherein onion bulbs from greater than 50% of said seeds are low pungency onions and wherein a population of onion bulbs grown from said seeds contain an average PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         85 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said low pungency is measured by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         86 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said low pungency is measured by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         87 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said low pungency is measured by an average PAD measurement of less than 3.75 FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         88 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said variety produces bulbs that maintain low pungency after storage for a period of about 6 months. 
     
     
         89 . The container of onion bulbs of  claim 80 , wherein said bulbs comprise an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         90 . The container of onion bulbs of  claim 80 , wherein said bulbs comprise an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         91 . The container of onion bulbs of  claim 80 , wherein said bulbs comprise an average PAD measurement of less than 3.75 FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         92 . The container of seeds of  claim 83 , wherein onion bulbs grown from greater than 50% of said seeds are low pungency onions and wherein a population of onion bulbs from said seeds contain an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 mol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         93 . The container of seeds of  claim 83 , wherein onion bulbs grown from greater than 50% of said seeds are low pungency onions and wherein a population of onion bulbs from said seeds contain an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 mol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         94 . The container of seeds of  claim 83 , wherein onion bulbs grown from greater than 50% of said seeds are low pungency onions and wherein a population of onion bulbs from said seeds contain an average PAD measurement of less than 3.75 μmol/g FW pyruvate. 
     
     
         95 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said variety produces bulbs that have an average PAD measurement of less than 4.75 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         96 . A population of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 , wherein said population contains 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, or more onion plants. 
     
     
         97 . The population of onion plants of  claim 96 , wherein said onion plants are planted by direct seeding in a field. 
     
     
         98 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said low pungency further comprises at least a 10% reduction of organosulfur compounds selected from the group consisting of 1-propenyl cysteine sulfoxide, methyl-cysteine sulfoxide, propyl cysteine sulfoxide, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         99 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, are an inbred line prepared by selling and selection of progeny having an average PAD value less than 5.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         100 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 73 , wherein said plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, are a hybrid line. 
     
     
         101 . The plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 , wherein said crossing further comprises one or more back crosses of said first onion plant. 
     
     
         102 . The plurality of onion plants of  claim 73 , wherein said crossing further comprises one or more backcrosses of said second onion plant.