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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, wherein said plurality of onion plants is produced by crossing a first onion plant and a second onion plant and said plurality requires 14 or more contiguous hours of daylight to initiate bulb formation and is characterized as producing yellow or white globe shaped bulbs having an average bulb size of between 300 and 700 grams; and wherein
 said first onion plant is 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 malesterility trait, WYL 77-5168B that possesses a male sterility trait, and   said second onion plant is selected from the group consisting of inbred commercial cultivars Daytona, Ranchero, Granero, Sabroso, Tamara, Hamlet, Fortress, Teton, Vaquero, Bravo, Regiment, Riviera, Seville, Tesoro, Tribute, Valiant, Vantage, Vega, Viper, Vision, and Mira.   
     
     
         2 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 5.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         3 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of onion plants are cytoplasmically male sterile. 
     
     
         4 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said parts thereof are selected from the group consisting of a plurality of seeds, bulbs, leaves, pollen, protoplasts, ovules, and cells. 
     
     
         5 . A tissue culture of cells obtained from an onion plant of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         6 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         7 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         8 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 3.75 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         9 . A plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, produced by backcrossing an onion plant of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 1 , wherein said backcrossing comprises one or more backcrosses to said first onion plant. 
     
     
         10 . A plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, produced by backcrossing an onion of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 1 , wherein said backcrossing comprises one or more backcrosses to said second onion plant. 
     
     
         11 . The plurality of onion plants of  claim 9 , wherein said plurality is characterized by 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. 
     
     
         12 . The plurality of onion plants of  claim 10 , wherein said plurality is characterized by 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. 
     
     
         13 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         14 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 5.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         15 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         16 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.5 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         17 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality produces bulbs that maintain an average pyruvic acid development (PAD) value less than 5.5 μmol/g pyruvic acid/gram fresh weight (μmol/g FW pyruvate) after storage for a period of four months. 
     
     
         18 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality produces bulbs that maintain an average pyruvic acid development (PAD) value less than 5.5 μmol/g pyruvic acid/gram fresh weight (μmol/g FW pyruvate) after storage for a period of four months. 
     
     
         19 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality is further characterized as producing bulbs which have an average PAD value that increases no more than 20% after storage for six months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity. 
     
     
         20 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality is further characterized as producing bulbs which have an average PAD value that increases no more than 20% after storage for six months at 5 degrees centigrade and 50% relative humidity. 
     
     
         21 . A container of onion bulbs obtained from a population of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         22 . A container of onion bulbs obtained from a population of the plurality of onion plants of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         23 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         24 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality is characterized by an average PAD measurement of less than 4.0 μmol/g FW pyruvate at harvest. 
     
     
         25 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 11 , wherein said plurality 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. 
     
     
         26 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 12 , wherein said plurality 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. 
     
     
         27 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 9 , wherein said plurality of onion plants are cytoplasmically male sterile. 
     
     
         28 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 10 , wherein said plurality of onion plants are cytoplasmically male sterile. 
     
     
         29 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 9 , wherein said parts are selected from the group consisting of a plurality of seeds, bulbs, leaves, pollen, protoplasts, ovules, and cells. 
     
     
         30 . The plurality of onion plants, or parts thereof, of  claim 10 , wherein said parts are selected from the group consisting of a plurality of seeds, bulbs, leaves, pollen, protoplasts, ovules, and cells.