Significant variation exists among laboratories measuring onion bulb quality traits

Onion pungency is a major quality attribute with many consumers demanding less pungent onions. In recent years, some growers and retailers have attempted to measure pungency of onions produced in different regions to guarantee a desired level of pungency. However, there are few data on the variabili...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	HortScience Vol. 37; no. 7; pp. 1086 - 1087
Main Authors:	Havey, Michael J, Cantwell, Marita, Jones, Meriel G, Jones, Richard W, Scmidt, Norman E, Uhlig, John, Watson, J.F, Yoo, Kil Sun
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Alexandria, VA American Society for Horticultural Science 01-12-2002
Subjects:	Allium cepa Biological and medical sciences bulbs Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology onion pungency onions soluble solids Allium cepa pungency soluble solids
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Onion pungency is a major quality attribute with many consumers demanding less pungent onions. In recent years, some growers and retailers have attempted to measure pungency of onions produced in different regions to guarantee a desired level of pungency. However, there are few data on the variability among laboratories using standardized protocols to estimate relative levels of pungencies. Onion cultivars were grown in replicated trials at three locations. Random samples of bulbs from each experimental unit were harvested and shipped to at least three cooperating laboratories, each of which measured soluble solids content (SSC) and pungencies using the same techniques. As expected, cultivars and environments showed significant (P < 0.001) differences. For all three trials, laboratories were a highly significant source of variation (P < 0.024 to 0.001) for measurements of SSC and pungency. Therefore, one cannot make recommendations on relative pungencies of the same lots of onions measured by different labs. The onion research community must identify specific procedures to reduce variation among laboratories to develop a more repeatable standardized assay for the measurement of onion pungency.
Bibliography:	http://hdl.handle.net/10113/19600
ISSN:	0018-5345 2327-9834
DOI:	10.21273/hortsci.37.7.1086