Industrial Cultivation of Green Onions: Multi-Bud Bulbs, Varietal Material, and the Challenges of the Modern Seed Industry

Abstract

Industrial cultivation of green onions differs significantly from the technology of onion production for long-term storage. Modern selection is mainly focused on creating hybrids with high keeping quality, dense bulb structure and low tendency to sprout. At the same time, for the production of green mass, opposite biological characteristics are required: high germination energy, physiological activity, multi-bud trait and the ability to form several shoots from one bulb. The article considers the importance of multi-bud bulbs as a key production factor in the industrial forcing of green onions. The contradiction between modern breeding trends and the needs of green producers is analyzed. Special attention is paid to the physiology of planting material, the two-year cycle of bulb formation and the influence of varietal characteristics on the stability of production and commercial yield of products. Practical aspects of the use of multi-bud bulb varieties in systems of intensive cultivation of green onions for retail are presented.