90 years of USDA onion breeding for resistance to onion thrips

Authors: Havey, Michael

Submitted to: Onion World
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2020
Publication Date: 2/1/2020
Citation: Havey, M.J. 2020. 90 years of USDA onion breeding for resistance to onion thrips. Onion World. 36:8-9.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has supported research on thrips resistance in onion for almost 90 years. In the early 1930s, Dr. Henry Jones observed that under severe thrips pressure, an onion from Iran that suffered significantly less feeding damage relative to other onions. Jones noticed that the leaves of ‘White Persian’ onion had a lighter-green color compared with the blue-grey foliage color of thrips susceptible onions. Jones referred to this lighter green foliage as “glossy” and blue-grey foliage as “waxy”. In the 1970s, Dr. Peterson of the USDA-ARS continued research on thrips resistance in onion, backcrossing glossy foliage into storage onions and released two glossy inbreds (B9897 and B9885). Dr. Peterson and colleagues showed that the amount of wax on the leaves of glossy onion was much less than the waxy leaves of most onions. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Michael Havey and colleagues of the USDA-ARS demonstrated that the color of onion leaves is primarily due to both the amounts and types of waxes on the leaf surface. Specific onions have the same total amount of wax as susceptible onions, only the composition of waxes is different. In field evaluations, these onions with unique wax profiles suffered significantly less feeding damage by thrips.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has supported research on thrips resistance in onion for almost 90 years. In the early 1930s, Dr. Henry Jones observed that under severe thrips pressure, an onion from Iran that suffered significantly less feeding damage relative to other onions. Jones noticed that the leaves of ‘White Persian’ onion had a lighter-green color compared with the blue-grey foliage color of thrips susceptible onions. Jones referred to this lighter green foliage as “glossy” and blue-grey foliage as “waxy”. In the 1970s, Dr. Peterson of the USDA-ARS continued research on thrips resistance in onion, backcrossing glossy foliage into storage onions and released two glossy inbreds (B9897 and B9885). Dr. Peterson and colleagues showed that the amount of wax on the leaves of glossy onion was much less than the waxy leaves of most onions. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Michael Havey and colleagues of the USDA-ARS demonstrated that the color of onion leaves is primarily due to both the amounts and types of waxes on the leaf surface. Specific onions have the same total amount of wax as susceptible onions, only the composition of waxes is different. In field evaluations, these onions with unique wax profiles suffered significantly less feeding damage by thrips.