Breeding for improved responsiveness to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in onion

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is one of the leading vegetable crops worldwide. Due to its superficial root system that is rarely branched and lacks root hairs, onion is very inefficient in the uptake of water and nutrients. As a result, large amounts of fertilizer are used in onion cultivation. In low-input systems crops need to be nutrient scavengers. To improve nutrient uptake in onions it is possible to breed for larger root systems using A. fistulosum. A complementary approach is to use arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which associate with onion and improve plant growth and the uptake of nutrients and water from soils. Previous research showed high responsiveness of A. fistulosum with AMF. The aim of the present research was to study possibilities to improve onions for mycorrhizal responsiveness by breeding.