Priority directions of onion breeding (<i>Allium cepa</i> L.)

Relevance. Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a valuable and demanded vegetable crop, which occupies one of the leading places in terms of sown areas and gross yields among other vegetable crops of the genus Allium L. Onion is popular in folk and evidence-based medicine, widely used for the prevention and treatment of many diseases due to its rich biochemical composition and useful properties. As part of import substitution and achieving food security of the country, scientists of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Federal Scientific Vegetable Center» (FSBSI FSVC) are working intensively to create new generation varieties and hybrids.Methodology. Various resources on the topic were selected, publications in scientific and industry journals and databases were studied, a review of works on onion selection (yield, species diversity in shape and color, maturity, shelf life, biochemical parameters, commercial and seed productivity, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses), as well as useful properties for humans and use in medicine was made.Results. The analysis of works shows that the wide distribution in the Russian Federation have such varieties of selection of FSBSI FSVC, such as Myachkovskij 300, Cherni prince, Al'ba, Atas, Ampeks and others. In recent years, created a medium-maturing hybrid onion onion F1 Drakon with brown dry scales and a maximum yield of 391.0 c/ha, as well as transferred to the State variety trial winter variety Novator with brown dry scales. Propagation of demanded varieties and hybrids for both production cultivation and for use in household farms is underway.Conclusion. In order to conveyor onion production, it is necessary to create varieties and hybrids of different maturity groups, as well as to work on improving marketability, seed productivity and resistance to various stresses.