Performance of ‘great headed garlic’ (Allium ampeloprassum L. var. ampeloprassum) genotype IC 0598236 as affected by seed clove type and planting distance under temperate hills conditions

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out on a new allium crop ‘great headed garlic’ (Allium ampeloprassum L. var. ampeloprassum) genotype IC-0598236 developed at Department of Vegetable Science, VCSGUH&F, Ranichauri, Tehri-Garhwal. The treatments included two factors, first types of seed cloves (A), viz., miniature seed cloves (A1), each weighing 1.0-1.5 g and obtained from planting the seedlings raised from micro-cloves produced in terminal umbels and the commercial seed cloves (A2), each weighing 6.0-6.5 g and obtained from underground bulbs of commercial crop. The second factor included four planting distances (B), viz., 15 × 7.5 cm (B1), 15 × 10 cm (B2), 20 × 7.5 cm (B3) and 20 × 10 cm (B4). The results of the experiment indicated that miniature seed cloves and big sized commercial seed cloves had significant influence on bulb yield and vegetative growth. Significantly higher bulb yield was recorded in the crop raised from commercial seed cloves (232.23 q/ ha). However, the bulbs produced from miniature seed cloves were more compact and thus likely to have more storability as these had higher specific gravity value (1.16 g/cm3). The planting geometry including medium distance (20 × 7.5 cm and 15 × 10 cm) was found to have higher bulb yield (231.23 and 228.00 q/ha, respectively) with an increase by 4.86-6.35% as compared to close planting distance of 15 cm × 7.5 cm (217.43 q/ha) and 8.85- 10.39% as compared to wider planting distance of 20 cm × 10 cm (209.46 q/ha). The combination of commercial seed cloves and closest planting distance (15 cm × 7.5 cm) was found to have highest bulb yield (248.21 q/ha).