Abstract
Garlic is an important cash crop in many regions of Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is constrained by several factors. Among these, inappropriate clove size is one of the major agronomic practices that can decrease the yield of the crop. Hence, a field experiment was conducted during the 2020/21 main cropping season at Debre Berhan University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, demonstration and research site to evaluate the effect of clove size on growth and bulb yield of garlic (Allium sativum L.). The treatments consisted of five clove sizes: 1–1.49 g, 1.5–1.99 g, 2–2.50 g, 2.51–2.99 g, and 3–3.5 g. An improved variety “Tseday” was used as a planting material. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement and replicated for three times. The results revealed that clove size significantly influenced all growth and yield parameters of garlic. Planting of 3–3.5 g cloves reduced days to emergence by 11 and 6.33 days and days to maturity by 28.33 and 18.00 days, respectively, as compared to planting of 1–1.49 g and 2–2.5 g cloves. This treatment also increased total bulb yield by 25.88% and 15.58%, respectively, as compared to planting of 1–1.49 g and 2–2.5 g cloves. In addition, this treatment significantly increased most of the growth and bulb yield components. Hence, it can be concluded that planting of 3–3.5 g cloves could be recommended to enhance early emergence, good vegetative growth, and total bulb yield of garlic.
Highlights
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) belongs to Alliaceae family, and it is believed to be originated in Central Asia (India, Afghanistan, West China, and Russia) and spread to other parts of the world through trade and colonization [1, 2]. e value of garlic as a crop has been recognized from very ancient times; it is estimated that it has been cultivated for over 5000 years
6.33 days, respectively, as compared to planting of 1–1.49 g and 2–2.5 g cloves. e earlier emergence of garlic plants from the large-sized cloves than small-sized cloves could be attributed to the availability of higher amounts of stored nutrients to provide an optimal supply of carbohydrate for the emerging seedlings of the larger cloves. is result was in agreement with the findings of Ahmed et al [19] and Castellanos et al [20] who reported that large-sized cloves emerged earlier than small-sized cloves
Our findings suggest that garlic growth and yield are directly related to the size of cloves planted. erefore, planting cloves of the appropriate size can improve garlic production
Summary
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) belongs to Alliaceae family, and it is believed to be originated in Central Asia (India, Afghanistan, West China, and Russia) and spread to other parts of the world through trade and colonization [1, 2]. e value of garlic as a crop has been recognized from very ancient times; it is estimated that it has been cultivated for over 5000 years. E value of garlic as a crop has been recognized from very ancient times; it is estimated that it has been cultivated for over 5000 years. It is the second most widely produced Allium next to onion and used as a seasoning in many foods and as condiment [3, 4]. It is a fundamental component in many dishes from various countries in the world including Ethiopia, adding taste to foods as well as it helps to make them more palatable and digestible [5]. Ethiopia has placed number 15 in the world ranking [8]
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