Determination of the Optimum Bulb Sizes and Cultivation Possibilities of Turkish Endemic Allium tuncelianum (KOLLMAN), N.ÖZHATAY, D. MATHEW, S. SİRANECİ

Abstract

Unconscious collection from nature may lead to the extinction of the Tunceli Garlic plant, which is endemic to Turkey. Preventing this situation can be possible by culturing the plant under field conditions. At the same time, garlic is a plant that requires the use of large amounts of cloves. This is one of the most important factors that increases production costs. The net bulb yield is very important for profitable production. Tunceli garlic, which can also be grown from seeds, can be an alternative to traditional garlic production. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different bulb sizes on some agricultural characteristics of  Turkish endemic Allium tuncelianum (Kollman), N. Özhatay, D. Mathew, S. Siraneci under the conditions of the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in 2019-2021. In the research, 4 different bulb sizes (06-08, 08-10, 10-12 and 12-14 cm) were tested according to the Randomized Complete Blocks experimental design with 4 replications. In the research, in addition to phenological observations such as sprouting date, flowering date,  flowering period, vegetation period; parameters such as plant height (32.75-118.75 cm), leaf length (26.75-44.75 cm), number of leaves (6.75-9.0 number per plant^-1), number of kralens (0-2.94 number per plant^-1), bulb yield (1919.0-2460.50 kg/da^-1), net bulb yield (1624.50-1748.0 kg/da^-1), bulb circumference length (16.52-18.67 cm), bulb weight (50.50-64.75 g), bulb circumference increase rate (143.75-235.75%), total phenolic content (53.75- 64.75 mg/GA) were examined. According to the results obtained in the study, bulbs with a circumference of 12-14 cm showed superior properties in terms of the characteristics examined in different bulb sizes. Although it is seen that bulbs with a circumference of 12-14 cm stand out in bulb yield values; considering the net bulb yield values, it has been determined that it would be more appropriate to use bulbs with a circumference of 06-10 cm in production in Southeastern Anatolia (Sanliurfa) field conditions. In addition, it was determined that Tunceli Garlic has the potential to grow under regional conditions and it was predicted that it could be grown as an alternative plant in regional agriculture.

Keywords: Garlic, Allium, Allium tuncelianum, Bulb, Tunceli garlic

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/14-1-04

Publication date: January 31^st 2024