Bulb and vegetative characteristics of garlic (Allium sativum L.) from in vitro culture through acclimatization and field production

Abstract

This study reports the field performance of tissue-cultured garlic plants (cultivar Balady) upon their acclimatization for four successive generations. Bulb weight reached 0.7, 3.4, 62.1 and 87.9 g at the first, second, third and fourth vegetative generations, respectively. The bulb was small and non-divided in the first vegetative generation. The number of cloves per bulb was 2.4, 45.8 and 54.0 at the second, third and fourth vegetative generations, respectively. Bulb weight and cloves number in the original cultivar were 76.4 g and 55.2 cloves per bulb, respectively. The bulb development rate was high for three vegetative generations. However, it was the closest between the third and the fourth vegetative generation in which garlic plants reached a comparable size of the original cultivar. This study indicates that garlic plantlets derived through tissue culture takes four vegetative generations (four years) to reach the commercial size. These developed plantlets are considered as a new source for breeding and improvement of garlic crop. Key