FORT COLLINS, CO - Consumer interest in new and diverse types of
garlic is on the rise. Fueled by factors including the growth of
the "local foods" movement, interest in world cuisines, and
widespread reports touting its numerous health benefits, demand for
high-quality, locally grown garlic is increasing throughout the
U.S.
While most grocery stores in carry the familiar white,
"softneck" garlic (which is most often imported), varieties of
"hardneck" garlic in colorful hues of purple, magenta, pink, and
white are becoming more available at local vegetable stands and
through direct-marketing programs. The results of a recent study of
10 garlic cultivars can help farmers identify niche regional
markets and offer new, in-demand garlic varieties to consumers.
Hundreds of garlic (Allium sativum L.) cultivars are
available from seed companies, retailers, and germplasm
collections. Increasingly, growers purchase bulbs from nonlocal
sources and are often disappointed by unpredictable yields. Garlic
bulbs resulting from seed stock purchased in other regions may not
display the characteristics - such as bulb size, shape, and color -
featured in the catalogs.
Gayle M. Volk of the National Center for Genetic Resources
Preservation, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service in Fort Collins, and David Stern of the Garlic
Seed Foundation authored a study designed to determine which garlic
traits are stable and which traits vary depending on where the
garlic is grown. According to the study published in a recent issue
of HortScience and funded primarily by the Northeast
Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education program, prior
research has shown that traits such as clove number, clove skin
coloration, and topset number are representative of cultivar type
across growth locations, whereas "phenotypic" traits such as bulb
wrapper color, bulb size, and bulb elemental composition are
specific to sites.
Ten diverse garlic cultivars ('Ajo Rojo', 'Chesnok', 'German
White', 'Inchelium', 'Purple Glazer', 'Red Janice', 'Sakura',
'Siberian', 'Silverwhite', and 'Spanish Roja') were grown at 12
locations in the United States and Canada for the study. One
cultivar representing each of the 10 garlic types was selected to
best capture the genetic diversity available within Allium
sativum.
In 2005, garlic bulbs obtained from producers in Washington were
distributed to 10 garlic growers who practiced sustainable
production methods with minimal or no chemical inputs. Small-scale
garlic farmers were provided with planting stocks from the same
original sources and were asked to grow them on their farms for two
consecutive years using their best practices.
At each location, 16 cloves per cultivar were planted in each of
three replicate plots. Bulbs were harvested when the lower
one-third to one-half of the leaves on the plants had dried. Six to
eight bulbs of each cultivar grown in each plot were sent to Fort
Collins for data collection and analysis. In Fall 2006, bulbs
produced at each farm were replanted and grown for a second season
at the same farm (except for a change in the Colorado farm and the
addition of a farm in Ontario, Canada). Quality of planting stock,
bulb characteristics, bulb wrapper color, bulb yield, clove
characteristics and bulb elemental composition were analyzed.
Growers also provided feedback for the study using digital
documentation, surveys, planting notes, and harvest notes.
Among the significant findings: bulb wrapper color and bulb size
were determined to be "highly dependent" on location and cultivar.
"It was not surprising to find that bulb size and circumference
were highly site-dependent and correlated. Bulb wrapper color is
also highly site-specific, supporting evidence reported by
marketers that bulb color is more determined by growth environment
than cultivar types", Volk stated.
The research offers promise for savvy consumers interested in
more locally grown, fresh garlic varieties. "As consumers start to
recognize and request garlic types by name, information about which
traits define specific cultivars and which traits are highly
variable will be valuable for successful marketing of new garlic
cultivars", explained Volk.
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