S02 - Session O4 - II - Characterization of Lithuanian garlic (Allium sativum L.) accessions

Authors: Danguole Juskeviciene *, Audrius Radzevicius, Rasa Karkleliene

Garlic is a vegetable species that is known for its unique nutritional properties and valuable biochemical composition. They are very sensitive to the climatic conditions. Therefore, breeding of new stable cultivars, that are well adapted to local climatic conditions, is the most effective factor in eliminating this impact. The aim of investigation was to estimate the biodiversity of local accessions and to choose the most valuable plants for the breeding purposes. The morphobiological parameters and yield structure of 38 hardneck garlic accessions originating from different regions of Lithuania were evaluated in 2016-2020. The obtained results showed differences of morphobiological parameters, bulb structure and multiplication ratio between studied accessions. The highest diversity was observed in the yield formation. The number of cloves varied from 5 to 14 between accessions. A higher multiplication ratio was observed in the lower sized accessions. It was observed that an average 60% of the accessions formed bulbs with a white external scales colour. More than 93% of samples had a similar bulb shape. Five accessions were selected as valuable plant donor suitable for the breeding purposes.