Open Access Library Journal

Evaluation of Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Varieties for Bulb Yield and Growth at
Dabat, Northwestern Ethiopia
Asrat Ayalew*, Daniel Tadesse, Zenebe G. Medhin, Solomon Fantaw
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
Email: *gizelekullu@gmail.com

Received 4 January 2015; accepted 20 January 2015; published 26 January 2015

Copyright © 2015 by authors and OALib.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract
A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years (2013 and 2014) during the dry pe-
riods under irrigation at Dabat District, Northwestern Ethiopia to select the best adaptable and
high yielder varieties. Five garlic varieties (BishoftuNech, Kuriftu, Tseday 92, MM-98 and the local)
were planted on randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on days to emer-
gence, days to maturity, pseudo stem height, number of leaves per plant, bulb diameter, number of
cloves per bulb, fresh bulb weight, bulb yield, and bulb dry matter content were collected and
subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SAS computer software version 9.0. Mean separa-
tion test was done by list significant difference (LSD) test at 5% probability level. The results re-
vealed that varieties were significantly differed in all parameters. BishoftuNech was early matur-
ing variety (135 days) followed by Kuriftu (143 days). MM-98 was matured lately at 176 days after
planting. Significantly highest pseudo stem height and number of leaves per plant were recorded
from the local variety. Similarly, significantly highest yield of 16.56 t∙ha−1 was recorded from the
local variety. MM-98 and the local variety were with the highest bulb dry matter content of 25.83
and 23.86%, respectively. This research proved that the improved varieties were not compared
with the local cultivar before they get released. Therefore, the result of this research can be used
as good information for the future garlic variety development program at national level. Consi-
dering the most desirable yield and yield component parameters, the local variety is recom-
mended to the producers at Dabat District. Further research on collection, characterization and
evaluation of the local cultivars should be conducted for national use.

Keywords
Garlic, Varieties, Bulb Yield

Subject Areas: Agricultural Science, Plant Science

*
Corresponding author.

How to cite this paper: Ayalew, A., Tadesse, D., Medhin, Z.G. and Fantaw, S. (2015) Evaluation of Garlic (Allium sativum L.)
Varieties for Bulb Yield and Growth at Dabat, Northwestern Ethiopia. Open Access Library Journal, 2: e1216.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1101216
 A. Ayalew et al.

1. Introduction
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) belongs to the family Alliaceae and genus Allium, and is a shallow rooted vegetable
crop [1]. It is an ancient crop that originated in Central Asia and it has been grown for culinary, medicinal, and
religious purposes for several millennia [2] [3]. The alliums are distributed widely throughout the temperate,
warm temperate and boreal zones of the northern hemisphere [2].
Garlic takes one of the top places among vegetables contributing to the maintenance of good health of humans.
The species has been already grown and consumed in ancient Egypt and Rome [4]. According to Goldy [5],
evidence of garlic cultivation can be found as far back as 3200 BC in Egypt and it continues to be an important
part of Mediterranean, European and Asian diets as a food item, as well as a medicinal plant used to treat a va-
riety of ailments. Garlic has been known for many hundreds of years and has many beneficial qualities. It is a
natural antiseptic and was used as such in the First World War [6]. Not surprisingly, in view of its strength of
flavor, it is used primarily as a condiment rather than a bulk foodstuff [7]. Garlic is grown for its edible bulbs,
which are composed of a number of cloves. The bulbs can be eaten fresh, cooked in various ways, processed in-
to a dehydrated product, or saved for seed to be planted later [3].
Garlic is produced in Ethiopia mainly as a spice crop for seasoning of foods and for its medicinal values. It is
widely cultivated around home gardens in Ethiopia. But nowadays, its production is practiced in some large
farms. Garlic is exported to Europe, Middle East and North America [8].
Despite the crop is a high value crop, its production and productivity are very low due to production and
marketing constraints. According to CSA [1], the average area covered and total production of garlic in Ethiopia
are 16411.19 ha and 159093.58 tons annually. This low yield of garlic is believed to be due to lack of improved
agronomic practices, lack of improved and adaptable varieties, low soil fertility, diseases, insect pests and lack
of improved post harvest technologies [8].
Dabat District has a great potential to produce garlic under irrigation. But there is no any improved variety
under production in the woreda. Before the execution of this research, there are no any research efforts in rela-
tion to improved agronomic practices and variety adaptation trial to fully exploit the yield potential of garlic in
this woreda. Farmers use only the local varieties with their own traditional production methods. As a result, the
average yield of the crop is very low in this woreda—8 t∙ha−1 [9]. Even if the area is very suitable and the crop is
very important commercially for the farmers for income generation, productivity is still unsatisfactory. There-
fore, this research was executed to select adaptable and high yielder garlic varieties under irrigation for Dabat
and similar districts.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Description of the Study Area
The study was conducted at Dabat District of North Gondar Administrative Zone. Dabat Distric is located at 814
km and 75 km north of Addis Ababa and Gondar City, respectively. Dabat Town is the main town of the district.
The neighboring districts surrounding Dabat are Debark (in the north and north east), Tsegedie (in the west),
Wogera (in the south and south east). The district has a total of 28,293 ha of cultivated land and a population of
176,795. The total garlic cultivation area in the woreda is 39 ha [9].
The altitude of the woreda ranges from 1500 to 3200 meters above sea level. Mean annual rainfall in the wo-
reda ranges from 800 to 1400 mm. The main rainy season starts at the beginning of June and continues up to the
end of September. The minimum and maximum temperature of the woreda is 18˚C and 35˚C, respectively [9].
The experimental plot was located at 13˚05'N and 37˚50'E and with an altitude of 2740 meters above sea level
(GPS reading).

2.2. Material and Design

Five garlic varieties namely, BishoftuNech, Tseday 92, Kuriftu, MM-98 and the local were laid on Randomized
Complete Block Design with four replications. The number of rows per plot was 8 for each treatment; each row
containing 20 plants. Cloves of medium sized (2 - 2.5 g) were used as a planting material. The cloves were hand
planted 10 cm apart on rows spaced by 25 cm at a depth of 3 cm.
Nitrogen was split applied in the form of Urea at the rate of 150 kg∙ha−1 half at planting and the other half at
30 days after planting. Phosphorus was applied in the form of DAP at a rate of 200 kg∙ha−1 [8]. Other cultural

OALibJ | DOI:10.4236/oalib.1101216 2 January 2015 | Volume 2 | e1216

 A. Ayalew et al.

practices were carried out as per the recommendations for the crop.

2.3. Data Collection

Data on plant height, number of leaves per plant, bulb diameter, number of cloves per bulb, bulb weight per
plant and bulb dry mater content were recorded from a sample of 10 representative plants. Bulb yield was rec-
orded from the middle 6 rows from each plot and converted into tons per hectare. Date of emergence was rec-
orded when 50% of the plants per plot were emerged. Date of maturity was recorded when the plant was ready
to harvest.

2.4. Data Analysis

For each treatment the mean value of the above-described parameters were computed and subjected to analysis
of variance using SAS computer software version 9.0 with general linear model procedure [10]. Mean separation
test was be done by List Significant Difference (LSD) test at 5% probability level.

3. Result and Discussion

3.1. Days to 50% Emergence
Variety had a highly significant (p < 0.001) effect on days to 50% emergence. Variety BishoftuNech achieved
50% emergence 10 days after planting where as the local variety and Kuriftu attained their 50% emergence 12
days after planting. MM-98 was the late variety to attain 50% emergence (Table 1).

3.2. Days to Maturity

Variety had a highly significant effect on date of maturity (p < 0.001). BishoftuNech was early maturing variety
followed by Kuriftu. MM-98 was matured lately at 176 days after planting (Table 1). The five varieties thus
differed significantly in date of maturity. Similar result was reported by Yesigat (2008) on BishoftuNech and
MM-98. This result is also in line with the work of Tadese [11] who reported that Tseday 92 and BishoftuNetch
were matured 137 and 131 days after planting, respectively. This result revealed that BishoftuNech is early ma-
turing variety followed by Kuriftu. On the other hand MM-98 was the late maturing variety which required 176
days to mature. This extended growth period of this variety may incur additional cost and makes the land not to
be ready for the next crop.

3.3. Pseudo Stem Height

The pseudo stem height was significantly affected by garlic varieties (p < 0.01). Significantly highest pseudo
stem length was recorded from the local variety (28.80 cm) followed by Kuriftu (24.53 cm) and MM-98 (24.43
cm). Significantly lowest pseudo stem height of 22.31 cm was recorded from BishoftuNech (Table 2). There-
fore, this result indicated that the local variety is more vigorous than the rest of the garlic varieties.

3.4. Number of Leaves per Plant

Varieties had a significant effect on number of leaves per plant (p < 0.01). Significantly highest number of
leaves per plant was recorded from the local variety than Kuriftu, Tseday 92 and BishoftuNech (Table 2).

3.5. Bulb Diameter

Variety had a significant effect on bulb diameter (p < 0.01). The local variety and Kuriftu scored the highest
mean bulb diameter as compared to Tseday 92 and MM-98 (Table 3). As size is considered as a quality criterion
for variety selection, the local variety and Kuriftu were selected by the farmers.

3.6. Number of Cloves per Bulb

Varieties were significantly differed in number of cloves per bulb (p < 0.01). Significantly, highest number of
cloves per bulb was recorded from the local variety (20.45) followed by Kuriftu (16.68). Tseday 92 scored

OALibJ | DOI:10.4236/oalib.1101216 3 January 2015 | Volume 2 | e1216

 A. Ayalew et al.

Table 1. Days to emergence and maturity of garlic varieties at Dabat, 2013-

2014.

Variety Days to 50% emergence Days to maturity

Local 12.00c 145.00b

BishoftuNech 10.00d 135.00e
Tseday 92 13.00b 144.00c
Kuriftu 12.00c 143.00d
MM-98 35.00a 176.00a
LSD 0.01 0.84
CV (%) 0.05 0.03

Means followed by same letters in a column are not significantly different at p ≤ 0.05.

Table 2. Mean pseudo stem height and number of leaves per plant of garlic
varieties at Dabat (2013-2014).

Number of leaves
Variety Pseudo stem height (cm)
per plant
Local 28.80a 8.31a

BishoftuNech 22.31c 7.77c

Tseday 92 18.86d 7.07d

Kuriftu 24.53b 8.05b

MM-98 24.43b 8.21ab

LSD 1.23 0.76

CV (%) 4.28 1.76

Means followed by same letters in a column are not significantly different at p ≤ 0.05.

Table 3. Yield and yield component of garlic varieties at Dabat (2013-2014)

Number of cloves Fresh bulb weight Bulb dry matter

Variety Bulb diameter (cm) Bulb yield (t∙ha−1)
per bulb per plant (g) content per plant (%)
Local 5.36a 20.45a 49.72a 16.56a 23.86ab

BishoftuNech 4.75ab 13.57dc 28.15bc 9.38bc 19.76c

Tseday 92 4.17b 12.70d 16.70d 5.57d 15.33d

Kuriftu 5.35a 16.68b 35.36b 11.78b 21.90bc

MM-98 4.17b 15.00bc 25.53c 8.52c 25.83a

LSD 0.75 1.95 7.47 2.50 2.36

CV (%) 13.08 10.25 19.81 19.91 9.12

Means followed by same letters in a column are not significantly different at p ≤ 0.05.

significantly lowest number of cloves per bulb (Table 3). This result revealed that the local variety is superior to
the rest of the varieties for this very important yield component parameter which is the edible part of garlic.

3.7. Fresh Bulb Weight per Plant and Yield Hectare

Varieties were significantly differed in their fresh bulb weight per plant and yield per hectare (p < 0.01). Signif-
icantly highest fresh bulb weight (49.72 g per plant and 16.56 t∙ha−1) was recorded from the local variety fol-

OALibJ | DOI:10.4236/oalib.1101216 4 January 2015 | Volume 2 | e1216

 A. Ayalew et al.

lowed by Kuriftu (35.36 g per plant and 11.78 t∙ha−1). Significantly lowest bulb weight of 16.70 g per plant and
5.57 t∙ha−1 was recorded from Tseday 92 (Table 3). The mean fresh bulb yield of the local variety was 4.78,
8.04 and 10.99 t∙ha−1 higher than Kuriftu, MM-98 and Tseday 92, respectively. This result indicated that the lo-
cal variety is superior to the nationally released varieties.

3.8. Bulb Dry Matter Content per Plant

Varieties were significantly differed in their bulb dry matter content per plant (p < 0.01). Significantly, highest
bulb dry matter of 25.83% was recorded from MM-98. In this parameter Tseday 92 was with the least bulb dry
matter content of 15.33% (Table 3). The highest significant dry matter content of MM-98 may be confined with
its long growth period by which it may uptake more essential minerals and accumulated more assimilates.

4. Conclusion and Recommendation

The local variety was superior in most of the desirable parameters for garlic. This research work proved that the
improved and released varieties of garlic were not compared with the local cultivar which was under production
in the study area before they get released. Therefore, the result of this research can be used as good information
for the future garlic variety development program at national level. Finally, considering the most desirable yield
and yield component parameters, the local variety should be recommended to the producers at Dabat District.
Further research on collection, characterization and evaluation of the garlic cultivars which are under production
in the study area and in the nearby districts with similar agro-ecologies should be conducted in order to make
this variety to be registered and released at national level

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Office of Research and Community Service Vice President, Office of the Dean of
Faculty of Agriculture, and Department of Plant Sciences, University of Gondar for funding of the project and
for their technical and material support.

References
[1] CSA (2014) The Federal Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistics Authority Agricultural Sample Survey 20013/14 (2006
E.C), Report on Area and Production of Major Crops. Statistical Bulletin, 532.
[2] Brewster, J.L. (1994) Onions and Other Vegetable Alliums. CAB International, Wallingford.
[3] Hannan, R.M. and Sorensen, E.J. (2001) Crop Profile for Garlic in Washington. Washington State University, Pullman.
[4] Rekowska, E. and Skupien, K. (2007) Influence of Flat Covers and Sowing Density on Yield and Chemical Composi-
tion of Garlic Cultivated for Bundle-Harvest. Vegetable Crops Research Bulletin, 66, 17-24.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10032-007-0003-y
[5] Goldy, R. (2000) Producing Garlic in Michigan. Michigan State University Extension.
[6] Gene, B. (2009) Garlic. Huntington College of Health Sciences, Literature Education Series on Dietary Supplements.
[7] Purseglove, S.W. (1992) Tropical Crops, Monocotyledons. Vol. 2, Longman Group Ltd., London, 20-140.
[8] Debrezeit Agricultural Research Center (2006) Garlic Production Management. Debrezeit Agricultural Research Cen-
ter, Leaflet (Amharic Version), Debrezeit, Ethiopia.
[9] Dabat Woreda Office of Agriculture and Rural Development (2010) (Unpubl) Annual Report of 2007. Dabat, Ethiopia.
[10] Tewoldebrhan, T. (2009) Participatory Varietal Evaluation and Farmer Based Seed Production: A Sustainable Ap-
proach to Garlic Seed Delivery in Atsbi Womberta Wereda, Eastern Tigray. M.Sc. Thesis, College of Dry Land Agri-
culture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Ethiopia, 61.
[11] Yesigat, M. (2008) Yield and Growth of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Varieties as Affected by Plant Density at Wadla,
North Ethiopia. M.Sc. Thesis, Univerity of Hawassa, Ethiopia, 50-74.

OALibJ | DOI:10.4236/oalib.1101216 5 January 2015 | Volume 2 | e1216