Causes of Purple-Skinned Garlic Degeneration and the Latest Control Measures

Many farmers growing purple-skinned garlic use their own saved seed garlic, and over time the garlic degenerates, showing symptoms such as stunted plants, pale green leaves and smaller bulbs, with yields dropping year after year, which seriously affects garlic farmers' income. So what are the causes of purple-skinned garlic degeneration? How should it be controlled? Let's find out together.

I. Causes of Purple-Skinned Garlic Degeneration

Garlic is a vegetatively propagated crop and does not go through the reproductive cycle of sexual reproduction, which is the main cause of garlic variety degeneration; in addition, improper cultivation methods and harsh climate are also among the causes of garlic variety degeneration. Insufficient fertilizer, excessively high planting density and lax seed selection can also cause degeneration of purple-skinned garlic varieties. In production, farmers often delay the harvest in order to obtain garlic scape yield, waiting until the scapes become thick, old and fibrous before harvesting, which wastes a large amount of nutrients and also affects bulb development. Viruses are present in garlic plants, and their continuous accumulation causes declines in yield and quality; dry, high-temperature climates make it very easy for garlic viral diseases to spread, so garlic degeneration caused by viral diseases is also very serious.

II. Control Measures

1. Choose a good plot

Choose a loamy soil plot with convenient drainage and irrigation as the seed field, with the previous crop preferably being crops such as peanuts or corn, and prepare the soil finely before sowing.

2. Seed selection

Seed selection should be carried out during the garlic harvest season before 10 a.m. and in the evening, choosing bulbs with no wounds, pests or diseases, or rotten cloves, with cloves of uniform size, a plump and full appearance and consistent color, to keep as seed garlic.

3. Virus-free propagation

Taking advantage of the fact that garlic shoot tips are virus-free, cut the shoot tip tissue of the young buds inside the cloves for tissue culture to propagate virus-free garlic plantlets, then cultivate the virus-free garlic plantlets under aseptic conditions; after planting, they are propagated as stock seed, and then second-generation seed is produced for production.

4. Reasonable close planting

The planting density of the garlic seed field is lower than that of the production field, generally with a row spacing of about 25 cm and a plant spacing of about 20 cm, and the sowing date is delayed by 10-15 days compared with the production field. To prevent secondary growth, 20 days before sowing, place the seed in an environment with a relative humidity of 75% and a temperature of 2 degrees or above.

5. Harvest at the right time

When the garlic scape emerges from the leaf sheath opening and its upper part bends slightly, it can be harvested. Choose noon and early afternoon on a sunny day for harvesting, and pull out the scape with a scape puller, trying not to damage the false stem, so that the leaves can continue to provide nutrients for bulb growth. After harvesting, water promptly and loosen the soil at the right time to promote bulb growth.

  The above is an introduction to the causes of purple-skinned garlic degeneration and control measures. We hope it helps you. For more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.