What are the causes of hollow garlic and the preventive measures?
Garlic is one of the common seasonings in our daily life and is grown all over the country, but many farmers report that the hollow garlic phenomenon is becoming more and more serious. From the outside, the garlic bulb looks plump, but after sun exposure, the poorly developed cloves dehydrate and form a membranous layer, and when squeezed by hand they become hollow, shrunken and deflated. It seriously affects the commercial value of garlic. What causes it? How can it be prevented? Let us learn about it together.
I. Causes of hollow garlic
1. Variety degeneration
Garlic is propagated asexually and generally does not undergo segregation and change of traits through sexual reproduction. Many growers mostly keep their own seed, but in some areas the garlic seed is not replaced for a long time, which causes serious degeneration of the garlic variety, resulting in poor disease resistance and stress resistance, and thus the hollow phenomenon occurs.
2. Insufficient nutrients
Garlic needs sufficient fertilizer and water during the clove differentiation stage. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, and the planting density is too high, plus poor soil fertility, the garlic cloves will fail to differentiate, increasing the probability of hollow garlic.
3. Improper planting time
Garlic is rather strict about planting time. Planting too early or too late will cause the formation of hollow garlic. If planted too early, the temperature is too high, which is unfavorable for clove differentiation; if planted too late, the temperature is too low, and dead plants or premature senescence are likely to occur.
4. Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer
Many growers apply a lot of nitrogen fertilizer when garlic turns green in spring. Applying nitrogen fertilizer in the early stage promotes garlic growth, but excessive nitrogen fertilizer causes excessive vegetative growth and secondary growth. When the vegetative growth of garlic is stronger than the reproductive growth, the hollow phenomenon is very likely to occur.
II. Preventive measures
When planting garlic, it is recommended to rotate crops and change plots every 2-3 years, and not to plant continuously on the same plot, as this will increase the incidence of diseases such as garlic maggot. At the same time, the garlic seed should be renewed and replaced in a timely manner. When planting, master the planting time well and plant reasonably according to the local weather. When watering and fertilizing at the green-up stage, control the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied. During the clove differentiation stage, increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote clove differentiation. In the later stage of growth, foliar fertilizer can be used to spray some boron fertilizer and amino acids, which can significantly improve the stress resistance of the plants, promote early maturity, prevent lodging and premature senescence, and have an obvious yield-increasing effect.
The above is an introduction to the causes of hollow garlic and preventive measures. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.