How Many Garlic Varieties Are There? Which Garlic Variety Is Best to Grow?
In our daily lives, we add garlic to many dishes to make them more fragrant and flavorful. Garlic is an indispensable side ingredient. There are many varieties of garlic, so just how many varieties are there? Which garlic variety is best for farmers to grow? Next, let the editor tell you all about it!
I. How many garlic varieties are there?
There are currently many garlic varieties on the market. Below, the editor will introduce how many garlic varieties there are based on their characteristics.
1. Classified by the size of the cloves
According to the size of the cloves in the bulb, garlic can be divided into two types: large-clove types and small-clove types. Large-clove types have 4 to 8 cloves, each clove is fairly uniform in size, the cloves are plump, the outer skin is easy to peel off, the scapes are thick and long, the pungent flavor is relatively strong, and the yield is high; they are mainly grown for both scapes and bulbs. Small-clove garlic, also called dog-tooth garlic, has 10 to 20 cloves, the cloves are uneven in size and slender, the outer skin is not easy to scrape off, and the pungent flavor is relatively mild; it is suitable for cultivation as garlic sprouts.
2. Classified by whether scapes are present
According to whether scapes are present, garlic can be divided into two types: scape-less garlic and dual-purpose scape-and-clove garlic. Having scapes means the garlic can bolt normally; it has wide adaptability and a large planting area, and is cultivated all over the country. Scape-less garlic is early-maturing and of good quality, but because it does not produce scapes, its output value is relatively low.
3. Classified by the color of the bulb's outer skin
Classifying by the color of the garlic bulb's outer skin is a classification method often used in China for local garlic varieties. By this method, garlic is divided according to the color of its bulb's outer skin into purple-skin garlic and white-skin garlic.
4. Classified by leaf shape and leaf texture
It can be divided into broad-leaf garlic and narrow-leaf garlic, and hard-leaf garlic and soft-leaf garlic.
5. Classified by ecological characteristics
It can be divided into spring-type garlic and winter-type garlic. Spring-type garlic has small and numerous cloves, is sown in spring or near winter, and generally does not bolt; winter-type garlic has large and few cloves, is sown in autumn, and can bolt.
6. Classified by early or late maturity
It can be divided into early-maturing types and late-maturing types.
II. Which garlic variety is best to grow?
Generally speaking, farmers will do better growing the following three kinds of garlic:
1. Beijing Purple-Skin Garlic
A local variety from Beijing. The plant is upright, and a mature plant has 7-8 leaves; the leaves are lanceolate, green, with a waxy bloom on the surface. The garlic head is about 4 cm in longitudinal diameter and 4.5 cm in transverse diameter, and a single plant can reach 50 g in fresh weight; it has 4-6 cloves, the outer skin is purplish red, the pungent flavor is strong, and the quality is good. It has strong cold resistance, relatively good disease resistance, and good storability; each 667 sq m yields 2 000-3 000 kg of fresh garlic heads and can also produce 100-200 kg of garlic scapes. This variety is suitable for spring planting, and can also be used for overwinter protected cultivation and blanching cultivation to produce garlic yellow.
2. Puke Purple-Skin Garlic
A local variety from Shandong. Its characteristics are similar to Beijing Purple-Skin Garlic, but the plant is taller and larger; when planted in autumn for overwinter cultivation, the yields of garlic heads and garlic scapes are higher, with each 667 sq m yielding up to 4 000 kg and garlic scapes reaching 300 kg. Therefore, for more than the past ten years in North China, Puke Purple-Skin Garlic has mostly been used for autumn-sown overwinter cultivation.
3. Hebei White-Skin Garlic
Because the cloves are small and its cold resistance is relatively poor, it can only be planted in spring, and its planting area is gradually shrinking. However, it is the variety chosen for pickling and processing, especially for pickled sweet garlic. Northern residents also often pickle it themselves, and it can be eaten for a long time.
That is all the content the editor wants to share with you today. Garlic is not just the two kinds we usually eat; classified by its characteristics, there are many varieties, but if you want to choose a high-quality garlic variety, it is best to choose the three above.
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