Garlic Variety Introduction: Jiaxiang Red-Skin Garlic

Jiaxiang red-skin garlic is a local variety from Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province, with a cultivation history of 1900 years, and is renowned for its good quality and long dormancy period. I. Characteristics and Traits Jiaxiang red-skin garlic plants grow no taller than 50 cm, with 13 leaves per plant, flat and narrow, covered with a waxy bloom. Each bulb has 4-6 cloves, belonging to the few-clove type, with red skin and uniform cloves, tender flesh, thick garlic juice, and a strong pungent flavor, excellent in both color and taste. Jiaxiang garlic cloves are plump, with a long dormancy period and good storage tolerance, generally yielding 800-1000 kg of garlic per 667 sq m and 200 kg of garlic scapes. II. Key Points of Cultivation Techniques 1. Apply sufficient base fertilizer and prepare the soil finely. Choose loam and sandy loam with loose texture, convenient drainage and irrigation, good water and fertilizer retention, and rich organic matter for cultivation; the previous crop must not be scallion, garlic, onion, or similar crops. After the previous crop is harvested, plow and sun-bake the soil as early as possible, and apply sufficient base fertilizer all at once in combination with plowing: per 667 sq m, apply 5000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure, 50 kg of diammonium phosphate, 50 kg of potassium sulfate, 3 kg of iron fertilizer, 2 kg of zinc fertilizer, and 1 kg of boron fertilizer. Plow level and harrow fine so that the ground is level, loose on top and firm below, then make beds 1.4 m wide and wait for sowing. 2. Sow at the appropriate time and plant at a reasonable density. The suitable sowing time for autumn-sown garlic is when the 5 cm soil temperature is between 18-20°C; the suitable sowing time in Jiaxiang County is around National Day. Sown at this time, seedlings emerge in 7-9 days; before overwintering the plants can grow 5-6 leaves, about 25 cm tall, with about 30 roots. Before sowing, select cloves that are plump, white in color, with root protrusions visible at the base and no disease spots. Trials have shown that sowing 8 rows per bed, with a row spacing of 15-20 cm and a plant spacing of 10 cm, planting 35000 plants per 667 sq m, is more suitable, using 160-180 kg of seed. Water thoroughly immediately after sowing; when the surface soil is suitably dry and moist, spray once with acetochlor (100 g diluted in 50 kg of water), and cover with film after spraying. 3. Strengthen management and cultivate strong seedlings. Water immediately after sowing garlic; the first watering should soak through to promote sprouting. After emergence, water a second time to benefit seedling growth. Around the Spring Equinox, water thoroughly for the green-up water, and in combination with watering apply 20 kg of diammonium phosphate per 667 sq m to meet the nutritional needs of garlic during the mother-clove degeneration period. The scape elongation stage is a stage where vegetative growth and reproductive growth proceed together; use plenty of water and fertilizer to promote the shoots and hasten the scapes, applying 15-20 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per 667 sq m flushed with water. After harvesting the scapes, apply a bulb-promoting fertilizer, applying 15-20 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per 667 sq m, and water immediately after application to extend the lifespan of leaves and roots; afterward, water whenever the soil becomes dry, until stopping watering 1 week before harvest. 4. Focus on prevention and control pests and diseases at the right time. Diseases of garlic such as leaf blight, gray mold, viral disease, and purple blotch can be effectively controlled through agricultural measures such as strengthening garlic field management, increasing organic fertilizer, scientific formula fertilization, enhancing plant resistance, preventing waterlogging in the field, cultivating virus-free seedlings, and promptly removing diseased plants. After disease onset, control leaf blight and gray mold with 50% thiophanate-methyl 500-fold solution or 65% zineb 500-fold solution. For dry rot, spray with 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000-fold solution or 75% chlorothalonil 600-fold solution. For purple blotch, control with cymoxanil and ridomil, but using ridomil alone easily produces resistance, so it should be used alternately with other agents. The main pest is the onion fly; sugar-vinegar liquid (sugar:vinegar:water = 1:2:2.5, with a small amount of trichlorfon added) can be used to trap and kill adults, spray with 600-fold miewshabi solution to prevent adults from laying eggs, or drench the roots with 50% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate 800-1000-fold solution. For thrips, spray with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate 800-fold solution. 5. Harvest (1) Harvesting garlic scapes. When the garlic scape bends into a large hook shape, the bud noticeably enlarges, and the color changes from green to yellow-green, harvesting can begin. (2) Harvesting garlic bulbs. When most garlic leaves have dried up, the upper leaves fade and the leaf tips dry and droop, and the plants become soft, harvest and dry in time.