Common Obstacles in Garlic Cultivation and Their Prevention Methods

In agricultural areas, due to a lack of production experience in garlic cultivation, cultivation obstacle factors affecting profitability have emerged. Based on field investigation and research, a set of preventive countermeasures has been developed for reference.

1. Sowing in June-July makes germination difficult, affecting the early market release of green garlic

Under suitable temperature and humidity conditions, garlic takes root and sprouts within one week after sowing. Garlic sown in June-July germinates slowly due to unfavorable conditions such as high temperature and drought, as well as the dormancy of the cloves themselves, requiring 15-30 days. To overcome this obstacle, seed garlic treatment and post-sowing cooling and moisture conservation should be done well. The specific method is: 15-20 days before sowing, select high-quality garlic bulbs, separate the cloves and grade them by size, select small and medium cloves for green garlic cultivation, remove part of the garlic skin and the base plate, soak in water for 1-2 days, remove and pile with river sand in a cool, shaded, and ventilated place for sprouting. Sow after most cloves have sprouted roots. After sowing, water thoroughly and cover with rice straw or wheat straw to conserve moisture and block sunlight. Alternatively, build a 1 m high flat shed or use the frame of a large or medium shed covered with a shade net to cultivate green garlic.

2. Garlic plants show "yellow tips" when they have 4-6 leaves

When garlic grows to 4-6 leaves, the nutrients of the seed garlic are exhausted, which is called "mother withdrawal." At this time, the plant's root system absorbs insufficient nutrients, resulting in inadequate nutrition for garlic growth and the appearance of yellow leaf tips, known as "yellow tips." Damage from garlic maggots, excessively wet and poorly aerated soil, and alkaline return can advance and worsen the occurrence of "yellow tips." To reduce the symptoms of "yellow tips," strengthen fertilizer and water management after the return of spring, and apply quick-acting fertilizer 5-7 [days] before mother withdrawal. For garlic maggots, use a 1000-fold solution of 90% trichlorfon or 95% phoxim for root drenching.

3. Regrowth of leaves and bolts from garlic cloves

This phenomenon occurs before and after garlic bolting and severely affects the quality and yield of garlic bulbs and garlic bolts. The regrowth of leaves and bolts in garlic is mainly caused by abnormal temperatures, that is, higher temperatures before winter, lower temperatures in winter, and early return of spring with higher temperatures after winter. In addition, it is also related to factors such as variety, sowing date, planting density, fertilizer and water conditions, and whether film mulching is used. It manifests as follows: white-skin garlic has a higher occurrence rate than red-skin garlic, early sowing is more severe than late sowing, sparse seedling retention is more severe than dense seedling retention, excessive nitrogen fertilizer or excessive nitrogen application before bulb enlargement makes the disease more likely, and plastic film mulching is more common than open-field cultivation. The countermeasures to prevent regrowth of leaves and bolts are: choose red-skin varieties, strictly control the sowing date, and for garlic used for both bolts and bulbs, sowing in September is better; maintain reasonable dense planting, with a plant spacing of 8 cm, row spacing of 20 cm, and about 40,000 plants per 667 sq m; increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, avoid partial or excessive nitrogen fertilizer, especially after the return of spring, urea should be controlled at 20-25 kg per 667 sq m. 4. Garlic bulb deformities, including the formation of skin garlic, single-clove garlic, compound-clove garlic, and scattered-clove garlic

① Because sowing is too shallow, the seed cloves "jump" out of the soil after rooting and cannot obtain suitable temperature and humidity conditions. In the later growth stage, the outer garlic skin shrinks and gradually extends inward, causing the bulb to form skin garlic and lose economic value. After sowing garlic, covering with 2-3 cm of soil and appropriately pressing down can prevent the formation of skin garlic.

② The bulb does not divide into cloves and grows into single-clove garlic, reducing bulb yield. The main reason for the formation of single-clove garlic is that the garlic seedlings are too weak and do not have the nutritional conditions for clove differentiation. Too-small seed garlic, poor soil, overly dense planting, insufficient fertilizer and water, and lack of light can all lead to insufficient vegetative growth of the plant, thereby forming single-clove garlic. Therefore, do not choose too-small cloves as seed garlic for cultivation used for both bolts and bulbs, and fertilizer and water management should be strengthened during the seedling stage.

③ Because regrown leaves and bolts grow into secondary cloves, the bulb forms compound-clove garlic. The cloves of compound-clove garlic are very small and of little commercial value. Proper prevention of garlic leaf and bolt regrowth will avoid the appearance of compound-clove garlic.

④ If harvest is too late or the soil is waterlogged, the stem plate of the garlic bulb rots in the soil, the cloves separate from each other, and become scattered-clove garlic. Scattered-clove garlic is not conducive to harvest and also reduces bulb yield and quality. After harvesting the garlic bolts, control water and dry the field for 26 days, then harvest the garlic bulbs after another 5-6 days, which can avoid the appearance of scattered-clove garlic.