Quality of Virus-Free Garlic Grown Under High Altitude Conditions in the Semiarid Region of the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

Garlic is a vegetable rich in starch and in aromatic substances; it has high value as a spice and is consumed as a fresh vegetable or in processed products. The garlic market demand has been growing in the last years, and virus-free garlic seed is a technology that can result in better quality products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of virus-free garlic cultivars (VFGC) grown under high altitude conditions in the Semiarid region of the Northeast of Brazil. Three experiments were conducted in 2018 in Portalegre, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: the first experiment with first-generation VFGC (G1), the second with second-generation VFGC (G2), and the third with infected cultivars (without clonal cleaning). The experiments were conducted in randomized block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments consisted of five garlic cultivars (Amarante, Branco-Mossoró, Cateto-Roxo, Gravatá, and Hozan). The use of virus-free garlic seeds results in bulbs with larger diameter and higher soluble solid and total solid contents, pungency, and industrial yield, showing that the seed health is important for the quality of garlics for fresh consumption and industrial processing. The cultivars Amarante, Cateto -Roxo, and Hozan had the highest total solid contents; and the cultivar Hozan had the largest bulb diameter and the highest soluble solid contents, pungency, and industrial index. The cultivar Hozan is the most indicated for dehydration due to its higher industrial index. Bulb diameter, pungency, and industrial index presented positive correlations with soluble solids, pungency, and industrial index.