Agronomic performance of both virus-infected and virus-free garlic with different seed bulbs and clove sizes

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and production of a garlic clone subjected to either infection or virus-free conditions, according to bulb and clove size classification. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Treatments consisted of either virus-infected or virus-free cloves, obtained from bulbs of four size classes and from cloves with three sieve diameters. Vegetative characteristics and plant production were assessed. Plants infected by viral complexes showed a reduction in emergence (8.4%), plant height (9.8%), and production of marketable bulbs (39.4%), as well as a lower average mass of bulbs and cloves. The virus-free clone produced more bulbs in classes 5 (42-47 mm), 6 (47-56 mm), and 7 (> 56 mm), besides having a lower influence on marketable quality standards as a function of garlic seed size variation. In the infected clone, bulbs from sieve 6 and cloves from sieve 1 (15×25 mm) produced bulbs with the highest market value. Virus-free garlic seed, with bulbs and cloves of medium and large size, produce bulbs of the highest market value, whereas, for the infected garlic, this is possible only with the larger garlic size.

Double‐edged effects of the cryogenic technique for virus eradication and preservation in shallot shoot tips

“…viruses would free plants from the adverse influences of virus infection, leading to the improved agronomic traits. Similar results were also reported byRamírez-Malagón et al (2006),Marodin et al (2019), andLiu et al (2019), where virus-free or virus-reduced garlic had significantly improved vegetative growth and bigger cloves.The improved performance of virus-free Allium emphasizes the necessity of using virus eradication programmes to combat viral diseases in Allium crops.In conclusion, OYDV and SLV were efficiently preserved in shoot tips after cryotherapy, supporting the use of shoot tip cryopreservation for the long-term preservation of these viruses. Combining 4 weeks of thermotherapy prior to cryotherapy proved applicable for virus eradication, as 54% of recovered plants were free of OYDV and SLV, a similar level to the 50% obtained in our previous study using a combination of thermotherapy with meristem culture(Wang et al, 2021).…”

“…(LYSV), reduce the vegetative growth and bulb yield, and eventually lead to the cultivar degradation in Allium crops (Katis et al, 2012;Marodin et al, 2019;Perotto et al, 2010). Obtaining and using virus-free plants through a virus eradication programme is currently the most effective method to combat virus problems (Magyar-Tábori et al, 2021;Wang, Cui, et al, 2018).…”