PRODUCTIVITY AND MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM L.) GROWN IN LITHUANIA

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is the second most popular vegetable in the genus Allium in Lithuania. The field collection of garlic in the LRCAF Institute of Horticulture was established in 1992. New accessions enter the collection continually. The aim of the research was to determine the productivity and structure of yield, to assess the morpho-biological features of 24 hardneck and the 14 of softneck garlic clonal accessions. Colour of external scale of bulbs, number of cloves in a bulb, arrangement and skin colour were estimated according guidelines for DUS test. The data of yield was statistically processed by the ANOVA method and analysis of principle coordinates within SPSS. Results showed the differences in productivity and morphological features between both of types, populations and cultivars. The yield of hardneck garlic bulbs reached 16.8 t·ha-1, and lower yield 12.1 t·ha-1 was found of softneck garlic. Local populations of hardneck garlic showed higher possibility of yield formation compared with the foreign cultivars. More cloves per bulb were observed from softneck garlic accessions, while hardneck garlic distinguished with the formation of heavier cloves. Three garlic cultivars Žiemiai, Dangiai and Vasariai are included in the National List of Plant varieties and Common catalogue EU of vegetable species varieties.