Garlic is an important vegetable used as a spice and source of health-promoting compounds. Its characteristic aroma and flavor are due to organic sulfur compounds, of which allicin is the most important. Its content depends on the genotype, environmental factors at the time of cultivation, fertilization, and storage time. In this study, the quality of the bulbs of 4 garlic cultivars grown in an experiment that took place from March to July 2015 in the Laboratory field of the Biotechnical Faculty of University of Ljubljana was determined. The aim of the study was to evaluate how fertilization with nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) affects the mass and size of garlic bulbs, as well as the yield and allicin content in the bulbs. During storage (after the 11th, 20th, and 27th weeks after harvest) at a temperature of 10-15°C, the shelf life of garlic bulbs was determined as a function of cultivar and fertilizer application. During storage, measurements were made on 10 randomly selected bulbs of each treatment. Changes in garlic bulb mass and diameter, dry matter content, and allicin content analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) were determined. N and S fertilization affected bulb mass and size. Garlic yield was higher in all cultivars when N and S were used for fertilization ('Gardos' 11.4 t/ha; 'Garcua' 7.1 t/ha; 'Ptujski spomladanski' 6.3 t/ha and 'Dario' 5.0 t/ha) compared to the yield of the control treatment or treatment with N only. Fertilization with S increased the allicin content in garlic bulbs of both cultivars 'Gardos' and 'Dario', which was 3.5 mg/g dry weight ('Gardos') and 2.5 mg/g dry weight ('Dario') immediately after harvest. The shelf life of garlic bulbs during storage was determined by measuring mass and size, dry matter content, and allicin content of garlic bulbs. The smallest losses in mass were found in the 'Ptujski spomladanski' (11 % to 15 % points) and the largest in the 'Garcua' (21 % to 32 % points). Dry matter content increased during storage regardless of fertilization, the most in the variety 'Ptujski spomladanski' (by 3 % points), and in the other varieties by 1 to 2 % points or remained unchanged. Allicin content increased significantly in the 20th week after harvest; the increase was greatest in bulbs fertilized with N and S. During further storage, the allicin content decreased, mostly in 'Garcua' and 'Ptujski spomladanski'.
|