SUMMARY OF FERTILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE USDA GARLIC COLLECTION WHEN GROWN IN PULLMAN, WA

Barbara Hellier*, Marie Pavelka

USDA-ARS Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, 59 Johnson Hall, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. 99164-6402, USA 509-335-3763, bhellier@mail.wsu.edu

The USDA garlic (Allium sativum and Allium longicuspis) collection is maintained at the ARS, Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) in Pullman, WA. This collection comprises 269 accessions of which 153 are hardneck (flower producing) types. The fertility characteristics of these accessions was evaluated in the field at Pullman, WA. After the spathes opened, bulbils were removed from all the evaluated accessions to facilitate flower development . The umbel and flower characteristics taken were anther color, flower color, flower shape, stigma position, flowers per umbel, umbel diameter, umbel shape, umbel defects, bulbil size, bulbil color, ease of bulbil removal, spathe opening, pollen production, and pollen viability. Of the 153 accessions, 10 produced only partial scapes with bulbils midstalk and no seed production capability. Viable pollen was shed in 85 accessions with viability ranging from 8 to 85%. Open-pollinated seed was generated by 19 of the Pullman, WA grown accessions. Seed production was low with yields from 6 to 91 seeds per accession.

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