ABSTRACT
World production of garlic Allium sativum L. ranks in importance second to onions among the Allium species. Fresh garlic is widely used in cooking, and dehydrated products are quite common as a condiment and in the food industry. This chapter summarizes mainly knowledge on the physiology of plant growth, bulb and inflorescence formation, and dormancy. Since the cultivated forms of garlic are all sterile and have been propagated only vegetatively, it might be expected that they would show little intraspecific variation. Garlic plants from temperate regions are vernalized by low winter temperatures. The effects of environmental conditions on bulb and inflorescence formation in garlic are rather complex. Short photoperiods after induction inhibit subsequent inflorescence formation. However, because short photoperiods inhibit storage-leaf formation more strongly, they ultimately favor inflorescence formation, and they result in a higher percentage of bolting plants. Temperatures after inflorescence induction strongly influence inflorescence formation.
