Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Shirvan branch
2 Ph.D. student, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Shirvan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shirvan, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, Shirvan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shirvan, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objective: Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is globally recognized as a valuable medicinal plant due to its exceptional medicinal and nutritional properties. In addition to its widespread use in the pharmaceutical industry, garlic is extensively applied in food, hygiene, and cosmetic industries. In Iran, garlic is considered an important agricultural and industrial crop, cultivated across diverse regions, playing a significant role in public health and the production of therapeutic products. Its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties make garlic a potent natural source for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases. However, garlic production in Iran is significantly influenced by environmental conditions, soil quality, cultivation practices, and agricultural management strategies.
Materials and Methods: This experiment was conducted during the 2022-2023 growing season in three major garlic-producing provinces of Iran: Razavi Khorasan (Quchan, Sabzevar, and Torbat-e Jam counties), Hamadan (Hamadan, Tuyserkan, and Asadabad counties), and Mazandaran (Kelardasht, Behshahr, and Sari counties). From each province, three counties were selected, and from each county, three villages were chosen. Within each village, three fields with approximately identical soil physicochemical properties and farm management practices were selected. A total of 81 fields were selected for sampling. The studied locations were considered as treatments. The collected data were analyzed based on a nested design. In all regions, the land was left fallow during the previous year with no fertilizer or irrigation application. Weed control was carried out manually through hand-weeding and hilling around the plants across all regions. The harvest criterion was the yellowing of 60-70% of the leaves. After harvest, the plants were dried in the field and then transferred to the laboratory for analysis. Measured traits included garlic bulb weight, number of cloves per bulb, clove weight, garlic yield, allicin content, flavonoid content, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activities, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and total phenol content. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 statistical software, and mean comparisons of evaluated traits were conducted using Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level. arlic bulb weight was recorded in Sanjuzan village (Hamadan province) at 59.1 g, while the lowest was recorded in Parkala village (Mazandaran province) at 32.4 g, indicating a 45% difference. Regarding the number of cloves per bulb, the highest value was recorded in Bidestan village (Torbat-e Jam, Razavi Khorasan) with 26.8 cloves, and the lowest was recorded in Artiman village (Tuyserkan, Hamadan) with 12.1 cloves, representing a 50% difference. The highest clove weight was observed in Hamadan regions (Vafarjin and Sulan) at 4.28 g, and the lowest was observed in Parkala at 1.15 g, demonstrating a 73% difference. The highest final yield (tons per hectare) was recorded in Sanjuzan at 17.7 tons, and the lowest was recorded in Parkala at 9.7 tons. Regarding biochemical compounds, the highest allicin content was recorded in Torbat-e Jam (6.38%), and the lowest was recorded in Kelardasht (1.46%). The highest total flavonoid content was also recorded in Torbat-e Jam (22.2 mg/g), while the lowest was recorded in Kelardasht (17 mg/g); the mean flavonoid content was 21.03 mg/g in Razavi Khorasan, 19.4 mg/g in Hamadan, and 17.1 mg/g in Mazandaran. Concerning antioxidant enzymes, Akapel village (Kelardasht, Mazandaran) exhibited the highest catalase (21.5 U/mg), glutathione peroxidase (12.9 U/mg), and superoxide dismutase (103 U/mg) activities, whereas the lowest values were observed in Shurin village (Hamadan) or Noorabad (Sabzevar). The highest DPPH radical scavenging capacity (75%) was observed in Akapel, and the lowest (52.5%) in Vafarjin.
Conclusion: Overall, this study underscores the critical importance of selecting suitable regions for garlic cultivation. The findings indicate that diverse climatic conditions significantly influence both agronomic performance and biochemical composition of garlic. For achieving high quantitative yields, cooler and temperate regions such as Hamedan are recommended due to their favorable climatic conditions for growth and productivity. Conversely, for maximizing the accumulation of valuable medicinal compounds such as allicin, warmer and drier regions like Torbat-e Jam are more suitable. These environmental conditions enhance the biosynthesis of active compounds, thereby improving the medicinal quality of garlic. This information can serve as a practical guideline for agricultural planning and cultivar selection based on varied production goals, including culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications.
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