Evaluation of winter garlic parent material according to selection indices in West Siberia

Abstract

Winter garlic occupies a special place among vegetable crops due to its unique characteristics and properties. Garlic possesses the qualities that qualify it as a powerful natural antibiotic. Furthermore, it possesses important properties for humans, animals, and plants as antimicrobial, antithrombotic, and anti-stress properties. It stimulates blood circulation and reduces fatigue. Garlic is grown in many regions of the world as a spring or winter crop. Garlic reproduces through vegetative propagation. Therefore, in the selective breeding process to develop new varieties, local or wild forms are used as parent material. For the West Siberian region, the populations from the Omsk, Kemerovo and Altai Regions are used in the selective breeding. Modern research utilizes selection indices which allow for simultaneous monitoring of the expression of several quantitative characters. The research goal was to evaluate the parent material of winter garlic according to the selection indices in order to identify the most adaptive and productive variants with a combination of important characters for West Siberia. The evaluation of selected forms of winter garlic was carried out at the educational, scientific and production laboratory “Gardening” on the educational and experimental farm of the Omsk State Agricultural University from 2023 through 2025. The following selected forms were the research targets: 01/22; 02/22; 03/22; 04/22; 06/22; 07/22; 08/22; 09/22; 11-23; 12-23; 15-24; DB-22, DD-22 and TM-23. As a result of our research, the accessions 07-22, 08-22, 09-22, 12-23, 15-24, DD-22 and TM-22 were selected based on the Mexican Index (MI) characterizing the ability of the upper above-ground part to form a bulb; the forms 09-22, 12-23 and TM-22 were selected based on the Specific Yield Index; the forms 01-22, 08-22, 09-22 and 11-23 were selected based on the Plant Productivity Index; and the forms differed insignificantly based on the Finno-Scandinavian Index. Winter garlic forms 08-22, 09-22 and TM-22 were selected based on a set of selection indices and were recommended for further selection.