POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF JASMONIC ACID IN BULB FORMING OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM L)

Bulbs in Allium sativum L. are formed in response to exogenous stimulus like temperature and daylength, which at determinated levels may induce bulbing and anti-bulbing hormones synthesis.
Jasmonic acid (JA) and derivative compounds are postulated as bulbing and tuberization regulators because their capacity to disrupt cortical microtubules producing a growth reorientation.

The effect of exogenous JA on in vitro garlic bulb-forming was examined, and it was found that this compound promoted bulb development at a concentration of 1 mg/1. Endogenous JA and its glucosides were isolated and evaluated from garlic leaves and bulbs by partition, charcoal columns, HPLC, GC-MS, and their activity assayed by tuber-inducing on leaflets of potato in vitro cultured.

Results obtained from GC-MS analysis concluded that a higher level of free-JA is present in garlic bulbs related to leaves, supporting the idea of JA being synthesized at foliage and transported by phloem to underground, inducing bulb forming.
Also a new bioassay was performed, by applying microdrop of pure or endogenous JA to the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) explants cultured in vitro; this bioassay reinforce the idea of phloem transport from laeves to bulbs.

I International Symposium on Edible Alliaceae

A. Rossi Jaume, G. Abdala, R. Tizio, M. Corral, L. Grosso

Allium sativum L. – jasmonic acid – bulbing – garlic – GC-MS

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.433.39