Articles
BULBING PHYSIOLOGY IN GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM L.) CV “RODADO PARAGUAYO” I. MORPHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INDUCTIVE AND MORPHOLOGICAL STAGES OF BULBING
The purpose of this work is to characterize the inductive and morphological stages in garlic by means of the bulbing index (BI), peroxidase activity and isozymes (Px), and soluble proteins, as indicators of the qualitative changes concurrent with bulb morphogenesis.
Trials were performed at an experimental plot of the Faculty of Agronomy, National University of Cordoba.
Medium and large seed cloves obtained from the second and third fertile leaf were sown.
Ten plants were sampled at random every 15 days starting 10 days after emergence.
Three or four bulbs from every sampling date were kept in FAA for morphological studies.
Results show that the inductive stage lasts for 90 days from sowing to bulbing initiation.
At this point IB begins to decline, PX activity increases significantly and there are changes in isozyme pattern.
The morphological (morphogenetic) stage begins at the end of the inductive period (80 days after sowing, DAS), and it extends until 170 DAS. PX peaks, changes in isozyme pattern and appearance of garlic primordia (120 DAS,IB: 0.5) are observed during this stage.
Soluble protein content was not indicative of morphogenesis.