The effect of nitrogen levels on the growth and yield of garlic plants grown from tissue culture and conventional propagation. The trial was conducted at an experimental field of the Plant Science Department/UFLA, Lavras, MG, Brazil. A complete randomized block design in a factorial scheme with four replications was used. Plants originated from two propagation methods-tissue culture and conventional and five levels of nitrogen fertilizer - 0, 35, 70, 105 and 140 kg ha-1 were applied during the treatments. Plant height and dry matter production were evaluated at 30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 130 and 150 days after planting. Total and commercial yields were evaluated after harvest. Results indicated significantly different responses to nitrogen fertilizer. Also, effects of nitrogen application were observed only between 90, 110 and 130 days after planting, for both multiplication forms, when the development of shoots and bulbs is intensive. In tissue culture plants, height increased with nitrogen levels, while conventional plants showed maximum height at 92, 116 and 137 kg ha-1 of N, 90, 110 and 130 days after plantation, respectively. Doses of 122 and 107 kg ha-1 of N on tissue culture plants and 119 and 102 kg ha-1 on conventional ones provided the maximum dry matter accumulation at 90 and 110 days, respectively. At 130 days, dry matter accumulation increased with nitrogen doses for two multiplication forms caused by intense bulbification process during this period. The tissue culture plants presented linear response, increasing bulb yield with nitrogen doses and the conventional ones increased yield up to 117 kg ha-1. Tissue culture plants showed nearly twice as great dry matter and bulb yields when the same N levesl were used, providing maximum responses for the conventional ones.
tissue culture; nitrogen; conventinal propagation; garlic bulb yield