Influence of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and Sucrose on the Shoot and Bulb Growth of Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum

Abstract

Effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) on the shoot and bulb growth of wild garlic (Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum) were studied by adopting in vitro culture. These macronutrients influenced the growth of both the shoot and bulb of garlic depending upon their application doses. A minimum of 3% potassium nitrate (KNO3) as a source of nitrogen was found to be critical for shoot elongation while higher concentrations were inhibitory. Garlic bulb growth was profuse on the usual KNO3 strength and sucrose (7%), followed by KNO3 (9.4 mM) supplement. On providing 41.22 mM ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) as nitrogen source highest shoot growth was observed while 82.45 mM NH4NO3 as a source of nitrogen supported high bulb growth. With regard to potassium a good shoot growth was observed in medium that contained 0.31 mM KH2PO4 and 3% sucrose, while bulb growth was high on 2.5 mM KH2PO4 and 7% sucrose. These experiments may thus direct the development of excellent growth conditions for the commercial production of edible wild garlic.