Growth, Yield, and Yield Components of Garlic ( <i>Allium sativum</i> L.) as Affected by Clove Weight and Intrarow Spacing at Semen Bench District, South–West Ethiopia

Garlic ( Allium sativum L.) is a popular vegetable crop in Ethiopia including Bench‐Sheko zone. A study was carried out in the Semen‐Bench District of Bench‐Sheko zone, South‐western Ethiopia to determine the effects of clove weight and intrarow spacing on the performance of garlic ( Allium sativum L.) during the 2020 cropping season. The treatments were a factorial combination of three clove weight levels (1–1.99, 2–2.99, and 3–4.5 g) and three intrarow spacing levels (5, 10, and 15 cm) laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The statistical analysis showed that the interaction of intrarow spacing and clove weight significantly influenced all variables. As a result, maximum leaf number (LN 12.00), leaf width (LW, 2.67 cm), leaf area (114.40 cm 2 ), bulb length (4.73 cm), bulb width (4.80 cm), mean bulb weight (49.13 g), clove number per bulb (24.00), dry matter (30.20%), and shortest days to maturity (DTM, 113) were obtained by planting large clove weight (3–4.5 g) with wider intrarow spacing (15 cm). However, statistically similar results were observed with the treatment combination of medium clove weight (2–2.99 g) with wider (15 cm) intrarow spacing for LN (11.33), bulb length (4.5 cm), bulb width (4.63 cm), and bulb weight (48.8 g). The maximum marketable yield (7715.87 kg ha −1 ) was observed by planting medium clove weight (2–2.99 g) with wider (15 cm) intrarow spacing, and this is statistically similar (7715.20 kg ha −1 ) with the treatment combination of large clove weight (3–4.5 g) with wider intrarow spacing (15 cm). Simple correlation analysis indicated that marketable yield was significantly ( p &lt; 0.01) and positively influenced by all variables considered in this experiment except DTM and unmarketable yield, in which a negative and significant relationship was observed. Therefore, it can be concluded that using larger cloves (3–4.5 g) at a wider intrarow spacing (15 cm) is the optimal combination for garlic production in the study area. However, these findings should be validated in a future growing season to confirm their consistency.