Evaluation of winter garlic samples for economically valuable traits in arid conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

The purpose of the research was to study and identify valuable varieties and local clones of winter garlic by the duration of the growing season, average bulb weight and number of cloves, yield and marketability in arid conditions of the RightBank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. As a result of the research, an early ripe sample of winter garlic 8, originating from Zaporizhzhia region with a growing season duration of 104 days was identified. The largest heads were formed in the local cultivars 8 (51 g) and 9 (61 g) from Zaporizhzhіа region. The highest yield was obtained from the cultivation of sample 9 (Zaporizhzhia region) – 12.6 t/ha. It should be noted that Zaporizhzhіa region is the centre of formation of clones of the intensive large garlic cloves and productive variety «Lyubasha» (breeder Zakharenko I.I.). In the control variety «Iren», which originated from clones in Donetsk region, this figure was 11.0 t/ha. The lowest heads yield was observed in the local cultivar of winter garlic 13 (Cherkasy region) – 6.6 t/ha. The best adapted to the environmental factors of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine were the samples imported from Kyiv region – 1 and 3. Their Levis stability coefficient was 1.2. The worst results for this indicator were observed in local cultivar 6, 10 and 14 from Dnipro, Chernihiv and Cherkasy regions, where it was 1.5, 1.6 and 1.6, respectively. So, as a result of research in 2022–2024 local forms of winter garlic with the shortest growing season, the largest head mass and the smallest number of cloves, the highest crop yield in arid conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine have been distinguished. The fastest ripening (104 days) was variant 8, originating from Zaporizhzhіa region. The best results on average head mass (61 g) and yield (12.6 t/ha) were obtained from the cultivation of sample 9 from Zaporizhzhіa region. The share of marketable heads was 74 %. The least of cloves in the head (5 pieces) were in local cultivar 2 (Kyiv region), 4 (Kirovograd region), 11 (Chernihiv region) and 14 (Cherkasy region). This indicator was highest in the heads of variants 10 from Chernihiv and 12 from Zhytomyr region – 10 and 8 cloves, respectively. Key words: winter garlic, varieties, local forms, weather conditions, yield, head mass.