YIELD STABILITY OF TEN GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) CLONAL CULTIVARS IN NORTHERN PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

Since 1989, the Garlic Project of INTA (The National Institute of Agricultural Technology, Argentina) has obtained an important number of clonal cultivars by means of clonal selection. Those high yielding and top quality cultivars allow extending the technological alternatives for the industry. However, all those clones have been obtained in a same location (La Consulta, Mendoza; 33.70°S; 69.7°W, 950 m a.s.l.) and little is known about their stability of response in environments outside the main producing region. The aim of this work was to study yield stability of clonal cultivars from different ecophysiological groups (EG), all selected at 33.70°S, in promising locations for garlic production around northern Patagonia. Throughout 2005-2008 ten clones were proven in four sites. Each year the seed was provided from the site of origin of the clones (Experiment Station La Consulta). Cultivars studied were ‘Morado INTA’ (EG-II); ‘Lican INTA’, ‘Norteño INTA’, ‘Nieve INTA’, ‘Perla INTA’ and ‘Unión’ (EG-III); ‘Gostoso INTA’, ‘Fuego INTA’ and ‘Sureño INTA’ (EG-IVa); ‘Castaño INTA’ (EG-IVb). Sites for the survey were Cinco Saltos (Río Negro; 38.82°S; 68.7°W, 290 m a.s.l.), Hilario Ascasubi (Buenos Aires; 39.38°S 62.62°W, 15 m a.s.l.), Viedma (Río Negro; 40.78°S; 63.5°W, 9 m a.s.l.) and Trevelin (Chubut; 43.12°S; 71.52°W, 360 m a.s.l.). Bulb weight (g per plant) was analyzed by AMMI and SREG models through the software InfoGen. Although Morado INTA belongs to the EG-II (subtropical climate adaptation) it showed higher yields among clones proven in northern Patagonia (62.73 g on average), besides highly unstable. Clones of EG-III produced an intermediate and more stable response (bulb mean weight about 50 g). ‘Gostoso INTA’ gave the worst yield across all locations. The four sites in this study, although contrasting in latitudes and seasonal temperatures, would be considered belonging to a same mega-environment.