Study on the influence of different fertilization regimes on the yield and bulb quality of garlic (Allium Sativum L.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of microbial biofertilizer and nanofertilizer on the growth, allicin content and elemental content of garlic in China. Method: We conducted field trial of microbial biofertilizer and germanium-containing controlled release nanofertilizer along two consecutive winter periods of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 in a major garlic production area at Pizhou city to determine the effect of treatment in comparison to the local fertilization practice. Result: The results revealed that the application of microbial biofertilizer and germanium-containing controlled release nanofertilizer increased the bulb yield by approximately 6-28% and 14%, respectively, compared with local fertilization practice. Meanwhile, the application of microbial biofertilizer consistently increased the allicin content of garlic in year 2021 and 2022. Furthermore, we also observed a strong positive correlation between shoot nitrate concentration at spring garlic stage and the final garlic bulb yield, implying that the accumulation of nitrate content in garlic at spring garlic stage maybe beneficial to biomass accumulation through either nutritional effect and increased chilling tolerance. Conclusion: Taken together, our results revealed that the application of microbial biofertilizer and germanium-containing controlled release nanofertilizer can increase growth and nitrogen use efficiency of garlic in our experiment.