Product Type: Vegetables – garlic
Stage: Production & Harvesting, Handling & Storage
Problem: Incidence of sprout development and damage to garlic cloves which decreases spoilage time
Solution: Pre or post-harvest treatment and curing

1. Production & Harvesting: Garlic is easily damaged. High quality garlic should be manually harvested to avoid physical damage which increases the rate of spoilage. Damaged areas discolor and decay during storage.
   
2. Production & Harvesting, Handling & Storage: Manual harvesting prevents physical damage but sprout development in harvested cloves reduces the storable period. Garlic can be treated pre-harvest with sprout inhibitors (i.e., maleic hydrazide) or be irradiated post-harvest. Treatment controls sprout development and lengthens storable time.
   
3. Storage time of garlic can be increased further if it is cured. Curing garlic involves the drying of its outer leaf sheaths and neck tissues. Temperature 30-45℃ with good airflow and relative humidity 60-75% are sufficient to cure garlic in the field. Storage facilities can also simulate these conditions post-harvest to reduce spoilage.
4. Under conditions of good airflow and low humidity, cured and sprout-treated garlic kept at temperatures between -1 and 0 Celsius can be stored for more than 9 months.