TOOLKITS

Prevent

Garlic Damage Control

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.
    4 garlic
  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.
    5 garlic
  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.