We have formulated a naming convention to keep track of
garlic grown from seeds. All systems of nomenclature have strengths and
weaknesses. Other naming conventions may
well be better, but the one we have employed has served us reasonably well so
far. It is as follows:
The name consists of “S” indicating origination from seed,
followed by the year the seeds were planted (we always plant the garlic seeds
the year following harvest), followed by the name of the mother plant (we have
not done controlled breeding where the other parent plant is known). So, for
example, S10BrownRose is the name for seeds planted in 2010 from the mother
plant Brown Rose.
If the plant does not produce a harvestable round or divided
bulb in the first year, the subsequent year is appended. So, if S10BrownRose
does not form a round or harvestable bulb until the second year, the name
designation becomes S10/11BrownRose.
Seeds that successfully grow out represent potentially
unique cultivars, so a number is appended to designate each. A “1”
indicates the plant with the largest round or bulb in the first year followed
by “2” for the second largest, and so on. For example, if the seeds yielded
four rounds or bulbs, they would be named S10BrownRose1, S10BrownRose2, S10BrownRose3,
and S10BrownRose4 in rough order of initial round or bulb size. Plants that did
not form a harvestable round or bulb in the first year would be named S10/11BrownRose1,
S10/11BrownRose2, and so on. The name and numbering in subsequent years remains
the same even if the relative bulb size changes.
Seed that is subsequently produced from these seed grown
plants include their parentage as part of their names. For example, seed that
were produced from S10/11BrownRose2 that are planted in 2013 and produce a
round that year would be designated S10/11BrownRose2-13. If it did not produce
a round until the following year the designation would be S10/11BrownRose2-13/14.
Using numbers to designate the relative size of the rounds
or bulbs of subsequent generations of seed grown garlic would awkwardly append
numbers to other numbers in the name, so letters are used instead---“A” for the
largest, “B” for the second largest, and so on. Thus the names of two plants
that were grown from seed from the mother plant S10/11BrownRose2 that were
planted in 2013 and produced harvestable rounds in 2014 would be named S10/11BrownRose2-13/14A
and S10/11BrownRose2-13/14B.
A third generation seed grown plant would have its name
appended similarly. For example, if seed
from S10/11BrownRose2-13/14A were planted in 2016, the two plants that yielded
the two largest rounds or bulbs in the year of planting would be named S10/11BrownRose2-13/14A-16A
and S10/11BrownRose2-13/14A-16B.
While the naming convention may seem a bit ponderous, it
does allow a relatively precise tracking of the parentage and generations.
Reportedly, subsequent generations of seed-produced garlic tend to yield more
seed with greater viability, fewer genetic aberrations, and with less need for removing bulbils to produce seed. The
naming convention fosters tracking and assessment of these reported tendencies.
If more sophisticated breeding techniques are employed so that both parents are
known, this could be incorporated into the naming convention, for example, S10BrownRose
x Shvelisi, and so on.
Ideally, these reference names would continue to be included
in listings even if more marketable names are given, e.g., “Uncle Clem’s Blue
Mountain Special (S10BrownRose3-13/14B),” much in the way that references to
currently marketable cultivars may include germplasm reference numbers, such as
the USDA accession number, e.g., “Belarus (PI 540355).”
