Keywords: Garlic, germplasms, cluster analysis

An experiment was carried out in order to study the physio-morphological variation, crop duration and yield potentiality in Nepalese garlic germplasms for both qualitative and quantitative characters at Horticultural Farm (225 m asl), the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal in 2000-2001. One hundred seventy-nine garlic accessions were collected from 51 districts of Nepal including major agro-ecological zones. After characterization of the collected bulbs, each accession was planted for the evaluation in a single plot of 2.25 m² on 2^nd November 2000. Phenological and physio-morphological characters were recorded for all 179 garlic accessions, while multivariate analysis (principal component and cluster analysis) was performed only on 158 bulb-producing accessions to assess individual and group variations. Four principal components were identified, which altogether explained 58.8% of the variation in qualitative traits. Similarly, three principal components accounted for 78.9% of the variability in quantitative characters. Eight different natural groups of more similar characteristics were identified on the basis of cluster analysis. Among 179 accessions, 21 including six Bhote Lasun adapted to summer cultivation in high hills of Nepal were unable to form bulbs under Chitwan (inner terai) condition. All six Bhote Lasun, bore flowers in an umbel. The yields of the ten most promising germplasms ranged from 14.5 mt ha^-1 to 20.1 mt ha^-1, producing substantially higher yields than the national average (4.0 mt ha^-1)