Garlic belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae, Subfamily Allioideae, Genus Allium, Subgenus A. subg. Allium and Species Allium sativum L. Common Names in India are Assamese: Naharu, English: Garlic, Hindi: Lahsan, Lahsun, Lassan, Kannada: Belluli, Malayalam: Vellulli, Manipuri: Chanam, Mizo: Purunvar, Purun-var, Tamil: Acanam, Tangkhul: Hanam, Telugu: Velluli and Urdu: Lehsan. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) belongs to the genus Allium. In this genus more than 750 species are identified and divided in 60 taxonomic groups. It is a bulbous plant whose domestication is very old. Its primary center is in Central Asia while the Mediterranean and Caucasian regions are recognized as the secondary center of garlic. Three ways to propagate garlic: From cloves, from bulbils and from seed. The first and most common is to remove cloves from an existing bulb and plant them individually. The second, and less common way to propagate, is by using bulbils. “Bulbil” is the darling and utterly fitting name for the tiny mini-cloves that develop in amongst the flowers of hardneck garlic. So if you grow hardneck garlic in the garden and allow just one of your plants to grow scapes, flower, and go to seed, you can harvest the bulbils in the late summer and plant them that fall. Propagating garlic from seed is technically possible, although it’s very difficult to do so – and it’s almost impossible to get hold of seeds unless you collect your own. Garlic is used worldwide in cooking and industry, including pharmacology/medicine and cosmetics, for its interesting properties. Garlic has a long history of cultivation by asexual propagation. Due to its asexual nature, improvement of garlic has been limited as compared to onion. With the impending climate change, it is predicted that like all other crops, garlic cultivation will also suffer the consequences. Ninety percent of garlic is grown in Asia and increase in temperature will expose garlic to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The constant increase in garlic production and the demand for garlic products with specific characteristics require breeding and selection of this crop and its adaptation to different climatic conditions. Commercial garlic varieties are completely sterile and are propagated vegetatively. While often known for its addition to Italian foods, garlic seems to be used in virtually all cuisines as a strong flavoring agent. The bulbs are also sometimes used for medicinal purposes, to ease health conditions while preventing chronic health problems. Historically, garlic was used primarily for its medicinal components. In ancient civilizations, people used it in hopes of increasing their strength. About one million hectares (2.5 million acres) of garlic produce about 10 million metric tons of garlic globally each year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. There are about 300 varieties of garlic cultivated worldwide, particularly in hot, dry places. Today, garlic is one of the twenty most important vegetables in the world, with an annual production of about three million metric tons. Major growing areas are USA, China, Egypt, Korea, Russia and India. Yield, propagation, pests and diseases, cultivation, harvesting, peeling garlic cloves, roasting garlic, raw garlic products, primary product, curing and storing are also briefly covered. In this review article on Origin, Domestication, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetics and Cytogenetics, Genetic Diversity, Breeding, Uses, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Garlic are discussed.
