Skin Blotch disease
This year we found a lot of abnormal looking garlic in our field and had it tested at Cornell University. The main disease they found is called Skin Blotch. Apparently our moist conditions during the Winter and Spring accelerated the growth of this fungus, which we have had in small amounts in our soil in past years. It is mostly a cosmetic issue on the outside papers and doesn’t affect the eating quality. However we have had to take of more of the outside papers than usual, so our garlic probably won’t store as long as usual.
Here is a link to more info about skin blotch disease:
Or
https://bpp.oregonstate.edu/problems-stored-garlic
Garlic Nematodes
The other disease we have present to a smaller degree is garlic stem bloat nematodes. These can cause deformed garlic and other issues. Generally we can see which bulbs are severely infected and have thrown those out. However the garlic we’re selling this year should not be used for seed planting.
Here is a link to more information about the nematode issue https://www.mofga.org/resources/garlic/garlic-bloat-nematode/
The good news about the garlic that was tested this year is that Cornell found NO evidence of White Rot, which we have had a problem with in the past.
