Winter garlic variety "BELARUS"

Allium sativum var ophioscorodon subvar purple stripe

   

Belarus is a hardy hardneck garlic variety, bred in Belarus, where the climate requires especially resilient, productive, and disease-resistant varieties. It is one of the most popular varieties developed by Belarusian agronomists, widely grown also in Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, and Poland.

The variety is characterized by:

  • large, dense bulbs

  • 6–8 massive cloves

  • white skin with a slight purple hue

  • distinctly sharp, robust aroma

  • high winter hardiness and good yield

Suitable for commercial and home cultivation.

History

Belarus variety was created at Belarusian horticultural institutes in the late 20th – early 21st century, based on:

  • local folk selection lines

  • Eastern European hardneck garlic gene pool

  • the aim to create a variety with maximum yield, winter hardiness, and market quality

It quickly became popular, proving its:

  • adaptation to harsh continental climate,

  • stable and consistent yield,

  • flavor intensity, which is sought after in Baltic and Eastern European cuisine.

Today, it is grown as a regionally significant variety, also used as a breeding base for new lines.

Description

Botanical type

  • Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon

  • Hardneck variety

  • Forms a sturdy, straight flower stalk

Bulbs

  • Average weight: 60–90 g

  • Shape: from round to slightly flattened round

  • Color: white, with a light purple or pinkish tinge between the skins

  • Density: excellent — bulbs do not crumble, well suited for trade

Cloves

  • Number: 6–8 large, symmetrically arranged

  • Clove skin: creamy with purple streaks

  • Peeling: easy

Flavor

  • very pungent, strong, persistent aroma

  • When heated, becomes sweeter, flavor profile similar to Eastern European hardneck varieties

Agronomy

  • Plant late October – early November

  • Harvest: mid-July – August

  • Grows best in moderate, nutrient-rich, loose soils

  • Vegetation cycle: 230–250 days

  • Winter hardiness: very high, suitable for -30°C and variable snow cover

Disease resistance

  • Resistant to:

    • white rot infections

    • bacterial rots

    • fungal diseases

  • Moderate resistance to nematodes

Storage

  • 4–6 months, sometimes longer at the top

  • When stored in cool rooms at +1…+4°C, retains quality until spring