This study was conducted to investigate morphological characteristics of Korean local garlic varieties and to define the genetic variability and the correlations amongthe characters associated with yield. The plant height, the leaf sheath diameter, the nubmer of leaves, and bulb weight were significantly increased in the garlic plants from heavier seed bulbs. The proportation of six clove bulbs was more than 60% in Seosan variety and this was not realted with the number of cloves in seed bulb. While more than 70% bulbs in Jeoksung and Danyang varieties cultivated in paddy field were composed of 6 or 7 cloves, majority of the bulbs of Euisung and Danyang varieties cultivated in upland were composed of bulbs with 7 cloves or more. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were observed in bulb weight. GCV and PCV also showed high value in leaf sheath diameter. Thus, there is a greater scope for selection of these characters. The small difference between PCV and GCV values in plant height indicates that the environmental influence would be limited in this character. High heritability was observed of plant height (56.76%) and bulb weight (45.95%). And the weight per bulb (34.24%) exhibited highest genitic advance followed by leaf sheath diameter (18.8%) and plant height (9.61%), and those would be the ideal characters for selelction.

• 김정선