Introducing New Varieties to Increase Garlic Production and Determining Its Economic Feasibility in Toba Regency

Abstract Garlic is one of the vegetable commodities whose demand is increasing in tandem with the total population. Until now, national production of this commodity is unable to meet demand. In addition to the import strategy, the local government is attempting to implement an extensification strategy (by increasing total cultivation area) to address this issue. One of the actions in this strategy is the introduction of two garlic varieties, Lumbu Hijau and Sangga Sembalum. From August to December 2020, this study was carried out in Gurgur Experimental Garden, Tampahan Sub District (Toba Regency). The goals of this study are to determine the suitability of these varieties based on their vegetative and generative performances, as well as to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. The results show that the Lumbu Hijau variety outperforms the Sangga Sembalun variety in terms of growth and production. There is a statistically insignificant difference between these varieties in terms of plant height and number of leaves, but there is a significant difference in stem height. According to the B/C ratio analysis, Lumbu Hijau variety has 1.26 more shares than Sangga Sembalun variety has 0.84, respectively. This output indicates that garlic commodity development in Toba Regency is still feasible by improving cultivation management for better production.