Agronomic Performances, Farmers Perception and Economic Feasibility of the New Garlic Improved Variety Seed Production by Intercropping System

Indonesia continues to rely heavily on imported garlic owing to limitations in indigenous production, particularly in tropical locations with low productivity. The availability of high-yielding varieties and high-quality seeds that match farmers' preferences remains limited. This study addresses the critical issues of seed production and quality, farmer perceptions and preferences, and the financial feasibility of intercropping for garlic seed production. Field experiments were conducted in Temanggung Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, during the 2022­2023 planting season, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatment combinations involving Geol Temanggung Agrihorti (GTA) and Lumbu Kuning (LK) varieties under both monocropping and intercropping systems. Farmers’ perceptions regarding garlic farming were gathered through structured interviews. This study aimed to evaluate several parameters related to GTA development, such as the production and quality of GTA seeds, farmers' perceptions and preferences, and financial feasibility of intercropping GTA seed production. The economic feasibility of intercropping for garlic seed production was evaluated. The results indicated that agronomic performance, seed quality, and soil fertility associated with garlic seed production under intercropping systems did not significantly differ from those observed in monoculture systems. Farmers exhibited strong positive perceptions of garlic farming with a clear preference for the GTA variety. Furthermore, an intercropping system involving garlic seed production alongside chili and cabbage was found to be economically feasible. This approach has the potential to increase incomes by 7.75%. This indicates that an intercropping system could be an alternative to increase garlic seed production and farmers’ income.