# The Effect of Slow-Release Fertilizer on the Growth of Garlic Sports and the Soil Environment
## 3 Results and Analysis
### The Effects of Different Treatment Groups on Physiological Indicators of Garlic Sprouts  
Soluble sugars are the primary energy substances in plant cells, playing a crucial role in photosynthesis by converting light energy into chemical energy and storing it in the form of carbohydrates. As shown in Figure 5a, the soluble sugar contents in the CK, T1, T2, and T3 groups were 1.90%, 2.32%, 2.40%, and 3.13%, respectively. Compared with that in the CK group, the T1, T2, and T3 treatments increased the soluble sugar content by 22.10%, 26.32%, and 64.74%, respectively, with a statistically significant improvement (\(p<0.05\)). Furthermore, the T3 group showed a significantly higher soluble sugar content than that in both T1 and T2 (\(p<0.05\)). Soluble protein content is an important physiological and biochemical indicator in plants and a key component of various enzymes in garlic sprouts [57]. As shown in Figure 5b, the soluble protein contents of the CK, T1, T2, and T3 groups were 3.45, 5.99, 5.61, and 7.32 mg/g, respectively. The T1, T2, and T3 treatments increased the soluble protein content by 73.62%, 62.61%, and 112.17% compared to that in CK, with all of these increases being statistically significant (\(p<0.05\)). Additionally, the T3 group exhibited significantly higher soluble protein levels than those in T1 and T2 (\(p<0.05\)). As shown in Figure 5c, the free amino acid contents in the CK, T1, T2, and T3 groups were 2.20, 3.45, 3.49, and 4.99 mg/g, respectively. Compared with that in CK, the free amino acid content was increased by 56.82%, 58.64%, and 126.82% in the T1, T2, and T3 treatments, respectively, with all showing significant increases (\(p<0.05\)). Figure 4: The effect of different treatment groups on the chlorophyll content in garlic sprouts. Error bars represent \(\pm\)SD. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for humans and is closely related to plant metabolism, as many metabolic enzymes are composed of soluble proteins [58]. Measuring the soluble protein content is therefore important for understanding enzyme activity. As shown in Figure 5d, the vitamin C contents in the CK, T1, T2, and T3 groups were 162.68, 191.09, 197.35, and 221.48 \(\upmu\)g/g, respectively. Compared with that in CK, the T1, T2, and T3 treatments increased the vitamin C content by 17.46%, 21.31%, and 36.15%, respectively. Significant increases were observed (\(p<0.05\)), except that between T1 and T2, which did not differ significantly (\(p>0.05\)). Allicin is a unique nutritional component of garlic sprouts responsible for their characteristic pungent flavor [59]. It enhances appetite, exhibits antimicrobial properties, and inhibits bacterial and fungal growth. Allicin is composed of sulfur-containing compounds and is synthesized through the enzymatic conversion of allin into pyruvate acid. As shown in Figure 5e, the allicin contents in the CK, T1, T2, and T3 groups were 5.95%, 7.72%, 7.21%, and 8.13%, respectively. Compared with that in CK, the T1, T2, and T3 treatments increased the allicin content by 38.10%, 28.98%, and 45.43%, respectively, with all of these differences being statistically significant (\(p<0.05\)). Although the fertility level in the T2 group was lower than that in the T1 group, the physiological indicators of the garlic sprouts in the T2 group--such as soluble sugars, free amino acids, and vitamin C--were able to reach or even exceed those in the T1 group due to the encapsulation and adsorption effects of the slow-release materials. In contrast, the contents of protein and allicin in the T2 group showed a certain degree of reduction compared to those in the T1 group, which can be primarily attributed to the lower overall fertility in the T2 treatment. The results of this study indicate that although both the T1 and T2 treatments led to varying degrees of improvements in garlic sprout quality, the T3 treatment showed the most significant enhancement.