Productivity and calibre distribution of three green asparagus hybrids in the Province of San Luis, Argentina, in their sixth production year (2015)

CASTAGNINO A.M.; DIAZ, K.E.; ROGERS, W.J.; MARTINEZ, M.; MARTÍNEZ, N.; BAZÁN, P.; FUNES, M.B.; MONDINI, S.

Potsdam

Simposio; 14th International Asparagus Symposium; 2017

International Society for Horticultural Science Acta Horticulturae

Due to its high potential productivity, asparagus could represent an alternative innovative diversification product for regions with appropriate edaphoclimatic conditions. With the aim of evaluating the yield of three genotypes of green asparagus in San Luis, Argentina, a field trial was carried out at the Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agropecuarias (FICA), Universidad Nacional de San Luis (UNSL), within the framework of an existing agreement between the UNSL and the Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA). During the period 29/9/2015 to 26/11/2015, a range of traits were scored for the Italian masculine hybrids Italo and H-688 and the North American control UC-157. The total area of the trial was 784 m2 and the plants spaced at 1.4 x 0.25 m. Characters scored were total and commercial (net) fresh productivity (TFP and NFP), turion number (TN), calibre distribution CD (number and weight) (J: Jumbo; XL: Extra-Large; L: Large; M: Medium; S: Small and A: Asparagina) and mean turion weight (MTW). Data were analysed by ANOVA-LSD (P≤0.05). Overall mean values were: TFN: 8661.50 kg.ha-1; NFP: 6586.14 kg.ha-1; TN: 460081 turions; and MTW: 14.32 g.turion-1. Italo and H-668 gave high performance for total production per harvest, with means of 263.42 and 269.43 kg.harvest-1 (a), respectively, while UC-157 yielded 231.40 (b). For NFP, Italo showed the best performance: 213.43 (a), followed by H-688 with 197.68 (ab) and UC-157: 170.02 kg.ha-1. Regarding TN, no significant differences were observed between hybrids and between harvests, with a mean of 13555 turions.ha-1. For CD, differences were only obtained for XL (in number and weight) and M (weight); 25% of higher calibres were obtained (J, XL and L) and 75% of lower calibres (M, S and Asp). UC-157 was characterised as producing turions of lower calibre (50% S), whereas the Italian genotypes both showed similar tendencies for all calibres except XL, for which Italo produced a higher proportion. In conclusion, the Italian hybrids were more productive than the control from the USA, implying they could offer an encouraging production alternative for the zone under study.