Commercial Productivity in the Fourth International Asparagus Cultivar Trial at Azul, Argentina

CASTAGNINO, A; TARANTINO, M.B ; ROGERS,W J; DIAZ, K.; MARINA, J

Potsdam

Simposio; 14th international Asparagus Symposium; 2017

International Society for Horticultural Science Acta Horticulturae

A field trial (RCBD) was carried out at Azul (36°48´,lat.S-59°51´, long.O) consisting of genotypes ?Italo?; ?Vittorio?; ?Eros?; ?Ercole?; ?Giove?; ?Franco?; ?Chino?; ?Early-California?; ?UC-157?; ?Patrón?; ?NJ-1189?; ?NJ-1123? and ?NJ-1192?. The trial was planted on 16/11/2011 at a plant density of 23.810pl.ha-1. The following characters were scored between 19/8/2016 and 17/11/2016: total fresh commercial productivity (TFCP), long and short turion fresh commercial productivity (LTFCP, STFCP), total commercial turion number (TCTN), long and short commercial turion number (LCTN; SCTN), mean turion weight (MTW) and calibre distribution, CD (J: Jumbo; XL: Extra-Large; L: Large; M: Medium; S: Small y A: Asparagina). Turions were cut, selected (long: 22cm, short: 17cm), weighed, counted, washed and calibrated. Data analysis was by ANOVA-LSD (P≤0.05). Overall mean values were: TFCP: 5117,10 t.ha-1, TNCT: 284910 turions and MTW: 18 g.turión-1. The following genotypes exceeded the mean for TFCP: Vittorio: 6072; UC-157: 6006; Eros: 5885; Franco: 5745; NJ-1123: 5573; Early-California: 5359; NJ-1192: 5284kg.ha-1. The following performed well for LTFCP: UC-157: 4250a; Vittorio: 4134ab; Franco: 4056ab; Eros: 3978ab; NJ-1192: 3861abc; Early-California: 3744abc; and the following for STFCP: NJ-1123:1985a; Vittorio: 1983ab; Eros: 1907abc; Italo: 18174abcd; UC-157: 1755abcde; Franco: 1688abcde y Early-California: 1615abcde. For TCTN, the following exceeded the mean: UC-157: 356343; Patrón: 341991; NJ-1192: 324675; NJ-1123: 308022; Franco: 307671; Early-California: 307359; Vittorio: 306306; Ercole: 300027 y Eros: 289497. For LCTN, superior genotypes were: UC-157: 230334a; Patrón: 219336ab; NJ-1192: 216996ab y Franco: 200343abc and for SCTN: NJ-1123: 129012a; UC-157: 126009a; Patrón: 122655a; Early-California: 111345ab; Eros: 110175ab; Ercole: 110019ab; Vittorio: 109317ab; Italo: 108342ab; NJ-1192: 107679ab and Franco: 107328ab. For CD, 48% were larger calibres and 43% shorter; the following performed well for J: NJ-1189a; Erosab; Gioveabc; for XL: Erosa; for L: Francoa; Erosa; Ercolea; Vittorioab; UC-157ab; Early-Californiaabc; NJ-1123abc; for M: Ercolea; UC-157a; Patrónab; NJ-1123abc; Francoabc and for S: Patróna. From these results, it can be discerned that (i) a group of five genotypes (Vittorio, Eros, and Franco (Italian), and UC-157 and Early-California (from the USA)) were high performing for all three productivity measures (TFCP, LTFCP, STFCP); (ii) an additional genotype, Patrón, gave high turion number for all three measures of this aspect (TCTN, LCTN and SCTN); (iii) the genotypes varied considerably in their calibre distribution; and (iv) the genotypes tested provided a range of different production options for existing and potential growers of the crop.