ISHS Acta Horticulturae 614: VI International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climate: Product and Process Innovation
OUT-OF-SEASON ASPARAGUS IN PROTECTED CULTIVATION: A SOILLESS CULTURE SYSTEM TO GROW ASPARAGUS WITH A HIGH MARKETABLE VALUE |
| Authors: | S. Nicola, J. Hoeberechts, E. Fontana |
| Keywords: | Spear forcing, ´Eros´, rhizome density, early production, substrate, fertigation |
| Abstract:
In recent years asparagus production in Belgium, France and, partly, in Italy, decreased most of all due to soil tiredness and born diseases. Import of fresh product is increasing in Italy, as well as the demand for the processing industries. Asparagus is considered a vegetable with a high added value when produced out-of-season. Greenhouse soilless culture can be adopted to limit pest diseases, to optimize, standardize and increase spear production and to reduce labor costs. Furthermore, earliness and out-of-season production may be achieved, allowing to obtain a higher sell-price on the market. Finally, part of the green growing season may be achieved out of the greenhouses, from spring to late summer, increasing space availability in the greenhouse for other crops. Results from two years of experiments are presented in this paper. In both years asparagus rhizomes were kept from Feb. to July in a chamber at –1°C, then from Aug. to Sept. at 0°C and finally used for the forcing period. The forcing periods started either at the beginning of Oct. or of Nov., to reach spear production for the Christmas period. Plastic boxes were used as containers. In each box either two or three rhizomes were placed, and were filled with different growing media, placed on a bench in a heated greenhouse and fertilized either every one or two weeks. The effects of the different treatments applied were significant. In both years spears were produced for the Christmas period, promising potentiality for out-of-season asparagus production. | |
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