Asparagus stem emergence and growth as influenced by temperature and rainfall in a one-year production system

Abstract

ABSTRACT Newly developed asparagus farming involves planting seedlings in year one and harvesting all emerging spears without allowing the mother ferns to grow. However, changes in asparagus growth over time are unclear. Here, four-year cultivation trials were conducted under different climatic conditions to investigate temporal changes in growth. Plants were monitored weekly. The growing period was divided into three periods: spring and fall, both within optimum growing temperatures, and summer. Spring to the first half of summer revealed two to three peaks of increase in the number of effective stems. The number of effective stems decreased during high temperatures and decreased precipitation periods (summer), and recovered with an increase in precipitation. The number of effective stems displayed peaks during the second half of periods II and III. The increase in stem diameter mostly occurred during summer. Finally, the growing years that occurred with high temperatures and low precipitation in summer showed a significant positive correlation between the yield and maximum stem diameters in spring. The results of this study indicate that plant growth can be used to schedule pest control, irrigation, and fertiliser application for plants with limited resources.