Articles
The relationship between color profiles of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears and light intensity in Fusekomi forcing culture
Article number
1296_81
Pages
637 – 644
Language
English
Abstract
Fusekomi forcing culture has been developed as one of the practical cultivation methods of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) in cold regions, in Japan.
One- or two-year-old crowns are dug up from the field before continuous snow cover, and planted into indoor forcing chambers in late autumn or winter, then spears can be obtained in winter.
Sometimes, pale colored spears are harvested because plastic films cover Fusekomi forcing chambers for heating but it also can cause reduction of photon intensity in winter.
In this study, the relationship between color profiles of asparagus spears and light intensity was investigated in Fusekomi forcing culture.
The Fusekomi experiments were conducted from December 2018 to March 2019. Three cultivars; ‘UC-157’, ‘Taiho Wase’ and ‘Atticus’ were used, and their basic agronomic performances, spear quality and color profiles of spears were evaluated.
The L*, a* and b* values of different parts of both bracts and stems were measured by using colorimeter, for two times.
During the harvesting period, air temperature, soil temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in the forcing chambers were recorded.
The average air temperature and average soil temperature in the chambers during testing period were 14.3 and 19.4°C, respectively.
The PPFD in the chambers ranged from 20.0 to 939.0 µmol m‑2 s‑1, and its average was 206.4 µmol m‑2 s‑1 during the testing period.
According to the spear color profile analysis, colors of total bracts and stems changed to more greenish and the color of bracts changed to more yellowish when the 5 days accumulated heat unit and 5 days accumulated light integral were increased from the first measuring period to the second measuring period.
One- or two-year-old crowns are dug up from the field before continuous snow cover, and planted into indoor forcing chambers in late autumn or winter, then spears can be obtained in winter.
Sometimes, pale colored spears are harvested because plastic films cover Fusekomi forcing chambers for heating but it also can cause reduction of photon intensity in winter.
In this study, the relationship between color profiles of asparagus spears and light intensity was investigated in Fusekomi forcing culture.
The Fusekomi experiments were conducted from December 2018 to March 2019. Three cultivars; ‘UC-157’, ‘Taiho Wase’ and ‘Atticus’ were used, and their basic agronomic performances, spear quality and color profiles of spears were evaluated.
The L*, a* and b* values of different parts of both bracts and stems were measured by using colorimeter, for two times.
During the harvesting period, air temperature, soil temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in the forcing chambers were recorded.
The average air temperature and average soil temperature in the chambers during testing period were 14.3 and 19.4°C, respectively.
The PPFD in the chambers ranged from 20.0 to 939.0 µmol m‑2 s‑1, and its average was 206.4 µmol m‑2 s‑1 during the testing period.
According to the spear color profile analysis, colors of total bracts and stems changed to more greenish and the color of bracts changed to more yellowish when the 5 days accumulated heat unit and 5 days accumulated light integral were increased from the first measuring period to the second measuring period.
Publication
Authors
T. Kumano, H. Araki
Keywords
asparagus, Fusekomi forcing culture, spear quality, photosynthetic photon flux density
Groups involved
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
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