Articles
High tunnel production for high yields: options for established and annual asparagus
Article number
1376_24
Pages
169 – 176
Language
English
Abstract
Traditionally, asparagus is planted at low plant populations (wide rows), grown for 2 years, and then harvested carefully until plants are considered mature.
In order to achieve increased productivity, spears need to be produced earlier in the production cycle or alternative production approaches are required.
We explored the use of high and low tunnels to advance early production in the spring in a mature asparagus planting and created an alternative annual production system using high tunnels and high plant populations.
High tunnels constructed in mature asparagus increased early harvest by three weeks, increased marketable spear yields by 21%, but low tunnels had no effect on earliness or productivity.
In the alternative annual production system, as plant population increased from 146,000 to 291,000 plants ha‑1, productivity increase from 2608 to 4408 kg ha‑1, respectively, when grown in high tunnels but yield was not different when grown in the open field at the same populations.
The alternative production methods appear viable and can produce high yields of high-quality asparagus.
In order to achieve increased productivity, spears need to be produced earlier in the production cycle or alternative production approaches are required.
We explored the use of high and low tunnels to advance early production in the spring in a mature asparagus planting and created an alternative annual production system using high tunnels and high plant populations.
High tunnels constructed in mature asparagus increased early harvest by three weeks, increased marketable spear yields by 21%, but low tunnels had no effect on earliness or productivity.
In the alternative annual production system, as plant population increased from 146,000 to 291,000 plants ha‑1, productivity increase from 2608 to 4408 kg ha‑1, respectively, when grown in high tunnels but yield was not different when grown in the open field at the same populations.
The alternative production methods appear viable and can produce high yields of high-quality asparagus.
Publication
Authors
D.T. Drost, J. Martin
Keywords
cultivars, fern growth, plant population, early production
Groups involved
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