Articles
ASPARAGUS PRODUCTION IN CHILE
Starting around 1980 there has been, first a significant, and then an almost exponential growth of the area cultivated.
As shown in Fig. 1, there were less than 200 ha devoted to the crop in 1980 and, from then on, specially since 1985, there has been a sustained increase in planted area, reaching an estimated 4.300 ha in 1988. The growth has been coincident with changes in area, technology and orientation of production.
Chile extends from 19°S to 55°S. Environmental and economic conditions are unattractive for the crop to be grown north of 33°S. The traditional and major growing area was located around Santiago (33,5°S), by far the main internal market with about one third of the country’s population.
Most of the recent plantations have been done in areas south of Santiago, as far as 40°S, with around 50% of the total presently concentrated between 35° to 37°S.
All areas have marked seasons (plants initiate their growth around september or october and enter ecodormancy around march or april) but the growing period gets shorter towards the south.
However, this disadvantage is upset by many advantages like better soil conditions, ample supply of water, cheaper costs of production, fewer competitive crops, etc., which have resulted in a significant displacement in the concentration of the crop towards southern latitudes, where most of the plantations are young, one to three years old.
Soils used for growing the crop are highly variable.
In general, it can be stated that Inceptisols of medium depth, with medium to heavy textures, with a pH between 6.5 to 8 and with 1 to 3% of organic matter, predominate in the northern growing region.
Andisols, of higher depth, with light to medium textures, with a pH close to 5,5 and with 8 to 15% of organic matter, prevail in the southern producing area.
Most producers use the latest technologies available to plant and manage their fields, which have been rapidly shifted from only white asparagus production, before 1980, to an almost all green production (over 95% of the total area planted). The shift has implied the introduction and use of cultivars different to the traditional.
Previously, Argenteuil, Connover’s Colossal, and Mary Washington were the main ones but are no longer being planted and have been replaced by UC-157 F1 and derived material (more than 70% of the area planted) and UC-72 (25% of the area planted).