Introduction: The edible portion of this perennial plant grows from fleshy under ground rhizomes called '' Crowns". The plants are dioecious in nature, having either staminate or pistillate flowers. It can be very successfully grown in the climatic conditions of Kohat. Locally grown asparagus fetch better price in the market. A small bundle of 10-15 sticks costs Rs. 10/ in the market.
Justification: Large spears diameter, length, compact tips and tenderness are determining factors for market quality. New cultivars offer the ability to maintain good quality under warmer temperatures. Many new asparagus cultivars have been developed and are in development. In order to introduce the production technology for this non-traditional crop and enhance the farmer income, new asparagus cultivars were collected from different resources and are being tested in the agro-climatic conditions of Kohat.
Materials and methods: A set of 22 asparagus lines has been collected and is being tested to see the performance in Kohat. The experiment was laid out in non replicated design. Nursery was son in lines 5 m log keeping two rows of each line/entry. Sowing was done on 02/02/2009.
Results and discussion: Data presented in table –V2 is briefly discussed as follows.
Days to First Spear Sprouting: Data given in table-V2 showed that Asparagus entries differed for days to 1st spear sprouting. Entry-1 (Val-Prima) produced earlier than all other entries.
Spear Diameter: Data given in table-V2 showed that Entry-7 (IDA-LEA) produced spears with maximum size (1.6cm) in comparison entries-5 (Andreas) & 13 (Jackma-04) which produced spears with minimum diameter of 0.8 cm.
Spear Production kg/ha: Data shown in table-V2 showed that Entry-18 (Apollo) was found with maximum spears production of 1884 kg/ha followed by entry-19 (Purple Passion) which produced 1861 kg/ha spears. While, entry-9 (Grande) was found with minimum spears production of 274 kg/ha.
Table –V2: Screening of local and exotic germplasm of Asparagus under the agro-climatic conditions of Kohat.
|
S# |
Entry Name |
D/First Spear Sprouting |
Spears Diameter (cm) |
Spears Production (kg/ha) |
|
1 |
Val Prima |
22/02/2012 |
0.9 |
874 |
|
2 |
Larac |
09/03/2012 |
1.4 |
1207 |
|
3 |
Jackma |
15/03/2012 |
1.1 |
1387 |
|
4 |
Cipires |
01/03/2012 |
1.2 |
1001 |
|
5 |
Andreas |
13/03/2012 |
0.8 |
1414 |
|
6 |
J-Knight |
29/03/2012 |
1.0 |
674 |
|
7 |
IDA-LEA |
15/03/2012 |
1.6 |
947 |
|
8 |
Atlas |
15/03/2012 |
1.3 |
594 |
|
9 |
Grande |
16/03/2012 |
1.2 |
274 |
|
10 |
Huchels-A |
06/03/2012 |
1.0 |
564 |
|
11 |
Priana |
10/03/2012 |
1.1 |
984 |
|
12 |
Glora |
07/03/2012 |
1.1 |
690 |
|
13 |
Jackma-04 |
12/03/2012 |
0.8 |
904 |
|
14 |
Boom Lim |
06/03/2012 |
1.3 |
1377 |
|
15 |
Green Wick |
10/03/2012 |
1.3 |
934 |
|
16 |
Gersam Gen |
12/03/2012 |
1.2 |
1467 |
|
17 |
Abril |
09/03/2012 |
1.4 |
1294 |
|
18 |
Apollo |
10/03/2012 |
1.3 |
1884 |
|
19 |
Purple Passion |
12/03/2012 |
1.2 |
1861 |
|
20 |
UC 157 F1 |
17/03/2012 |
1.1 |
1451 |
|
21 |
Huchels |
15/03/2012 |
0.9 |
947 |
|
22 |
Tarameae |
18/03/2012 |
1.0 |
587 |
|
23 |
Local |
04/03/2012 |
0.9 |
660 |
