Mulching effect on yield and quality of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.)

Abstract

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is very valuable vegetable, which becomes more and more popular in Lithuania and produces good yield in our climatic conditions. Young asparagus spears give yield in early spring when choice of fresh vegetables is not wide. However, Lithuania still has not researched sufficiently effect of environment and growing conditions on yield and quality of asparagus. Asparagus is not frost resistant, especially in spring when some part of yield is lost sometimes. It is supposed that mulching of plants may advance yield of spears and to preserve productivity. The research is carried out in order to find out what effect the peat mulch has on the earliness, extent and quality of asparagus yield. The research of asparagus mulching has been performed in the Nursery of the Faculty of Agronomy of ASU and the chemical composition of spears was determined in the Laboratory of Quality of Plant Raw Materials in 2013-2014. The asparagus of the varieties Gijnlim and Avalim have been researched: without mulch; with autumn 5 cm mulch, and with spring 5 cm mulch. Productivity of spears was calculated and the chemical composition was determined after harvesting