Response of Chosen American Asparagus officinalis L. Cultivars to Drip Irrigation on the Sandy Soil in Central Europe: Growth, Yield, and Water Productivity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to verify the response of 13 American asparagus cultivars cultivated for green spear on surface postharvest drip irrigation. Irrigation, used to compensate for periodic deficiencies in precipitation, allows for high- and good-quality crops for many species. The field experiment was carried out in 2006–2008 on a very light sandy soil in central Europe (Poland). Irrigation treatments were applied using the tensiometer indications. Water requirements of asparagus were calculated on the base of reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficients. The following evaluations were made: Height, diameter, and number of summer stalks, as well marketable yield, weight, and number of consumption green spears. Drip irrigation applied for 2 years (2006–2007) in the postharvest period had a positive effect on all studied traits in both summer stalks and green spears in 2007–2008. A significant increase in the height, number, and diameter of summer stalks, as well an increase in the marketable yield, weight, and number of green spears was observed for most of the cultivars. In general, postharvest drip irrigation of asparagus cultivated in very light sandy soil significantly contributes to the increase in productivity of American cultivars of this species.

Effect of Subsurface Drip Fertigation with Nitrogen on the Yield of Asparagus Grown for the Green Spears on a Light Soil in Central Poland

“…Different IWUEs in the cultivation of various asparagus cultivars have been confirmed by the results of previous trials curried out in the central Poland (region of Bydgoszcz) with different cultivars of asparagus [6,10,23] and vegetable species [23,34] or berry plants [35][36][37][38]. The weather conditions are also important for the productivity of agricultural plants in this region [39,40].…”

“…Rolbiecki et al [23] reported that green spears' number per plant increased due to drip irrigation, on average for the studied cultivars and two years of research, by 2.98 pcs (46%). Hartmann [29], Paschold et al [31], Rolbiecki and Rolbiecki [6] and Rolbiecki [10] also obtained an increase in the number of asparagus spears caused by drip irrigation.…”

“…In the research published by Rolbiecki et al [23] drip irrigation, used after the harvest in the growing season preceding the asparagus harvest, significantly increased the mean spear weight from 35.33 g to 40.35 g, on average, for the 13 cultivars tested. In a previous study by Rolbiecki [10] the average weight of a single asparagus spear for the German cultivar Ramos was lower for both unirrigated and drip-irrigated plots, amounting to 29 g and 33 g, respectively.…”

“…Hartmann [26,28,29], under German climatic conditions, thanks to drip irrigation, obtained a yield increase of 50% in his trials on sandy soil and 25% on loamy sand. Rolbiecki et al [23], in an experiment carried out at the same soil and climatic conditions but with American asparagus cultivars, obtained, on average, lower yields compared to the German ones. In the Netherlands, Mulder and Lavrijsen [30], in an asparagus cultivar trial under sprinkler irrigation conditions, obtained the highest yields for 'Gijnlim', which amounted to 4.5 t ha −1 in the first harvest year and 12.8 t ha −1 in the second year.…”

“…In the research published by Rolbiecki, et al [23] the water needs of asparagus are the highest in the last two months of the irrigation season, i.e., July and August (from 3.2 mm to 4.4 mm, daily). In the research on asparagus water needs in various regions of Poland, reported by Rolbiecki et al [24], it was calculated that the irrigation requirements of asparagus plants are on average 228 mm in the period from 1 July to 31 August in the centralnorthwest region of Poland, which also covers the area considered in the present study.…”