ChileanJAR

Daily and total elongation of spears, plus elongation rates and the number of days to reach maximum height of spears previous to branching were measured on a five-year-old asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) plantation of cultivars Atlas, Ciprés, Gijnlim, Jersey Giant, JWC-1, UC-157 and UC-157 F₂. The measurements were carried out on six opportunities, every other week, from spear emergence until maximum spear height before branching (5 mm of branch above budscale). Maximum elongation until the day of branching, as an average of all cultivars, varied from 37 cm at the beginning of the harvest to 21 cm at the end of the harvest. Relative elongation rates varied between 0.22 y 1.07 cm cm^-1 day^-1, depending on air temperature and, in some cultivars, on spear diameter. All cultivars had very similar elongation patterns that can be described by a single model. However, variations observed in maximum height before branching could have significant effects on the quality of spears and commercial yield of the cultivars.