Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• thin skin
• earliness
• high yield and harvestable over a long period
• minimal susceptibility to disease
• lack of sensitivity to low temperatures
DISEASES AND PESTS
Asparagus rarely faces major problems in small-scale growing. As a preventat-
ive measure against the asparagus fly (
Platyparea poeciloptera
), cut back stalks in autumn and burn
them. In some areas, the common asparagus beetle (
Crioceris asparagi
) is a problem, infesting plant-
ings starting in late spring. Symptoms: herbivory of above-ground plant parts. Plants can no longer as-
similate and dry up. Light infestations do not affect yield. Asparagus rust (
Puccinia asparagi
) can af-
fect the ends of asparagus shoots, especially of young plants, turning them a rusty red and killing them.
Spraying with copper can be very effective. Destroy infected vegetation (though this will cause plants
to be delayed in development).
CULTIVATION HISTORY
Wild asparagus is found in Europe, the Middle East, western Siberia, and
northern Africa. Cultivation of asparagus has been documented back to Roman times. In the Middle
Ages it was grown mostly at monasteries as a medicinal and as a vegetable. Originally asparagus was
grown for its green shoots, but then blanching shoots became popular in the Netherlands (17th cen-
tury) and England (end of 18th century). Field-scale growing began in the 19th century when the first
canning factories opened. In India, oil is extracted from rhizomes and used as a calmative.
