Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1. Washington State University (WSU)
A field experiment was established at Schreiber and Sons Farm in Eltopia, Washington in 2009 and was concluded in October 2010. The experimental design was a randomized split plot with four replications. The main plot was time of seeding, June 3 and July 30, and the subplot was in-row seed spacing, 4, 6, 8, and 10 inches. Subplot size was 15 feet long and three beds wide. Spacing between beds was 40 inches center-to-center. Asparagus cultivar Jersey Night was selected for this experiment based on grower input and seed availability. Spear count was measured in the center 10 feet of each row. Plant height was measured from the soil surface to the tip of the tallest fern for 10 plants per plot. Stem diameter was measured 1 inch above the soil level for 10 plants per plot. On October 18, 2010, plants were mowed and crowns were dug mechanically. Crowns were weighed and counted for each plot and mean crown weight and carbohydrate content were calculated. The cost of seed per acre was calculated for each seed spacing for cultivar Jersey Knight. 2. Michigan State University (MSU)
Research was conducted on asparagus to help growers limit the reduction of yields in replant fields infested with soilborne pathogens. Fifteen fungicides were tested on asparagus spears in the laboratory and 13 fungicides on asparagus seedlings in the greenhouse for the control of Phytophthora. Presidio, Curzate, Manzate, Ranman, V10208 and Experimental treatments were effective at limiting spear rot in two out of three runs. A second treatment of 11 herbicides was applied to crowns planted in 2009 and a trial with crowns newly planted in 2010 received one application of 13 herbicide treatments. Both experiments showed herbicide damage due to the Callisto treatment and the grower standard program. Crowns planted in Telone-fumigated soil had the highest number of ferns per 20 feet, although this was not statistically significant. PARTICIPANTS: 1. WSU: These studies were conducted on a commercial farm Schreiber and Sons, in Eltopia, Washington. 2. MSU: Dr. Mary K. Hausbeck, PI, Plant Pathology, Michigan State University. In addition, research was done in cooperation with other Michigan State University researchers and grower cooperators. Dr. Mathieu Ngouajio, Department of Horticulture, MSU, provided assistance in establishing the variety trials and provided guidance on herbicide selection for studies conducted in the greenhouse and field. Commercial growers Ralph and Ken Oomen provided land and asparagus crowns for the fumigation, herbicide, and crown soak studies. John Bakker, Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, coordinated the Great Lakes Expo Asparagus Educational Session where 2010 research results were presented. TARGET AUDIENCES: Commercial asparagus growers, agricultural extension professionals PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
1. WSU
The number of asparagus spears was equivalent for both seeding dates at the end of the season in 2009, was significantly greater for the June 3 seeding throughout the 2010 growing season but was equivalent by the end of the 2010 growing season. The number of spears tended to be greatest for the 4-inch seed spacing, tended to be the same for the 6 and 8-inch spacings, and tended to be the lowest for the 10-inch spacing. Spear diameter measured at the end of the 2010 growing season was greater for the June 3 seeding date than the July 30 seeding date, and did not differ due to seed spacing. Fern height was significantly greater for the June 3 seeding date than for the July 30 seeding date throughout the 2010 growing season. Fern height was lowest for the 10-inch seed spacing at the beginning of the 2010 growing season but was equivalent for all plant spacings throughout the remainder of the 2010 growing season. Total number of crowns, total weight of crowns and weight per crown were significantly greater for the June 3 seeding date than the July 30 seeding date, however level of carbohydrates did not differ due to seeding date. The total number of crowns was significantly less for the 10-inch seed spacing than for all other spacings, however total crown weight, weight per crown and carbohydrate level did not differ due to seed spacing. The cost of seed per acre for cultivar Jersey Knight ranges from $294 per acre for a 10-inch spacing to $1,050 per acre for a 4-inch spacing. 2. MSU
This project was developed in collaboration with the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board in response to the 3 top priorities identified by the industry. Most asparagus growers in Michigan are forced to replant old fields that are infested with both Fusarium and Phytophthora. Developing integrated strategies to reduce replant suppression will increase the life span of new plantings and stabilize this industry which currently faces tough foreign competition. An integrated strategy that lowers the pathogen levels in replant fields and maximize crown growth through chemical and cultural strategies will help minimize replant suppression will help revive the asparagus industry.
Publications
- Hausbeck, M.K., and Cortright, B.D. 2010. Asparagus disease research update. Pages 11-14 in: Asparagus Session Summaries, Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo. Online.
- Rodriguez-Salamanca, L.M., Foster, J.M., and Hausbeck, M.K. 2009. Greenhouse and field herbicide evaluation on asparagus plants. Abstr. Page 76 in: XIIth International Asparagus Symposium, 29 Oct-1 Nov, Lima, Peru.
- Hausbeck, M., and Cortright, B. 2009. New management techniques for Fusarium and Phytophthora control in asparagus production. Michigan State University Extension Vegetable Crop Advisory Alert 24:(Aug 26). Online.
- Presentations
"Asparagus disease research update," B. Cortright and M. Hausbeck, Asparagus Session, Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Grand Rapids, MI, Dec 2010. - "What's new in fumigation," B. Cortright and M. Hausbeck, Plasticulture Session, Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Grand Rapids, MI, Dec 2010.
- "Lessons learned when fumigating Michigan State University trials," M.K. Hausbeck and B. Cortright, Wilbur-Ellis Meeting, East Lansing, MI, Mar 2010.
- "Asparagus disease update," M.K. Hausbeck and B. Cortright, Asparagus Commodity Meeting, East Lansing, MI, Jan 2010.
- "Greenhouse and field herbicide evaluation on asparagus plants," L.M. Rodriguez-Salamanca, J.M. Foster, and M.K. Hausbeck, XIIth International Asparagus Symposium, Lima, Peru, Oct 2009. Poster presentation.
|
Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Progress has been made on the following research objectives: 1) A mechanical harvester prototype by Kim Haws of Agri-Trac Inc., Mesa, WA was selected for evaluation in 2010. Performance was very good. The harvester recovered 80% of asparagus compared to hand harvesting. Various scenarios examine low, base and high yields, harvester efficiency rates of 77 and 85 percent, and operating the harvester for 10 or 16 hours. Under optimal conditions of high yield, high efficiency and harvesting 70 acres, the harvester generates additional returns beyond operating, machinery and capital costs over hand harvesting of $104,347. 2) Research into modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) showed that MA packages work best in non-commercial situations, although packinghouse benefits were realized, so long as there is minimal interruption on cold-chain handling. Mechanically harvested aspargus had the same postharvest quality as hand-harvested product. 3) Analysis of economic harm from the Andean and North American free trade acts estimated that the accumulated value of fresh packed direct loss for Washington, California and Michigan was $888 million. An econometric model of the impacts on producers is needed to document evidence of economic harm. 4) Two experiments were planted at the Washington Asparagus research farm near Eltopia, WA to investigate 1) in-row spacing and seeding date of direct seeded asparagus, and 2) cover crops to control wind erosion in directed seeded asparagus. Direct Seeding: The main plot was time of seeding, June 3 and July 30, and the sub plot was in-row seed spacing, 4, 6, 8, and 10 inches. Spacing between beds was 40 inches center-to-center. Asparagus cultivar Jersey Night was selected for this experiment. Plant spacing significantly impacted plant stand. However, overall stand counts were lower than anticipated, especially for the higher planting density. Plant stand for the July 30 planting date was on average 20% greater for 4, 6, and 8 inch spacing than for the June 3 planting date, but was equivalent for 10 inch spacing. Cover crops for wind erosion: Treatments included a small grain cover crop (wheat). This experiment was planted according to plan, however no weed control was done in the study and by July 8 plots were completely dominated by weed growth. Thus it was not possible to test efficacy of treatments for wind erosion control, and this study was abandoned. 5) Research was conducted on asparagus in Michigan to help growers limit the reduction of yields in replant fields infested with soil borne pathogens. Fumigation plots were treated in the fall of 2008 and planted in the spring of 2009 with data showing significant growth benefits of the fumigant treatments. Greenhouse and herbicide trial on asparagus were completed and significant growth differences among the treatments observed. Seventeen fungicides were tested on asparagus spears in the laboratory for the control of Phytophthora. Data collected from the crown soak studies shows that fungicide products are effective in promoting more fern growth compared to untreated crowns. Clean soil will be a factor for both crown or transplant fields. PARTICIPANTS: Qin Zhang, Washington State University (WSU); Carter Clary, WSU; John Fellman, WSU; Carol Miles, WSU; J. Shannon Neibergs, WSU; Chris M. Read, WSU; Jonathan Roozen, WSU; Alice Riot, WSU; Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University; USDA-NIFA Special Grants, Ag Research Center, WSU; Washington Asparagus Commission, Michigan Aspargus Advisory Board; Agri Trac Corp., Mesa, WA; Cooperating growers and packers. TARGET AUDIENCES: US asparagus industry, growers, processors, consumers, refereed journals. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Developing and adopting mechanical harvesting systems for asparagus provides an important means to address urgent concerns including the rising cost of labor and global competition that has been impacted by imports from Peru. Along with increases in the minimum wage to $8.55/hr, it is increasingly common for fields to be abandoned prematurely due to lack of labor. This has prompted the industry to evaluate mechanical harvesting in order to reduce production costs associated with hand labor and extend the harvest window when hand labor is not available. Another goal evaluated and proved the beneficial use of edible coatings and nutrient additions to preservation of fresh asparagus quality while extending shelf-life. Edible coating formulations preserved green color and delayed senescence, and inhibited moisture loss while postponing the onset of postharvest decay. Use of these preservatives offers asparagus handlers a cheaper, safer, and more effective alternative to sanitizing chemicals presently used and may easily fit into the packaging routine. The results so far have been mixed. This work simulated using the harvester for the full season using a daily asparagus yield curve developed specifically for this analysis. Daily yield data were collected from a sample of 12 farms in the Pasco, WA area over the 2009 season. Model scenarios identified positive net returns over hand harvesting. Work needs to be done to test the harvester over the entire season and in high yielding fields to test the efficiency levels assumed in this analysis. We identified that asparagus yield has a direct impact on a harvester's economic viability, which has not been addressed in previous studies. Research is on-going to evaluate redesigning the asparagus beds to maximize the harvester's efficiency. This would increase the crown density per acre and thus yield. This would further increase the net economic return of the mechanical harvester over hand harvesting. Presently, work is ongoing to determine the agronomic feasibility of the bed design for agronomic operations required to produce asparagus. Asparagus is an example where globalization has occurred at an eccelerated rate due to enacting the Andean Trade Preference Act, ATPA and the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA that allows duty free asparagus imports into the U.S. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in asparagus imports that have benefited U.S. consumers but have displaced U.S. asparagus producers. The displacement of U.S. asparagus producers has been documented and is commonly accepted. The report on the evidence of economic harm as a result of enacting free trade was provided to the Asparagus Commission in June, 2009. Direct seeded asparagus observations in Mexico and Peru demonstrate how this technique is used with high success in those countries. In both Mexico and Peru, asparagus is seeded at very high populations, 2-4 inch in-row spacing, mostly in double rows. In both Mexico and Peru asparagus is harvested 3-4 times per day during the peak harvest period to reduce trimming loss. This harvest schedule could significantly increase Washington asparagus marketable yield.
Publications
- Fuchs, S.J., Mattinson, D.S. and Fellman, J.K. 2008 Effect of edible coatings on green asparagus. J. Food Processing and Preservation. 31:951-971.
|