Key Technical Points for Asparagus Cultivation and Management and Analysis of the 2020 Planting Prospects

Asparagus is an important crop in China, with edible value; its young shoots are edible and have a delicious flavor. So what are the asparagus cultivation and management techniques? How are the planting prospects for 2020?

1. Asparagus cultivation and management techniques

1. Planting time

Asparagus is generally planted in spring, and it grows new stems three times or more each year. In open-field cultivation, seedlings are usually raised starting in April-May and planting is done in July-August; alternatively, seedlings can be raised in August-September and planting done in October.

2. Raising seedlings

Because asparagus seeds are relatively hard and water has difficulty entering them, before sowing they should be soaked in 28°C warm water for five days, and the germination temperature should be controlled at 28°C. Seedlings are generally raised in small plastic tunnels or in open fields. In North China, the planting season runs from mid-March to early September, and the seedling period is about 85 days.

3. Planting

Before planting, soak the seeds in 28°C water for five days, changing the water twice a day, so the seeds fully absorb water. The planting depth is 3 cm; for planting density, the plant spacing is 5 cm and the protective spacing is 18 cm. After planting, cover with 3 cm of soil, and the next day it can be lightly pressed so the seeds make full contact with the soil, which helps preserve soil moisture. Poison bait can be placed in the furrows to prevent underground insects, and water promptly after planting.

After planting, seedlings generally emerge in about half a month. During this period, if it is relatively dry, water promptly; if the soil temperature is not high, do not water heavily. When the seedlings are 10 cm tall, they can be watered once. Remove weeds promptly to avoid competing with asparagus for water, nutrients and sunlight. In the half month before planting, control water to harden the seedlings, in order to improve the germination rate and survival rate.

4. Field planting

Carry out field planting before September, choosing seedlings raised after April of the same year. About 10,000 plants are planted per mu.

Because asparagus prefers fertile soil and a loose soil texture, before planting the soil must be deeply plowed and furrows opened for field planting. The row spacing is 1 m, the furrow depth is 30 cm, and the width is 40 cm. Backfill 15 cm of soil, use 3 tonnes of fully decomposed farmyard manure per mu, and apply 80 jin of ternary compound fertilizer into the furrow. The fertilizer should be evenly mixed with the 15 cm of soil in the furrow and backfilled once, so that the furrow depth is about 7 cm, then water.

5. Field management

After planting, asparagus has relatively poor stress resistance, weak absorption capacity and a relatively small root system. If drought occurs, growth will be delayed; if the moisture in the soil is too high, it will cause oxygen deficiency, affect root absorption, lead to root rot, and cause poor growth of the whole plant. Therefore, water promptly during drought, and if there is standing water in the field, drain it promptly.

6. Harvesting

When the base diameter of asparagus reaches 0.8 cm, it can be harvested. Excessive harvesting will cause the death of asparagus, so during harvesting the mother stems must be retained, and the mother stems must be well protected until the year's asparagus harvest is finished.

2. What are the prospects for asparagus in 2020

In recent years, with the improvement of living standards and changes in food structure, asparagus has begun to appear on the dining tables of ordinary people in Asia. Asparagus has strong adaptability and is suitable for cultivation in many regions of China. Coupled with China's abundant land and labor resources, asparagus has developed rapidly in China, thus bringing relatively large business opportunities to Chinese asparagus.

There are two ways to harvest asparagus. Large-scale bases can use machines for harvesting, and a small operating machine can be bought for several hundred thousand; the other is small-area planting that relies on manual labor. Today, because labor is expensive and costs have increased in some developed countries, the planting area is decreasing day by day. China's planting labor costs are low, so there are good development prospects.

Although the prospects for asparagus planting are very promising, when planting, one must also consider market acceptance and environmental suitability, so as to reduce costs and improve benefits.