Asparagus (Shatavari) Cultivation in India; A complete information Guide

January 18, 2021 Agrovista

Asparagus (Shatavari) Cultivation in India: A Complete Information Guide

A Brief Introduction to the Asparagus Plant ;

Asparagus ( Asparagus Officinalis Linn.) Belongs to the family: Liliaceae. Commonly known as’ satamuli, Shatavari, and ‘Abhiru’. Asparagus is a perennial herbaceous vegetable. It is cultivated for its tender shoot, commonly known as ‘Spears’. It is generally used as a fresh vegetable. But it is also preserved in cans or bottles.

Table of Contents

Asparagus is a native of the eastern Mediterranean lands and Asia Minor. It has been in cultivation for over 2,000 years.

Medicinal uses of Asparagus Plant;

The newly formed shoots (spears), roots, and “underground stems” (rhizomes) are used to make medicine Whereas the shoots are majorly used as a food source.

Asparagus is used along with many fluids as “irrigation therapy” to enhance urine output.
Asparagus is also very useful for bladder infections (urinary tract infections), joint pain, and and obesity, but till now there’s not enough scientific evidence to support these uses.
In foods, asparagus spears are eaten as a vegetable. This will produce a pungent odor within the urine in some people.
The seed and root extracts of asparagus are utilized in alcoholic beverages
The tender shoots of Asparagus contain a white crystalline substance, ‘asparagine’, which is used in medicine as a diuretic in cardiac dropsy and chronic gout.

Nutritive Value of the Asparagus Plant;

The composition of fresh asparagus is given below (in percentage).

Component	Values in %	Component	Values in %
Moisture	93.0%	Fiber	0.7%
Carbohydrates	3.9%	Starch	0.4%
Sugar	1.3%	Ash	0.6%
Fat	0.2%	Calcium	0.21%
Protein	2.2	Iron	0.0012%
Calories	120

Climatic Requirements for Asparagus cultivation;

Asparagus is grown in temperate and subtropical regions. It requires the mean day temperature to be up to 25 degrees Celsius, and the ideal night temperature for asparagus plants is 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. It prefers the average annual rainfall range between 600 to 1000 mm.

Soil Requirement and its Preparation for Asparagus Cultivation;

Sandy or sandy loam soils are considered the best for its cultivation. The optimum pH should be between 6 – 6.75.

Avoid the commercial cultivation of asparagus on soils heavier than sandy loams. This crop can grow well on the soil, which has a salt content too much for many other crops, but it prefers natural soils. The land should be prepared thoroughly. Perfect drainage must be adopted to control crown rot disease.

Selection of Varietes for Asparaus Cultivation;

Asparagus seeds

Asparagus varieties are mainly divided into two groups Viz;

1) Asparagus with green-colored spears: These varieties are more popular and mainly used in the fresh market

2) Asparagus with white or light green colored – These varieties mainly used for processing purposes.

Important Varieties of Asparagus ;

Perfection: Recommended by IARI, New Delhi. It is an early, uniform, productive variety, delicious, and high food value. The spears are large, green, succulent, and light-tipped. The average yield is 80-100 q/ha.
Selection-841:
This variety is bush-type, medium, uniform plants, and productive. The spears are 15-20 cm long, succulent, tender, green with better flavor, and suitable for soup preparation.
Yield potential is up to 90-110q green spears/ha.
Other Varieties ; Jersey Gem ( Tolerance to Cercospora Leaf Spot), Jersey Giant and GreenwichUC-72, UC-66, and Sel-831 are also grown in Kashmir.

Fruits of Asparagus

Sowing of Asparagus plant ;

Sowing Time ;

Asparagus crowns are grown from seed planted in a well-prepared nursery bed. The seed is sown during the winter and autumn seasons. In the hills, it can be sown – March to May Whereas in plains it can be sown from July to November.

Seed Rate of Asparagus ;

About 3 to 4 kg of seed will be enough for one acre.

Planting of Asparagus;

A) Crown Planting Method: Generally, one-year-old crowns are recommended for planting in a permanent site. The seedlings are planted at a distance of 1.5 to 2.0 meters (row-to-row spacing) and 45 to 60 cm distance kept within the rows. The interspace can be utilized for the first two to three years by growing some intercrops.

B) Direct Seedling Method: Direct seedling prefers a soil temperature of 16 degrees Celsius for perfect germination. In this method, the seed should be sown at a distance of 5 cm apart in a row. the depth of the seed sowing should be 2 to 2.5 cm.

C) Seedling Transplant method; In this method, Seedlings can be grown in seed trays, peat pots /plastic bags

Manuring in Asparagus ;

40 kg urea, 20 kg single superphosphate, and 30 kg murate of potash per acre are the recommended fertilizer dose for this crop. This should be applied in two installments. The first dose should be applied in the early spring before the start of growth, and the second dose after the harvesting is completed.

After-care in Asparagus cultivation ;

Weeding and hoeing should be done at a regular interval during the early stages of growth. The plant should be earthed up and this method enhances the yield. Irrigation is may be given during warm weather more frequently, even once a week.

Harvesting of Asparagus;

Asparagus root system takes many years to get fully developed; therefore Harvesting can be done on a limited basis in the first year ( 2 to 3 weeks or 8 spears per plant). Similarly, in the second year, the harvesting should also be done on a limited basis, which means when there is a reduced size of spear we must stop the further harvesting during the second year of growth.

Recommended harvesting is done from the third year onward. It is done when the spear is about 20 cm in height, and it is harvested by cutting with a knife.

Cultivation of Medicinal Plant ‘Barhmi’ (Bacopa monnieri )

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