TODAY'S ASPARAGUS BREEDING IN THE NETHERLANDS

The breeding program in the Netherlands has been started in 1958. Meanwhile all combinations possible have been tested and new better hybrids out of this program are not to be expected. Thats why a new program is started in 1980.

Aerliness is a character of great importance in this program, because of the cool climate in The Netherlands. The harvest period can be extended by making use of hybrids which start to produce at lower temperatures and this can contribute to a higher total production. Aerliness is a character that can be found in many varieties from abroad.

In the meantime the lines we made since 1980 have been inbred four times and a lot of crossbreedings have been made. In order to check all these crossbreedings we try to develop a fast test methodology. For that purpose four methods are compared:

• Normal production,
• Cultivation in pots in a glasshouse,
• Cultivation in containers in a glasshouse,
• Plants grown in pots and transplanted in the field.