INFLUENCE OF LOW TEMPERATURES DURING HARVEST ON ASPARAGUS YIELD

White asparagus cultivation in Qwaqwa, South Africa is subject to considerable variations in temperature during the harvest period in spring (September - November). In a seven year survey (1986 – 1992) the daily yield of asparagus was monitored together with the daily minimum and maximum air temperatures. With UC72 there was a significant correlation between maximum temperature decrease and the decrease in daily production of spears. In Boonlim a lesser relationship between low temperature exposures and daily production was observed. Monitoring low temperature deviations can be a useful tool to predict daily spear production.