ABSTRACT
Asparagus officinalis L. is considered one of the oldest garden vegetable plants and is a crop with high value now grown worldwide. In 1990, there were over 140,000 ha of asparagus worldwide (49). In recent years there has been an increased demand for green fresh asparagus year round, particularly in affluent countries in the Northern Hemisphere (49). Asparagus officinalis L. is a native European-Siberian continental plant. The northeast Mediterranean is its center of origin, where it is well adapted to sandy soils (43). The genus Asparagus belongs to the Liliaceae family. It comprises over 150 herbaceous and woody perennial species that thrive in the temperate and tropical regions of the world. Among these species Asparagus officinalis L. is the only known edible one (35). Asparagus officinalis L. is a herbaceous perennial monocot, and a cool season plant for which 24º-29ºC day and 13º-19ºC night temperatures are optimal for productivity and longevity (51). Young asparagus crowns establish a rhizome structure with a large root system and stems. Each rhizome has a few lateral buds that develop into succulent fleshy shoots (spears). The spears are triangular and comprise short internodes and lateral buds. Expansion of individual spears occurs foremost at the base internode and then in successive internodes, resulting in dynamic growth of the spear into a 4-to 6-feet tall fern (51). Asparagus officinalis L. is a dioecious species with male and female plants (sex ratio 1:1). The male flowers have perfect anthers and an aborted ovary. The female flowers are smaller than those of male plants and have nonfunctional anthers, a perfect ovary and style, and three stigmas. The asparagus fruit is a red berry at matu-rity and contains up to six small globular seeds. The seed is mostly endosperm tissue surrounding a small embryo (55).
