Yield potential ofAsparagus officinalisL

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Abstract
Yield of individual plants of Asparagus officinalis L. cv. ‘Mary Washington 500W’ grown from seed is very variable. Yield can be improved by selection on plant sex, specific vegetative characters, or yield itself. A study of yield variation among plants in an experimental population showed that an all-male population would yield 35% more than a population with about equal numbers of males and females. Populations established vegetatively from high-yielding plants could more than double present yields. The increase in yield expected from selection on early yield and stalk number was estimated, as these easily measured characters are reliable indicators of yield in subsequent seasons.