ARI REVIEW FOR 2016-2017

Table 3.1. Mean comparisons for fructose, glucose, sucrose, total sugars and soluble solids content at harvest of watermelon fruit from cvs. Sunday Special, Alicante, Pegasus and Modellino grafted on C. maxima × C. moschata (TZ148) rootstock. x Means within columns followed by different letters denote significant (P<0.05) differences according to Tukey HSD test. Evaluation of green asparagus hybrids and wild asparagus species for intensive culture under local conditions Green asparagus Asparagus officinalis cultivation presents unique features which render it potentially suitable as an alternative crop for Cyprus. It is a crop species considered highly tolerant to drought, however its irrigation requirements during the growth period of the fern (i.e. the above ground vegetative part) are linked to yield and quality. To examine the prospects of green asparagus cultivation in Cyprus, the Vegetable Crops Section of the ARI, in collaboration with the Horticulture Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, has set up an experimental trial of five promising male hybrids of green asparagus. Expected outputs of the experiment are: a) the determination of earliness, yield, quality based on physicochemical characteristics and post-harvest performance of the five promising male asparagus hybrids, and b) evaluation of the hybrids as to their suitability for cultivation in arid climates. Moreover, the adaptability and performance of two wild asparagus species ( A. stipularis and A. acutifolius ) under intensive cultivation is examined. Both species are seasonally collected in situ and marketed in the Cyprus market as wild products. There has been no attempt to characterise the populations of wild species of the genus Asparagus, nor any extensive collection, ex situ conservation and study of seed germination physiology. Furthermore, there is no information on crop physiology, cropmanagement, post-harvest physiology, composition and physicochemical quality characteristics of these species. In order to generate this information, the Vegetable Section of the ARI has collected genetic material (seeds) of the two wild species from compact indigenous populations originated at five typical edaphoclimatic-botanical territories of Cyprus. Sample populations consisted of genetic material from 40 individual plants per territory. Subsequently seeds were treated under standard procedures as stated in ENSCONET (2009) protocol. Following seed collection, a germination protocol was established (percentage of success >90%) and seedlings were developed for the experimental setup at the Zygi Station. Presently, experimental plots have been established for Α. Officinalis (five hybrids), A. stipularis (five populations) and A. acutifolius (2 populations). ( G.A. Soteriou, A. Kyratzis, M.C. Kyriacou ) 29 Vegetable Crops