Jamie Petchell, product manager for propagators and breeders at Hargreaves Plants, believesasparagus will ultimately be sold by variety, rather than simply size, thanks to the emergence of differing tastes and colours.
Today, the 100-odd growers which make up the industry, varying in size from almost cottage industry patches of production, serving farm shops and local restaurants to much larger farms, serving supermarkets, have all been reliant on Dutch Gijnlim and Backlim. These types were originally developed across the North Sea to meet the Continental demand for white asparagus.
There have been some new Dutch strains, but there is now far more specific green material in the pipeline, which is already showing promise, spearheaded by Guelph Millennium, Jersey Giant and Jersey Knight from North America, and others from Aspara Pacific in New Zealand and Northern Italy are also attracting attention.
The first results coming out from the largest trial ever seen in the UK will be revealed to growers at the first open day being held on August 9.
For the past six years Hargreaves Plants, in association with Asparagus International, has been building up what Petchell believes is already becoming “a library of the best world varieties” which can adapt to the UK climate.
Planting began on a five-acre plot at West Bilney, Norfolk, only two years ago and is annually becoming more and more impressive. Initially, there were 183 varieties, sourced from nine countries, which was expanded by 17 last year and a further 30 this season. Two other smaller sites are being run in tandem on the south coast and in the West Midlands, chosen for their different soil and micro-climates.
Emphasis has been placed on New Zealand which has 18 lines, Canada (six), the US (44) and Italy (70), including not just traditional green varieties, but deep purple strains with names like Pacific Purple which retains its colour during cooking.
While this season has got underway later than expected, last week Jane Fairlie, Hargreaves’ research and development manager, and her assistant Marie-Laure Martin were already beginning to evaluate the first cuttings. Asparagus ranged in size from heavy bulbous tips and thick stems to thin, fragile spru-like qualities.
Each coded variety in its 40-plant block on the raised beds will be assessed daily as it is harvested through the summer and judged on a defined range of quality standards which covers yield, spear shape, size and other criteria.
One aspect is to match the type as closely as possible with consumer demand.
“The size of spears is increasingly becoming a factor,” adds Stuart Stubbins, who after a career at Marks & Spencer now acts as a consultant to Hargreaves Plants. “The fact that the crop is now available year-round, mainly because of the establishment of the vast Peruvian industry, has meant that asparagus rather like champagne and smoked salmon has shed its luxury image. That means more people are buying it for a wide range of culinary uses, so the traditional bundle of thick, tender giant spears is only part of the equation.”
The other question is just how long the English season can last. The use of plastic covers has already added as much as a month to early harvesting so the crop can be on retail shelves by the end of March, before the traditional peak in May and June.
Petchell says that the trials have already shown the season can be extended into July, and perhaps even further when UK trials validate ASPIRE - a system of crown analysis developed in New Zealand which measures the levels of carbohydrate allowing accurate assessment of the maximum time the crop should be harvested.
Scientists at Cambridge University estimate that crowns are normally only yielding 60 per cent of their potential (around one tonne per acre based on UK industry figures). Petchell says this could be doubled and the season extended significantly.
All these factors, both men agree, point to the expectation that the industry is poised to see phenomenal growth over the next five years. Stubbins says the signs are already there that it is following a similar pattern to the soft fruit industry, which moved to larger production units and stronger marketing desks as part of the expansion process.
There are currently some 2,500a of asparagus under production in the UK with a seasonal value of approx £20m. The total annual market which covers imports is worth approx £75m. This is dominated by Peru and Thailand which continue to arrive throughout the English season, reflecting the national shortfall, is worth approx £75m.
The Asparagus Growers Association, which counts virtually the entire industry among its members estimates an expansion rate in the UK of at least 10 per cent a year.
And Petchell says that the rate will increase further owing to the newly-discovered possibility of cutting the maturing time for beds from five to two years. Hargreaves already has a 25a site in crown production, which will yield more than 2m plants of the new cultivars.
As such, when Petchell says: “The future looks bright”, it may turn out to be one of the biggest understatements made in the horticultural industry for a very long time.
No comments yet