Patent Application
20070266466
The Latin name is Asparagus officinalis.
The varietal denomination is ‘NJ22-34’.
For an asparagus plant to be commercially viable and profitable, good yield is essential. It is well known that asparagus is susceptible to a number of diseases. Among the most devastating are rust caused by Puccinia asparagi d.c., (Kahn et al. 1952), crown rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum and root rot caused by f. Proliferatum (syn=f. Moniliforme) (Johnston et al., 1979; Guerrero et al., 1999). Of course, the presence of these diseases aversely impacts the yields and therefore the profitability of the product. Accordingly, resistance to these diseases is essential to commercial success.
This invention relates to a new and distinct homozygous-male asparagus plant designated as ‘NJ22-34’. Plant ‘NJ22-34’ possesses several desirable traits including vigorous growth habit, resistance to rust (Puccinia asparagi), and good field tolerance to root and crown rot (Fusarium oxysporum) and (Fusarium mondiforme), respectively, as compared to its progenies.
The color notations in our Data Summary have been selected by us from observations as compared with the Munsell Limit Color Cascade, Munsell Color. It should be mentioned that foliage color of asparagus could be affected by many factors including plant nutrition, temperature, humidity and the density of growth. Therefore, the color characteristics of this new variety should be determined with reference to the observations described herein, rather than from this illustration alone. Furthermore, the coloration is not considered to be a distinguishing feature of this new variety.
An extensive program of asparagus plant development, carried out at a cultivated area in the vicinity of Bridgeton, N.J. and New Brunswick, N.J. has resulted in the development of the asparagus hybrid plant ‘NJ22-34’ with many desirable traits. ‘NJ22-34’ was produced by self-fertilization of an andromonoecious male plant known as Asparagus Plant No. 22 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,999). Asexual reproduction of ‘NJ22-34’ has been conducted via tissue culture in a laboratory in New Brunswick, N.J.
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis Linn.) is a dioecious species with individual plants being either male or female in sex. In addition to differences in morphology “cultivars” may also differ in local adaptation, yield, disease resistance, and longevity. Desirable cultivars are developed by crossing of elite male and female parents. Both male and female parents transmit traits such as disease resistance, yield, and spear morphology to their progenies. ‘NJ22-34’ is produced by self-fertilization of an andromonoecious plant ‘NJ22’. The asparagus plant ‘NJ22-34’ is a homozygous male. All of the Fl progenies produced by crossing any female with ‘NJ22-34’ will be males.
Good yield is essential for profitability. Yield of asparagus may vary significantly among genotypes. In tests carried out in different locations, hybrids of crosses of different females and ‘NJ22-34’ produced higher yield than hybrids of crosses of different females and previously patented asparagus plant 22-8 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,549, Ellison).
The following table shows that the progenies of ‘NJ22-34’ out yield the progenies of NJ 22-8, which is the parent of Jersey Giant (U.S. Plant. Pat. No. 5,551) and Jersey Knight (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,624), two highly popular asparagus varieties cultivated around world today.
Asparagus can be clonally propagated by crown division. Crown is the structure where shoots and roots join together. Division or separation at the crown area will allow the propagation of asparagus. It has been observed that ‘NJ22-34’ plants propagated by crown division have similar morphological appearance and possess the same desirable characteristics as the original ‘NJ22-34’.
Asparagus can also be clonally propagated by tissue culture. An asparagus shoot tip or meristem when cultured on appropriate nutrient medium and appropriate conditions can grow, develop, and regenerated into a plant. Also, asparagus plant part such as a spear segment when cultured on appropriate nutrient medium and appropriate conditions can grow, develop, and regenerate into asparagus plant. Such plant can be efficiently divided and multiplied in appropriate nutrient medium. The ‘NJ22-34’ plant propagated by various tissue culture techniques possesses and retain the same desirable characteristics as the original ‘NJ22-34’ plant.
This invention also includes hybrids produced by crossing a female asparagus plant with ‘NJ22-34’. When crossed with different female plants, asparagus ‘NJ22-34’ produced only male hybrids. ‘NJ22-34’ can transmit its desirable traits including vigorous growth habit, resistance to rust (Puccinia asparagi) good field tolerance to root and crown rot (Fusarium oxysporum) and (Fusarium mondiforme) to its progenies.
Morphological data has been accumulated that distinguishes asparagus plant NJ22-34 from other asparagus varieties that developed internally, as well as asparagus plants that are known and available commercially in the markets.
The data (averages from 3 clones) are assembled in the following table:
This application is related to co-pending plant patent application Ser. No. 11/431,187 entitled GENOTYPE OF ASPARAGUS PLANT NJ 44P which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is filed currently herewith.
