Plantation future of bamboo in China

In the past, utilization of bamboo resources in China has been traditionally dominated by direct consumption of local farmers as minor forest products with weak linkage with market. In recent years, the over-supply of grains and rapid degradation of agricultural environment call for alternative crops that can be developed through integrating the environmental plantation with the market demands. Closely associated with forestry and agriculture, bamboo is able to deal with the new challenges which Chinas agriculture is facing. Of 534 documented bamboo species in China, 153 species produce edible-shoots and of which 56 species are recommended for agricultural plantation; 139 species provide timbers and of which 58 species recommended; 116 species can be splited as good strips for weaving and of which 22 species recommended; 88 species are considered as garden bamboos and of which 34 species recommended; 45 species are able to produce paper pulp and of which 18 species recommended.

Greenhouse Intercropping of Green Asparagus(Asparagus officinalis Linn) and Coriander(Coriandrum sativum L.)

Greenhouse cultivation in northern China has the characteristic of single mode, and the intercropping mode is not common. Greenhouse intercropping of green asparagus （Asparagus officinalis Linn） and coriander （Coriandrum sativurn L.） not only could increase vegetable kinds, but also could improve cropping index, and the asparagus growers＇ income could also be improved. This paper introduced the intercropping technique of green asparagus and coriander, so as to provide technical support for large-area extension of greenhouse green asparagus cultivation and break the situation of single mode for .qreenhouse cultivation.

Evaluation of the Adaptability of 28 Green Asparagus Cultivars

[Objective] This study aimed to evaluate the adaptability of 28 green asparagus cultivars under the climatic conditions in Poland and to select cultivars most suitable for growing in Poland. [Method] Based on an overview of asparagus, spears of 28 cultivars from the six year’s harvest in 2008 were evaluated at the Marcelin Experimental Station. During the harvest period, spears were cut daily and trimmed to 22 cm, followed by grading and weigh. In addition, general appearance, anthocyan discolouration, head tightness, colour and smoothness of the spears were also evaluated. [Result] In terms of total yield, ‘Gynlim’ was the best cultivar, followed by ‘Hannibal’, ‘Ravel’, ‘Grolim’ and ‘Ramada’; ‘Gloria’ was the worst cultivar, followed by ‘Tsuki-kho 3’, ‘Purple Passion’, ‘Jacq. Ma 2014’, ‘Sartaguda’, and ‘Jacq. Ma 2004’. ‘Gynlim’, ‘Hannibal’, ‘Ravel’, ‘Ramada’ and ‘Ariane’ were the top five cultivars in early yield, and the worst cultivar concerning early yield was ‘PLA-2132’, followed by ‘Ramos’, ‘Tsuki-kho 3’ and ‘Purple Passion’. ‘Ariane’, ‘Cipress’, ‘Grolim’, ‘Gynlim’ and ‘Hannibal’ were five best culivars considering spear quality, and the four worst cultivars were ‘Jacq. Ma 2004’, ‘Gloria’, ‘Jacq. Ma 2014’ and ‘Tsuki-kho 3’. [Conclusion] Taken both the yield and quality of spears into consideration, the most suitable cultivars of green spears for growing under the climatic conditions in Poland should be ‘Gynlim’, ‘Hannibal’, ‘Ravel’ and ‘Grolim’, while ‘Gloria’, ‘Tsuki-kho 3’, ‘Purple Passion’, ‘Jacq. Ma 2014’ and ‘Sartaguda’ were not suitable for growing in Poland.

Response of Soil Phosphorus Required for Maximum Growth of Asparagus officinalis L. to Inoculation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

Fertilizer application efficiently increases crop yield, but may result in phosphorus(P) accumulation in soil, which increases the risk of aquatic eutrophication. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) inoculation is a potential method to enhance P uptake by plant and to reduce fertilizer input requirements. However, there has been limited research on how much P application could be reduced by AMF inoculation. In this study, a pot experiment growing asparagus(Asparagus officinalis L.) was designed to investigate the effects of AMF inoculation and six levels of soil Olsen-P(10.4, 17.1, 30.9, 40.0, 62.1, and 95.5 mg kg-1for P0, P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5treatments, respectively) on root colonization, soil spore density, and the growth and P uptake of asparagus. The highest root colonization and soil spore density were both obtained in the P1treatment(76% and 26.3 spores g-1soil, respectively). Mycorrhizal dependency significantly(P < 0.05) decreased with increasing soil Olsen-P. A significant correlation(P < 0.01) was observed between mycorrhizal P uptake and root colonization, indicating that AMF contributed to increased P uptake and subsequent plant growth.The quadratic equations of shoot dry weight and soil Olsen-P showed that AMF decreased the P concentration of soil required for maximum plant growth by 14.5% from 67.9 to 59.3 mg Olsen-P kg-1. Our results suggested that AMF improved P efficiency via increased P uptake and optimal growth by adding AMF to the suitable P fertilization.