ANNUAL REPORT, 1945-46 55 



DEPARTMENT OF OLERICULTURE 

 G. B. Snyder in Charge 



* Asparagus Investigations. (Robert E. Young, Waltham.) Growing condi- 

 tions of tiie two preceding years reduced tiie 1945 asparagus crop at tlie Waltiiam 

 Field Station to 56 percent of the 1944 crop. A reduction of 10 to 20 percent in 

 the stalk count talcen in the fall of 1944 was due to the unfavorable weather 

 during the growing season. Selections Nos. 1 and 4 have yielded almost twice 

 as many spears as the commercial strain in the past; and even though the total 

 yields were greatly reduced, this ratio was about the same in 1945. The average 

 weight of spears was only slightly less than previously, and most of the reduction 

 was in the number of stalks. There was no change-in the percentage of the two 

 top grades as compared with 1944. 



In the spring of 1945 a new generation of roots was set. Besides several com- 

 mercial varieties, these included many combinations of best male and female 

 plants from the plantings mentioned above. To obtain information on inheritance 

 of yield characteristics, portions of the same female plant were crossed with two 

 or more male plants. Two low-yielding plants, one male and the other female 

 were also used in crosses. Nineteen different strains and varieties were planted 

 in three replications. The plants made vigorous growth and only 19 out of 1900 

 died. It may be only a coincidence that 7 of these were from one of the com- 

 mercial strains. Those that died were not the small ones; in fact the average 

 weight of these crowns was greater than the average for the entire lot of plants 

 which was 58 grams. 



In the fall a count was made of the number of stalks produced by each strain 

 during the summer, and the average per plant varied from 5.11 to 14.41. The 

 commercial varieties and those crosses involving one or more low-yielding parents 

 produced the fewest stalks. Such a variation might be presumed to depend to a 

 large extent upon the original weight of the crowns when planted, but the strain 

 which produced the least stalks had the largest crowns. There was little or no 

 correlation between the original weight of the crowns and the number of stalks 

 produced. While the number of stalks an asparagus plant produces in the first 

 year's growth is not a sure criterion of future yield, data on second-generation 

 plants show that the production of a large number of stalks in the first year is 

 correlated with future high yields. 



Vegetable Breeding for Improvement of Quality. (Robert E. Young, Wal- 

 tham.) During the year breeding work has been conducted with broccoli 

 greenhouse cucumber, celery, rutabaga, New York type lettuce, tomato, carrot 

 and Butternut squash. While progress has been made in the development of 

 strains of carrot, celery, New York type lettuce, rutabaga, and greenhouse cu- 

 cumber better adapted for local use, it is insufficient to justify detailed discussion 



Broccoli. Lack of uniformity in time of maturity and plant type in commer- 

 cial varieties of broccoli was the reason for starting a breeding project on this 

 crop. The variation in maturity of plants is demonstrated by two commercial 

 varieties in our spring crop. By June 15, a date in midseason when all center 

 heads should be ready if the crop is to be profitable, 41 percent of the plants from 

 one of these varieties had been cut and 64 percent from the other. The best of 

 the breeding lines set in the same field at the same time had produced 98 percent 

 center heads. Other selfed lines ran from 47 to 93 percent, depending on the 

 number of times selfed. This self-pollination has produced the desired uni- 

 formity in type and maturity but has reduced vigor and narrowed adaptability 



