Assimilates transfer between fern and rhizome over an extended season in 2X and 8X asparagus

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a perennial vegetable crop with different ploidy levels. The translocation of assimilates in diploid (2X) and octoploid (8X) asparagus between rhizome and fern needs to be understood. Transfer of soluble sugars, pigments, and invertase activity were studied in the two-year-old asparagus from May to November 2019. Sucrose and glucose were the major soluble carbohydrates in the asparagus rhizome. In the case of 2X asparagus, there was a balance of total sugars in the fern and rhizome, as opposed to anthocyanin. May and September were critical stages in the consumption or storage of substances in 2X asparagus. Sucrose transferred from fern to rhizome from August to October in 2X and 8X. Total sugars in rhizome decreased from May to June in 2X and 8X. Invertase activity increased from May to June and after that declined in both 2X and 8X. The growth of fern was dominant to the rhizome until August and the loading of glucose in the rhizome was low. The discriminant analysis indicated the difference in the response pattern of the 2X and 8X asparagus, where the rhizome fructose, fern carotenoid, and rhizome glucose in 2X but the rhizome sucrose, rhizome total sugars, fern fructose, fern anthocyanin, fern invertase, and fern sucrose were the most influential variables in these two types of asparagus. The total sugars, sucrose, glucose, and fructose transfer patterns in diploid and octoploid asparagus can be used for nutrition management by asparagus growers.