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Guelph Eclipse

Asparagus

Denomination: 'Guelph Eclipse'
Previously Proposed Denomination: 'UG005'
Botanical Name: Asparagus officinalis
Applicant/Holder: University of Guelph
Research Innovation Office
Building #92, 50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 2W1
Canada
Breeder: David Wolyn, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Application Date: 2015-12-15
Provisional Protection:: 2015-12-15
Application Number: 15-8775
Grant of Rights Date: 2017-12-07
Certificate Number: 5589
Grant of Rights Termination Date: 2037-12-07

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Guelph Evolution', 'Guelph Equinox', 'Guelph Millennium' and 'Gijnlim'

Summary: 'Guelph Eclipse' has a very low frequency of plants with one or more androhermaphrodite flowers whereas 'Guelph Evolution' has a low to medium frequency, 'Guelph Equinox' has a medium to high frequency, and 'Guelph Millennium' and 'Gijnlim' have a strong to very strong frequency of plants with one or more androhermaphrodite flowers. The first bracts at the base of the apex of the spear of 'Guelph Eclipse' are longer than the first bracts at the base of the apex of the spear of 'Guelph Equinox' and 'Guelph Millennium'. The plants of 'Guelph Eclipse' has dense phylloclades whereas 'Guelph Evolution', 'Guelph Equinox', and 'Guelph Millennium' have medium dense phylloclades. When fully extended, the maximum length of the stem of 'Guelph Eclipse' is shorter than the stem of 'Guelph Equinox'. At ground level, the stem of 'Guelph Eclipse' is larger in diameter than the stem of 'Guelph Equinox'.

Description:

PLANT: dense phylloclades, medium intensity of green foliage, many stems, androhermaphrodite flowers and/or male flowers with style rudiments are present, plants with androhermaphrodite flowers occur at a very low frequency

SPEAR: early emergence
SPEAR APEX: medium triangular shape, anthocyanin colouration present, equal in diameter compared to middle of stem
BRACTS: adpressed, closed to weakly open

FLOWERING: begins early in the season

Origin & Breeding History: The male asparagus hybrid 'Guelph Eclipse' (experimental number UG005) is produced by crossing a female clone and a supermale clone. The initial cross was made at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario in 1995. The female parent was a plant selected from an open-pollinated asparagus variety. The supermale parent was a plant grown from seed extracted from andromonoecious berries found on a male asparagus hybrid. Selection criteria for 'Guelph Eclipse' included high marketable yield, resistance to foliar diseases and longevity of years of harvest. The hybrid was also selected for long, smooth spears with tight tips and uniform spear diameter.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'Guelph Eclipse' were conducted at the Simcoe Research Station, Simcoe, Ontario in 2015 and 2016. There were two replicated plots for each variety of 'Guelph Eclipse', 'Guelph Evolution', 'Guelph Equinox', 'Guelph Millennium', and 'Gijnlim'. Each plot contained twenty crowns spaced 30 cm apart with a distance between rows of 1.25 metres. Mean differences are significant at the 5% probability level based on a paired Student's t-test.


Comparison tables for 'Guelph Eclipse' with reference varieties 'Guelph Evolution', 'Guelph Equinox', 'Guelph Millennium' and 'Gijnlim'

Length of first bracts at base of apex of spear (cm)

  'Guelph Eclipse' 'Guelph Evolution' 'Guelph Equinox' 'Guelph Millennium' 'Gijnlim'
mean 2015 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9
std. deviation 0.14 0.19 0.16 0.19 0.18
number measured 39 38 36 39 37
mean 2016 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.3
std. deviation 0.18 0.20 0.20 0.13 0.18
number measured 38 38 36 40 38

Maximum length of fully extended stem (cm)

  'Guelph Eclipse' 'Guelph Evolution' 'Guelph Equinox' 'Guelph Millennium' 'Gijnlim'
mean 2015 141.4 140.5 155.9 146.9 141.8
std. deviation 18.04 16.01 15.58 19.51 24.42
number measured 39 38 37 40 38
mean 2016 186.3 182.2 199.8 195.5 190.9
std. deviation 28.84 15.07 17.58 17.60 28.00
number measured 39 38 37 40 38

Diameter of stem at ground level (cm)

  'Guelph Eclipse' 'Guelph Evolution' 'Guelph Equinox' 'Guelph Millennium' 'Gijnlim'
mean 2015 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
std. deviation 0.19 0.17 0.14 0.20 0.21
number measured 39 38 37 40 38
mean 2016 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.4
std. deviation 0.39 0.16 0.22 0.37 0.33
number measured 39 38 37 40 38

Click on image for larger view
Guelph Eclipse
Asparagus: 'Guelph Eclipse' (top right) with reference varieties 'Gijnlim' (top left), 'Guelph Millennium' (bottom left), 'Guelph Evolution' (centre bottom), and 'Guelph Equinox' (bottom right)

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