Annals of Applied Biology ISSN 0003-4746

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Phenological growth stages of edible asparagus (Asparagus

officinalis): codification and description according
to the BBCH scale
C. Feller1 , E. Richter2 , T. Smolders3 & A. Wichura4
1 Leibniz-Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Department of Modelling and Knowledge Transfer, Großbeeren/Erfurt e.V., Großbeeren,
Germany
2 Julius Kühn-Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Braunschweig, Germany
3 Limseeds BV, Horst, The Netherlands
4 Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony, Plant Protection Service, Hannover, Germany

Keywords
Asparagus; BBCH scale; phenological growth
stages.
Correspondence
C. Feller, Leibniz-Institute of Vegetable and
Ornamental Crops, Department Modelling and
Knowledge transfer, Großbeeren/Erfurt e.V.,
Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979
Großbeeren, Germany.
Email: feller@igzev.de
Received: 31 May 2011; revised version
accepted: 29 November 2011.
doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.2012.00530.x
Abstract
BBCH [Biologische Bundesanstalt (Julius Kühn-Institut), Bundessortenamt,
CHemische Industrie] scales are used in applied natural sciences for the
description of phenological growth stages of plants and are available for
many crops today. Currently, a specific BBCH scale for Asparagus officinalis, a
perennial vegetable plant of worldwide interest, does not exist. In this study,
an extended BBCH scale was developed, describing precisely the growth stages
of A. officinalis. Nine principal growth stages were defined and subdivided into
several secondary growth stages resulting in a two-digit decimal code. Detailed
descriptions of the particular stages and illustrations were included to clarify the
application of the code system. The scale is proposed to specify and harmonise
research activities as well as to enhance comparability of crop management
practices for growers of asparagus.

Introduction
Knowledge of the phenology of cultivated plants is
not only important for agricultural and horticultural
science but also for related scientific fields such as
meteorological sciences and botany (Meier et al., 2009b).
The BBCH [Biologische Bundesanstalt (Julius Kühn-
Institut), Bundessortenamt, CHemische Industrie] scale
is primarily based on a code originally developed for
cereal crops by Zadoks et al. (1974). The basic principles
of the BBCH scale were described in detail by Hack et al.
(1992). In most cases, it consists of a decimal code, divided
into principal and secondary growth stages, although a
further division into mesostages is possible if necessary
(Meier et al., 2009a). Meier (1997) and Meier et al.
(2009b) showed the substantial benefit of the BBCH scale
in agricultural practices and science, especially for the
correct timing of management events such as fertilisation
and pesticide applications to control pests, diseases and
weeds.
Meier et al. (2009b) gave a comprehensive overview
of the general history of the BBCH codes. In recent
years, more and more plant species were added and
described according to the extended BBCH scale (Meier
et al., 2009a; Archontoulis et al., 2010; Attibayéba
et al., 2010; Niemenak et al., 2010; Saska & Kuzovkina,
2010). Although BBCH scales exist for many vegetable
plants (Feller et al., 1995a,1995b), vegetable asparagus,
Asparagus officinalis L., has not been included until now.
This article describes phenological growth stages of edible
asparagus using the extended BBCH scale. The purpose
of the scale is to enhance comparability of research
activities and to improve cultivation management for
scientists, advisers and growers around the world.
Some specific morphological features have to be
taken into consideration when working with asparagus.
A. officinalis belongs to the Asparagaceae family and is a
perennial dioecious plant with male and female flowers
on separate plants, although hermaphrodite flowers are
sometimes found (Lee et al., 1996; Ainsworth, 2000). The
subterranean part of the herbaceous plant is known as the
crown, the foliage as the fern (Robb, 1984). Asparagus
foliage consists of many shoots or stems. The mature

174 Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
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C. Feller et al.
aboveground stems are much branched and reach a
height from 100 cm up to more than 200 cm. The ‘leaves’
are in fact needle-like phylloclades or cladodes in the axils
of scale leaves on the stem and side shoots of all orders.
Phylloclades are 6–32 mm long, about 1 mm broad and
clustered together in whorls of 2–15 phylloclades.
Morphologically, asparagus belongs to the group of
root succulents, featuring fleshy storage organs. The
horizontally growing rhizome is a plagiotrophic growing
stem axis with extremely short internodes and develops
in a sympodial manner.
Currently, vegetable asparagus is cultivated in about
62 countries worldwide with an estimated yield of 760
thousand tons per year and a total cultivated area of
about 196 thousand hectares. Of this area, 35.5% are
located in Asia, 29% in Europe and 34% in North and
South America (Benson, 2009). In America, mainly the
young unexpanded green shoots are consumed, whereas
in western European countries white asparagus spears
are preferred (Benson, 2009). White or green spears can
be received from the same plant but some cultivars are
better suited for green and others for white asparagus
production. The production of green and white asparagus
spears is determined by the cultivation method. Shoots
turn green as soon as they break through the soil surface.
Consequently, if white asparagus is to be produced, the
shoots have to be protected against light – traditionally
by forming soil ridges over the plants rows.
The plant development is influenced by climatic
conditions, with radiation and temperature being the
most important factors (Wilson et al., 2002), and by
management practices (e.g. harvesting).
Organisation of the scale
The entire developmental cycle of A. officinalis, as in
all BBCH descriptions of plants, is subdivided into
clearly recognisable and distinguishable developmental
phases. These principal growth stages are described using
numbers from 0 to 9 in ascending order. However,
principal growth stage 4 (development of harvestable
vegetative plant parts) is not applicable as harvest
proceeds in principal growth stage 0 or 3.
If two or more principal growth stages proceed
simultaneously, both can be indicated by using a diagonal
slash. If only one stage is to be recorded, either the
more advanced growth stage or the principal growth
stage of particular interest can be chosen. The principal
growth stages alone are not sufficient to precisely define
management or evaluation dates, as they only describe
phenological events during the course of asparagus
development.
Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
Annals of Applied Biology © 2012 Association of Applied Biologists
Growth stages of Asparagus officinalis according to the BBCH scale
Secondary stages add extra details to the principal
growth stages, such as the precise start and end points, to
assist management operations in the respective principal
growth stage. These secondary stages are also coded by
using the numbers 0–9, which can represent an ordinal
number or a percentage, depending on the growth phase
of the asparagus plant. The combination of the numbers
for the principal growth stage in the first position and
the secondary stages in the second position results in a
two-digit code.
Growth stages of the asparagus plant
Principal growth stage 0: germination/sprouting
According to the principles of the BBCH system,
germination of the seed and sprouting of perennial crops
are analogous growth stages (Hack et al., 1992) and
coded in the principal growth stage 0 (BBCH 01–09).
The development of an asparagus plant originating from
a seed starts in the principal growth stage ‘germination’
(BBCH 0) with stage BBCH 00 ‘dormant seed’, and ends
with ‘emergence’ when the primary shoot tip breaks
through the soil surface (BBCH 09).
The dormant rhizome is coded BBCH 00 regardless of
how dormancy was induced. In regions with temperate
climate, dormancy is induced by low temperatures.
In tropical regions without cold-induced dormancy,
asparagus plants start a new growth cycle after the fern
has been cut and removed from the field. In desert regions
like the Peruvian cultivation area, where asparagus is
cultivated via drip irrigation, growers use a drought-
induced dormancy. In tropical as well as in desert regions,
asparagus can be grown in a 6-month cycle and harvested
twice a year (Krarup, 1996), in contrast to the annual
harvest in temperate regions.
For white spear production, soil ridges are formed
when plants are in BBCH 00. In regions with temperate
climate, this occurs at the end of winter or in early spring,
when the soil has reached a temperature between 6◦ C
and 10◦ C. In regions with warmer climate, it occurs at
the end of an induced dormancy, when the first shoot is
starting to grow (BBCH 01, Fig. 1, no. 01). These ridges
can be covered with different types of clear and coloured
plastic films to regulate the temperature in the ridge and
thus the harvesting time. Positive side effects of the cover
are reduced problems with weeds on the ridge as well as
minor problems with pests like root flies. At the end of
the white asparagus harvest, either the whole ridges or
just the sides are flattened to facilitate fern growth.
The next important growth stage after the subterranean
development is BBCH 09 (Fig. 1, no. 09), when the shoots
break through the soil surface. Following conventional
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Growth stages of Asparagus officinalis according to the BBCH scale
Figure 1 Principal growth stages 0 and 2: the rootstock of an asparagus
plant (01), a shoot breaking the soil surface (09) and the formation of side
shoots (22).
cultivation methods for white asparagus, spears that are
reaching and breaking the soil surface are continuously
harvested by manual cutting. This harvest lasts several
weeks but should not exceed 10 weeks (cold-induced
dormancy) and 4–6 weeks (tropical regions) to ensure
that enough shoots are left to replenish the root reserves
for the following growing cycle (Dufault & Ward, 2005).
However, only older crops (after three growing cycles)
are harvested for this prolonged time in practice, whereas
the harvesting period for younger plants should be
substantially shorter.
Nowadays, different forms of selective or full mechan-
ical harvesting of white asparagus are used or under
investigation (Clary et al., 2007; Cembali et al., 2008). An
unselective full harvesting method is to lift up the ridge,
cut off all shoots and replace the ridge again within one
working step. In this case, the asparagus plant is reset to
BBCH 06 after each mechanical harvest, since all growing
shoots are cut off. The next harvest begins when most of
the shoots have reached BBCH 09 again. Depending on
the plant variety and growing conditions, this method of
harvesting can be conducted up to six times per year.
176
C. Feller et al.
Principal growth stage 1: development of the seedling
Principal growth stage 1 (BBCH 11−19) describes the
development of asparagus seedlings in the first year only.
It is important for breeders and producers of transplants
and seedlings. The secondary stages correspond to the
respective ordinal numbers of shoots: a separation of
phylloclades developing on the new shoot signifies the
emergence of a new secondary growth stage. The primary
shoots of the seedling are restricted in their growth and
usually attain a height of only 10–20 cm (Blasberg, 1932).
The first one or two shoots form no branches. The third
and all following shoots of the seedling usually develop
branches and grow up to a height of more than 60 cm.
A seedling develops 5–6 shoots on average, although a
maximum of 10 shoots is possible.
In some areas in the world and in new cropping systems
in Germany, seedlings are propagated in peat pots in the
greenhouse for some weeks and transplanted directly in
the field at the final intrarow spacing (BBCH 13). The
intention is to avoid root damage, which may occur on
older transplants during the transplanting process.
Principal growth stage 2: formation of side shoots
(>5 cm)
The development of side shoots is relevant to the
description of the aboveground development of the
asparagus plant, especially during the first years after
planting, when the plant does not reach its final height.
Initially, side shoots and inflorescence buds are becoming
visible in the axils of the scale leaves on the stem.
Phylloclades and side shoots of higher order appear a
few days later.
Principal growth stage 2 (BBCH 21–29) differs from
that of other BBCH scales. Usually, shoot development is
classified from one to nine, with every secondary stage
indicating the development of one side shoot. In the
case of asparagus, this classification is not applicable, as
mostly more than nine side shoots develop in a quite
short time. Thus, secondary growth stage 29 would be
reached too quickly. Hence, the development of the plant
could not be described precisely enough, as principal
growth stage 2 shall provide a measure for the density
of the canopy. Some cultivation methods such as the
application of pesticides depend on the density of the
canopy.
In the following, the number of side shoots (>5 cm)
that are covered by the proposed scale ranges from 1
to more than 40, categorised into groups of five shoots.
Hence, growth stage 21 indicates between 0 and 5 side
shoots, growth stage 22 between 6 and 10 side shoots
(Fig. 1, no. 22), growth stage 23 between 11 and 15 side
shoots and so forth. Finally, growth stage 29 describes
Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
Annals of Applied Biology © 2012 Association of Applied Biologists
C. Feller et al.
all states with more than 40 side shoots. At each time,
the side shoots should be counted at the stem with the
most developed side shoots. The formation of side shoots
runs concurrently with plant stem elongation (principal
growth stage 3).
Principal growth stage 3: stem elongation
Principal growth stage 3 (BBCH 31–39) describes
stem elongation of the longest shoot, which is not
necessarily the first shoot growing aboveground. Usually,
the secondary stages within principal growth stage 3
are given in percent of the typical maximum plant
height/shoot length (Hack et al., 1992). This principle
is not suitable for vegetable asparagus since length
development has a determining influence on the harvest
of green asparagus. Instead, small developmental steps are
described between BBCH 31 and BBCH 33, which allows a
more accurate prediction of the appropriate harvest time.
Green asparagus is harvested for several weeks at stage
BBCH 33. During the harvest period, many shoots grow
simultaneously from different bud clusters (Fig. 2, no.
32). At the time when these young unexpanded shoots
(green spears) reach a length of 20–30 cm, all of them
are cut close to the soil surface. The only exception is the
so-called mother fern method or mother stalk method
(Orton & Garrison, 2008). Here, a couple of mature
photosynthesising shoots remain, while newly developed
spears are harvested.
After the end of the harvest period of white (BBCH
09) or green (BBCH 33) asparagus, the following spears
are allowed to complete their growth. Knowledge of
the length of the shoots is necessary because it is
Figure 2 Principal growth stages 3 and 5: stem elongation of the
asparagus plant (32) and stem with first inflorescences (51).
Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
Annals of Applied Biology © 2012 Association of Applied Biologists
Growth stages of Asparagus officinalis according to the BBCH scale
used as a criterion in various cultivation methods. For
instance, considering fertilizer or pesticide applications,
the maximal height for common tractor passage is
80–90 cm. The aboveground length of the asparagus
stem is given in centimetres (cm) measured from the
soil surface.
Principal growth stage 5: inflorescence emergence
Flower bud development occurs axillary at the bottom
of the scale leaves (Fig. 2, no. 51). The stretching of the
flower pedicles starts to occur before the phylloclades or
side shoots are completely developed (Fig. 3, no. 55).
In BBCH 59, the first petals are visible but flowers are
still closed (Fig. 3, no. 59). One-year-old crops sometimes
develop no inflorescences. The climatic conditions are of
minor importance for flower formation though they have
a decisive effect on the lifetime and the quality of the
flowers.
Principal growth stage 6: flowering
In growth stage BBCH 60, the first flowers open
sporadically but real flowering starts at growth stage
BBCH 61 (Fig. 3, no. 61) when about 10% of the flowers
have opened. The flowers are bell-shaped, greenish-white
to yellowish, 4.5–6.5 mm long and consist of six petals
partially fused together at the base. They appear singly or
in clusters of two to three flowers at the junctions of the
branchlets. Asparagus is pollinated by insects. The flower
is very attractive to bees (Delaplane & Mayer, 2000).
Principal growth stage 7: development of fruit
Three to four days after pollination of the flower, the
ovary becomes visible. Subsequently, the ovary grows
over a period of about 3 weeks into a well-developed,
green, round-shaped berry. The berries have an average
size of 6 mm in diameter and contain two to four seeds.
Principal growth stage 8: fruit ripening
Principal growth stage 8 encompasses the discolouration
of the berries, which are green at the beginning and
turn dark red shortly before they burst (Fig. 3, no. 87).
The development of berries is important for asparagus
breeding and seed production. After berry development,
it takes about 5 weeks to ripen, altogether about 8 weeks
between pollination and formation of a ripe berry in a
temperate climate. Only the seeds in a red (ripe) berry
are able to germinate properly.
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Growth stages of Asparagus officinalis according to the BBCH scale C. Feller et al.

Figure 3 Principal growth stages 5, 6 and 8: first pedicles clearly stretched (55), first flower petals visible (59), beginning of flowering (61) and ripe
fruits (87).

Principal growth stage 9: senescence, beginning 08 Stem: Shoots just before breaking the soil surface
of dormancy 09 Stem: Shoots breaking the soil surface
Seed: Emergence; primary shoot breaks through
The end of the growth cycle is described by the late
the soil surface
developmental stages BBCH 91–97. Discolouration of
plant parts progresses from green to yellow, indicating
die off of the ferns. BBCH stages 91–93 describe the Principal growth stage 1: development of the seedling
discolouration of phylloclades, stage 95 the discolouration
of the side shoots and stems. At stage BBCH 97, all 11 First phylloclade completely separated on the first
aboveground parts of the plant are dead and can be cut off. shoot
12 First phylloclade completely separated on the
The extended BBCH scale of asparagus plant second shoot
13 First phylloclade completely separated on the third
Principal growth stage 0: germination/sprouting/yield shoot
of white asparagus
1X First phylloclade completely separated on the xth
00 Stem: Dormancy of the rootstock shoot
Seed: Dry seed 19 First phylloclade completely separated on the ninth
01 Stem: First shoot just visible (<5 mm) shoot (and above)
Seed: Beginning of seed swelling; radicle not visible
03 Seed: End of seed imbibition Principal growth stage 2: formation of side shoots
05 Seed: Radicle emerged from seed (>5 cm)
06 Stem: Beginning of shoot growth (>5 mm)
Seed: Elongation of radicle, formation of root hairs 21 1–5 side shoots
and/or lateral roots 22 6–10 side shoots
07 Stem: Shoots grow to the soil surface 23 11–15 side shoots
Seed: Tip of the plant breaking the seed coat 24 16–20 side shoots

178 Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
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C. Feller et al.
25 21–25 side shoots
26 26–30 side shoots
27 31–35 side shoots
28 36–40 side shoots
29 More than 40 side shoots
Principal growth stage 3: stem elongation
31 Longest shoot up to 10 cm long
32 Longest shoot up to 20 cm long
33 Longest shoot up to 30 cm long (harvest of green
asparagus)
34 Longest shoot up to 40 cm long
35 Longest shoot up to 80 cm long
36 Longest shoot up to 120 cm long
37 Longest shoot up to 160 cm long
38 Longest shoot up to 200 cm long
39 Elongation growth of the longest shoot is ceased
Principal growth stage 5: inflorescence emergence
51 First inflorescence or flower buds visible
55 First pedicles clearly stretched (first phylloclades
are visible)
59 First petals visible; flowers still closed
Principal growth stage 6: flowering
60 First flowers open
61 Beginning of flowering: about 10% of flowers open
63 About 30% of flowers open
65 Full flowering: at least 50% of flowers open
67 Flowers fading: majority of petals fallen
69 End of flowering: all petals fallen
Principal growth stage 7: development of fruit
70 First fruits (berries) visible
75 50% of fruits have reached final size
79 Nearly all fruits have reached final size
Principal growth stage 8: fruit ripening
81 Fruits still green
83 Beginning of fruit colouration (fruits yellowish)
85 Advanced fruit colouration (fruits yellowish-
reddish)
86 Advanced fruit colouration; nearly all fruits reddish
87 Nearly all fruits are dark red; not yet burst
Ann Appl Biol 160 (2012) 174–180 © 2012 The Authors
Annals of Applied Biology © 2012 Association of Applied Biologists
Growth stages of Asparagus officinalis according to the BBCH scale
Principal growth stage 9: senescence, beginning of
dormancy
91 10% of the phylloclades are discoloured
(yellowish)
92 50% of the phylloclades are discoloured
(yellowish)
93 All phylloclades are yellow and fallen down
95 Side shoots are discoloured
97 Plants parts above ground are dead
Conclusion
The proposed extended BBCH scale with its two-digit code
allows the identification of the principal growth stages
and their respective secondary stages of edible asparagus.
This code can support asparagus growers, breeders and
researchers in efficient planning of both management
practices and experimental design.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the artist Mr Ernst Halwass for
the creation of the drawings, and Uwe Meier, Dieter
Weber and Frank Uwihs for their discussions and helpful
comments.
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