PRACTICAL VIEW : The Stalk Reality of a Sex Scandal

Rest easy, gardeners. A settlement has been reached in the asparagus sex scandal suit.

The case, settled out of court in March, involves production of a new male hybrid acclaimed for productivity--as much as four times that of the old Washington sisters, Mary and Martha--vigor and extreme resistance to disease.

It’s a stalk thing: Male asparagus always outproduce females, which spawn hundreds of seedlings that can become a weed problem.

Developed at Cook College of Rutgers University, male hybrid asparagus began making headlines four years ago. Called Jersey hybrids, the line consists of eight varieties that were hailed especially for their maleness--few females ever “contaminated” the line.

The sex scandal came to light when females appeared among the “all male” hybrids raised by the grower with exclusive rights to the new line. Because this was the first large commercial production, the majority of “male” hybrid plants and seeds sold since the licensing were in fact mixed-sex.

And the mixed-sex hybrids entered the consumer pipeline in time for the 1992 catalogues.

Some catalogues and garden centers note that the seed currently sold as the male hybrid Jersey Giant is actually a derivative that may deliver as much as 50% female plants.

The Jersey Knight variety did escape “contamination” and is available from Jersey Farms Inc.