Antioxidant activity of asparagus, broccoli and their juices was evaluated using 2,20-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,20-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and b-carotene bleaching assays. Asparagus showed greater antioxidant activity than broccoli. Asparagus juice also had greater antioxidant activity than broccoli juice. Methanol and acetone extracts of asparagus and ...

The asparagus miner is an obligatory feeder on asparagus and a putative vector for pathogenic fungi implicated in the early decline of asparagus fields. To date, the distribution of the asparagus miner over space and time is poorly understood. Our study evaluated the spatial and temporal pattern of adult asparagus miners in commercial asparagus fields in Michigan in 2011 and 2012. We sampled ad...

BACKGROUND Asparagus officinalis has a high nutritional value. Asparagus is rich in a number of bioactive compounds, mainly flavonoids (quercetin), glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E, fructans (inulin and fructooligosaccharides) and phytosterols (b-sitosterol). These compounds may play an important role in human health. The purpose of this study was to examine the antioxidant potential and polyp...

Biometric based authentication protocols for multi-server architectures have gained momentum in recent times due to advancements in wireless technologies and associated constraints. Lu et al. recently proposed a robust biometric based authentication with key agreement protocol for a multi-server environment using smart cards. They claimed that their protocol is efficient and resistant to promin...

This research was undertaken to gather data in support of an assessment of the likelihood that Copitarsia decolora (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a pest of asparagus, Asparagus officinalis L., and other crops, could escape from the pathway followed by asparagus from the field to the consumer. Asparagus that is destroyed by cooking and consumption, being run through a trash compactor or garb...

The asparagus season has recently ended for northern hemisphere crops. Tradition has it that, at the summer solstice, growers stop cutting spears to allow the plant to grow and produce enough resources to generate spears for the next spring’s crop. The plant is becoming increasingly fashionable and production is increasing to meet demand. But the cultivated asparagus has a wild relative that is...

The goals of this study were to identify pupal parasitoids of the asparagus miner, Ophiomyia simplex Loew (Diptera: Agromyzidae), and examine the effect of different diets and floral resources on the lifespan of adult asparagus miners and their parasitoids. We also measured the effect of parasitism on stem damage caused by the asparagus miner. The identity and abundance of the parasitoids of th...

BACKGROUND The asparagus miner is a putative vector of Fusarium spp., which have been implicated in globally declining asparagus production. Growers currently apply broad-spectrum insecticides for the asparagus miner, but lack management guidelines for adequately controlling the pest. Our aims were (1) to determine the lower developmental threshold of the asparagus miner, (2) develop and valida...

The common and spotted asparagus beetles (Crioceris asparagi (L.) and Crioceris duodecimpunctata (L.), respectively) are host-specific pests of asparagus, and frequently occur wherever asparagus is grown. The common asparagus beetle is the more serious of the two pests. It emerges earlier in the season, and both adults and larvae can cause damage to the asparagus crop by chewing spears and remo...

THE EFFECTS OF COOKED WHOLE ASPARAGUS (ASPARAGUS OFFICINALIS L.) AND ITS PURIFIED BIOACTIVE, RUTIN, ON SYMPTOMS OF DSS-INDUCED ACUTE COLITIS AND RECOVERY IN C57BL/6 MICE Jenifer Thi Lu Advisor: Dr. Lindsay Robinson University of Guelph, 2013 This thesis explored the effects of cooked whole asparagus and its purified bioactive, rutin, on colitis symptoms and disease progression in mice using a c...