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Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a perennial crop well suited to grow in Quebec. Despite high demand for this crop, asparagus production is declining because of asparagus root rot disease that is caused by Fusarium spp. Phosphorus is one of the most important nutrients for the production of healthy asparagus roots that may resist infection by Fusarium. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of phosphorus (P) applications on asparagus yield and soil microbial parameters. Plots receiving 0 to 200% of the P recommendation, based on the Centre de reference en agriculture et agroalimentaire du Quebec (CRAAQ) guidelines, did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) in first year yield or plant tissue concentrations. However, asparagus receiving no fertilizer had 2 to 3 times higher arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation of roots than other treatments in May 2003. Fresh marketable yield was negatively correlated to Fusarium incidence (p = 0.0091 r = -0.51) suggesting that plants with higher yields are less susceptible to Fusarium symptoms and that producers should avoid over-harvesting low yielding plants to reduce Fusarium spread in the field. Soil microbial activity was not affected consistently by P fertilizers because of high variability in the field.

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Vaistinis smidras (Asparagus officinalis L.) daugelyje šalių auginamas kaip delikatesinė daržovė. Tai vertinga ankstyvo pavasario periodo daržovė, kuri auga toje pačioje vietoje ir dera 12-15 metų ir ilgiau. Vaistinio smidro introdukuotų veislių tyrimai atlikti Lietuvos žemės ūkio universiteto sodininkystės ir daržininkystės katedroje 2009. Tirtos vaistinio smidro veislių ‘D’Argenteuil Primaticcio’, ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’, ‘Eposs’, ‘Schneekopf’, ‘Rambo’, ‘Gartner Saat’, ‘Ravel’, ‘Ramos’, ‘Ramada’, ‘Rally’, ‘Ranger’ savybės, o taip pat kontrolinė ‘Mary Washington’ veislė, nustatytas derėjimo ankstyvumas ir trukmė, derlingumas, įvertinti ūglių kokybės rodikliai. Nustatyta, kad augalų vegetacija prasideda ne vienu metu. 2009 m. vegetacija prasidėjo balandžio 16-21 d. Tyrimų metais smidrų derėjimo trukmė buvo 24-28 d. Didžiausias ūglių derlius gautas iš veislių ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’ ir ‘Ravel’, didžiausią sausųjų medžiagų kiekį sukaupė ‘Schneekopf’ veislės ūgliai, vitamino C – ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’. Mažiausiai nitratų sukaupė ‘Rally’. Ūglių kokybės rodikliai (ilgis, skersmuo, vidutinė masė) atitiko kokybės reikalavimo standartus. / Officinal asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a vegetable that is grown in many countries. It can be harvested each year in early spring for a period of 12 – 15 years or more. The Department of Horticulture at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture performed a study of introductory varieties of officinal asparagus in 2009. The study included the adopted varieties of officinal asparagus ‘D’Argenteuil Primaticcio’, ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’, ‘Eposs’, ‘Schneekopf’, ‘Rambo’, ‘Gartner Saat’, ‘Ravel‘‚ ‘Ramos‘, ‘Rally‘, ‘Ramada‘ ‘Ranger‘ and a control variety, ‘Mary Washington‘. The study analyzed the time and duration of harvest, fertility and sprout quality indicators for each variety. The study concluded that the vegetation for plants starts at different times. In 2009, the vegetation started on April 16-21. During the years when the study was performed, the duration of the harvest was very similar, for 24-28 days. In 2009 the biggest harvest of the sprout of asparagus was received from the ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’ and ‘Ravel’ varieties. In 2009 the sprout of ‘Schneekopf’ piled up the biggest amount of dry substance, ‘Schwetzinger Meisterschub’ had the biggest amount of vitamin C. Lower levels of nitrates were ‘Rally’. The indicators (length, diameter, average mass) of the sprout quality matched the standards of quality.

Comprised of four essays, this collection of creative nonfiction focuses on facets of daily life and culture in Germany. The author recounts her experiences as she and her family assimilate into a foreign culture and adapt to using its language. The first essay tells of the family’s unexpected but rewarding sojourn in Germany after losing everything to Hurricane Katrina. The subsequent essays display a broader range of experiences and cultural observations upon the family’s return to Germany four years later. These include a narrative of the family’s move to a small town in central Germany, an interview with a local asparagus farmer and an account of the author’s children’s efforts to learn German.

This thesis reports on research that examines the early stage invasion process of Asparagus asparagoides (L.) W. Wight (bridal creeper), primarily a bird-dispersed weed, in a remnant vegetation patch. The study site is on Phillip Island, approximately 100 kilometres south east of Melbourne, Victoria. Asparagus asparagoides invasion of the remnant vegetation reserve is a relatively recent phenomenon. Landscape elements that affect bird dispersal and vegetation types that affect seedling establishment may be important factors that limit or enhance the spread of A. asparagoides. A systematic sampling strategy was adopted and data collected for a variety of landscape and vegetative variables including cover and abundance of A. asparagoides and the data were presented in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Preliminary results show that the distribution of A. asparagoides within a remnant vegetation patch is not random. It appears to have entered the reserve from two boundaries, spreading toward the centre, which to date remains sparsely colonised despite the capacity of this weed to spread rapidly over long distances by birds. A number of other outcomes are noted. Asparagus asparagoides establishment is prevented in pasture where sheep and cattle graze, and paddocks subjected to tillage practices. The exclusion of grazing in fenced off vegetation in pastures demonstrates rapid weed establishment and colonisation several hundred metres from main infestation. Field observation and visual inspection of temporal progress of invasion (using above ground weed density with tuber appearance to infer age) appear to suggest that invasion into remnant is associated with the track network. This age/density assumption is strengthened when spatial distribution is examined using a data set where low-density values for A. asparagoides are removed and compared with a data set using all A. asparagoides density values. The mapping of A. asparagoides in fenced off farm remnants suggests that velocity of spread at 191m/yr is a considerable underestimate. Subsequent analysis shows that the spatial distribution of A. asparagoides is not completely spatially random while intensity surface analysis highlights regions of low and high intensity located near track network. Mapping a density surface within GIS provided confirmatory evidence for the establishment of satellite clusters along the track network. The change in the intensity surface observed using the two data sets (lowdensity values and all density values) is also consistent with an expanding invasion occurring between two time periods. Spatial point pattern analysis using K-function statistics shows that xxii the clustering observed using GIS appears to be occurring at two scales or distances (130m- 160m and 195m-205m). The association between tracks and the invasion process observed in the initial stages of the study is examined. There is a change in density as a function of distance from a track where the density of A. asparagoides appears to reduce the further away from the track a site is and this relationship holds regardless of track width. The final stages of the study look at the development of a predictive model. Visual exploration of the data through mapping in a GIS and field observation made during data collection provide the starting point for the development of logistic models to estimate the probability of A. asparagoides presence. Finally the best overall logistic model is applied to a second independent site to determine the general applicability of the model. A number of variables that impact on the presence of A. asparagoides, particularly during the initial stages of the invasion process, are identified. While all the identified variables and the overall model are statistically significant, the model is found to correctly predict presence/absence in only 67% of cases overall. The model however could be expected to correctly predict the presence of A. asparagoides in 74% of cases and has a false positive rate of 40%. The model is applied at a second independent site and found to have an overall percent correct rate of 80% and correctly predicted A. asparagoides presence in 94% of cases. The variables identified as influential in the early stage of invasion are relatively easy to acquire by simple field survey that does not require specialist skills. When considering the model as a tool for the management of remnant vegetation communities, high false positive rates may lead to limited resources being spent on searching sites where there is no weed. However, a high false negative rate would have a larger impact on the management of the weed since the undetected infestations would form sources for new propagules. The model performs well from this point of view in that it provided low false negative rates at both sites. The value of the predictive model is its ability to provide managers with information regarding specific areas to target for weed eradication and management can use the model to assess the effectiveness of any control measures by going back to obtain new cover density data, then using the model to examine the changes over time. The model also provides a starting point for the development of a generic model of A. asparagoides invasion at sites outside of Phillip Island and could also provide the starting point for developing models that could be used for other bird-dispersed fleshy-fruited weed species.

This thesis explored the effects of cooked whole asparagus and its purified bioactive, rutin, on colitis symptoms and disease progression in mice using a chemically-induced model of colitis. This model mimics active colitis and recovery states of ulcerative colitis. C57BL/6 mice were fed a basal diet supplemented with 2% asparagus or 0.025% rutin for 3 weeks. Colitis was induced by 2% dextran sodium sulfate in drinking water for 7 days. Asparagus diet was determined to contain higher antioxidant capacities than rutin diet through antioxidant assays. During active colitis, consumption of asparagus alleviated some clinical symptoms (stool consistency, stool blood, and spleen hypertrophy) of colitis. In recovery, asparagus-fed mice were improving in terms of regenerating crypts, surface epithelial, and goblet cells, potentially due to its rutin content. Overall, these findings advocate that asparagus can be therapeutic in treating symptoms during active colitis and recovery phases of ulcerative colitis.