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Cultivation Practices (cultivation + practice)
Selected AbstractsInfluence of Cultivation System on Bioactive Molecules Synthesis in Strawberries: Spin-off on Antioxidant and Antiproliferative ActivityJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010L. D'Evoli ABSTRACT:, Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa,L., cv. favette) were studied to investigate the influence of cultivation practices (biodynamic, conventional) on the synthesis of bioactive molecules (ascorbic acid, ellagic acid, anthocyanins, flavonols) and to evaluate their antioxidant activity. Additionally, the,in vitro,bioactivity, in terms of antioxidant and antiproliferative activity, of the same strawberry samples in human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cells was also studied. Compared to conventional strawberries, biodynamic fruits had a significantly higher content of ascorbic acid (P,< 0.01), pelargonidin-3-glucoside (P,< 0.05), cyanidin-3-glucoside (P,< 0.01), ellagic acid (P,< 0.01), quercetin, and kaempferol (both,P,< 0.01). Antioxidant activity of biodynamic strawberry crude extract was significantly higher than that of the conventional one (P,< 0.05); in addition, while the antioxidant activity of water-soluble fraction was very similar in both biodynamic and conventional strawberries, that of water-insoluble fraction of biodynamic fruits was significantly higher (P,< 0.05). The same crude extract of biodynamic strawberry samples effectively corresponded to an increase of bioactivity, in terms of both cellular antioxidant activity and antiproliferative activity, in Caco-2 cells differentiated to normal intestinal epithelia and in undifferentiated Caco-2, respectively. Further studies are needed to confirm whether the practice of biodynamic agriculture is likely to increase the bioactivity of other varieties of fruits and vegetables. [source] A comparison of flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamin C in commercial organic and conventional marinara pasta sauceJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 2 2008Eunmi Koh Abstract BACKGROUND: Characterising the levels of key phytochemicals in foods commonly consumed in the Western diet is critical for database development, estimating intake and assessing the potential health benefits associated with the consumption of these products. This paper describes a market-basket evaluation of the key flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamin C in commercial organic (five brands) and conventional (five brands) marinara pasta sauces. RESULTS: Levels of ascorbic acid ranged from undetected up to 6.87 mg per 100 g fresh weight. The levels of total vitamin C in six of the ten samples were significantly lower than the amount listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01). The contents of total vitamin C, flavonoids and lycopene were not statistically different between organic and conventional samples. Conventional pasta sauces demonstrated a significantly higher level of all- trans -,-carotene (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This suggests that any beneficial differences in levels of flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamin C gained through cultivation practices are not measurable at the consumer level in processed tomato products. Additionally, the results point to a large disparity between the actual vitamin C content of these products and the content listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Antioxidative and antimutagenic activities and polyphenol content of pesticide-free and organically cultivated green vegetables using water-soluble chitosan as a soil modifier and leaf surface sprayJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 15 2001Huifeng Ren Abstract Five green vegetables (qing-gen-cai, Chinese Cabbage, spinach, Welsh onion and green pepper) commonly used in our daily diet were analysed to determine their antioxidative and antimutagenic activities and chemical content of polyphenols. We obtained pesticide-free and organically cultivated (O) vegetables using water-soluble chitosan as a soil modifier and leaf surface spray (as an alternative natural insecticide) in order to investigate biofunctions induced or enhanced by such specialised cultivation practices. In addition, we purchased the same varieties of vegetables cultivated on an adjacent farm in the conventional manner (C) using pesticides and chemical fertilisers in order to examine the differences in biological activities and distribution of constituents responsible for such activities. The antioxidative activity shown by O vegetables was 120% times higher than that shown by C vegetables in the case of spinach and 20,50% higher in the case of Welsh onion, Chinese cabbage and qing-gen-cai. In comparison with C vegetables, the antimutagenic activity shown by O vegetables was higher against 4-nitroquinoline oxide (4NQO) in qing-gen-cai, Chinese cabbage and Welsh onion, against benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in all five vegetables, against 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoline (IQ) in qing-gen-cai, Chinese cabbage and green pepper and against 3-amino-1-methyl-5H -pyrido[4,3- b]indole acetate (Trp-P-2) in spinach only. Among all green vegetable juices tested for flavonoid composition, quercitrin, caffeic acid and baicalein in O vegetables were detected in concentrations 1.3,10.4 times higher than those found in C vegetables, suggesting the influence of different cultivation practices. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] The impact of changing olive cultivation practices on the ground flora of olive groves in the Messara and Psiloritis regions, Crete, GreeceLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2006H. D. Allen Abstract This paper examines the impact that different olive cultivation practices have on the nature of the ground flora of olive groves in the region of the Psiloritis massif and Messara Plain in central and southern Crete, Greece. In lower, flatter areas there are areas of both traditional and intensive forms of olive cultivation. In more marginal, upland areas there are traditional terraced olive groves, some of which are being abandoned. The relationship between the vegetation composition of the ground flora and environmental variables was established, by means of TWINSPAN® and ordination analysis, using survey data from nineteen sites across the region. Four vegetation communities are identified: olive with herbaceous taxa; olive with sclerophyllous shrub taxa; and two forms of sclerophyllous shrub communities. Ordination results indicate that environmental variables, such as soil characteristics, slope aspect and slope angle, explain about 60,per,cent of the species,environment relationships. The remaining variation in species composition is interpreted to be the result of different cultivation practices. The implications for land degradation are examined, in particular the changes in vegetation diversity of both intensive and semi-abandoned olive groves, the potential for increased soil erosion, and the risk of fire as a result of increased fuel loading as flammable shrubs invade abandoned terraces. Intensification of olive cultivation in Crete, and across the Mediterranean, has been encouraged by subsidies from the European Union leading to rapid landscape change. Thus there is a need to monitor changes in olive cultivation practices both at the local scale, by means of ground-based fieldwork, and at landscape and regional scales, by means of remote sensing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Inferring ancient Agave cultivation practices from contemporary genetic patternsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 8 2010KATHLEEN C. PARKER Abstract Several Agave species have played an important ethnobotanical role since prehistory in Mesoamerica and semiarid areas to the north, including central Arizona. We examined genetic variation in relict Agave parryi populations northeast of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona, remnants from anthropogenic manipulation over 600 years ago. We used both allozymes and microsatellites to compare genetic variability and structure in anthropogenically manipulated populations with putative wild populations, to assess whether they were actively cultivated or the result of inadvertent manipulation, and to determine probable source locations for anthropogenic populations. Wild populations were more genetically diverse than anthropogenic populations, with greater expected heterozygosity, polymorphic loci, effective number of alleles and allelic richness. Anthropogenic populations exhibited many traits indicative of past active cultivation: fixed heterozygosity for several loci in all populations (nonexistent in wild populations); fewer multilocus genotypes, which differed by fewer alleles; and greater differentiation among populations than was characteristic of wild populations. Furthermore, manipulated populations date from a period when changes in the cultural context may have favoured active cultivation near dwellings. Patterns of genetic similarity among populations suggest a complex anthropogenic history. Anthropogenic populations were not simply derived from the closest wild A. parryi stock; instead they evidently came from more distant, often more diverse, wild populations, perhaps obtained through trade networks in existence at the time of cultivation. [source] | ||||||||||