Morphometric analysis of the mandible of Bardhoka autochthonous sheep in Kosovo

Kosovo, one of the countries in the Balkan Peninsula, has a long tradition in sheep farming, and sheep breeds share triple purpose breed characteristics: milk, meat and wool. Bardhoka sheep, also with triple productive profile, is an important sheep breed because of its economic value with its milk production. In this study, 24 mandibles of adult Bardhoka sheep (12 male and 12 female) aged between 2 and 5 were used. The sheep were acquired from slaughterhouse around Kosovo, and the mandibles were selected without any deformities from healthy sheep. After cleaning the mandibles, a total of 12 morphometric measurements were taken from each sample using digital calliper. The difference between female and male was statistically significant (p < .05) for measurement 11 (height of mandible level of alveolar edge of 3rd molar tooth). The mean value of measurement 11 in male individuals was 42.26 ± 3.96, and it had a higher value than in female individuals (39.37 ± 2.57). In the literature, knowledge related to mandible morphometry of Bardhoka sheep was insufficient. The aim of this study was to determine mean values from osteometric measurements of Bardhoka sheep mandible and obtain references with the values acquired.     

Phylogenetic relationships among Triticum L. and Aegilops L. species as genome progenitors of bread wheat based on sequence diversity in trnT-F region of chloroplast DNA

Cultivated wheat, (Triticum aestivum L.), is one of the most important food crops in the world. The Aegilops L. genus is frequently utilized by plant breeders for improving the current wheat cultivars due to their close relationships. Therefore, understanding the phylogenetic relationships among the species of these genera is not only valuable for plant taxonomy, but also for plant breeding efforts. The presented phylogenetic analysis was based on the sequences of trnT-F chloroplast DNA containing three non-coding sub-regions. Twelve genotypes belonging to four species of Triticum L. genus and twenty-four genotypes belonging to eight species of Aegilops genus were used in the current study. The results postulated a close genetic relationship between diploid Aegilops species containing the BB genome and polyploid Triticum species. With the exception of Aegilops cylindrica Host (CCDD), all other Aegilops species having the CC genome were alienated from Aegilops speltoides Tausch (BB) and clustered together. These two clusters joined by a third cluster including the AA genome containing diploid Triticum species.     

STUDIES ON DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE OF SPRING CANOLA CULTIVARS TO BORON TOXICITY

Although many states recommend boron (B) fertilizer for many field crops, information about B toxicity of canola is lacking. This experiment was carried out at Central Anatolia, Turkey from 2002 to 2003, to determine genotypic range in B efficiency of eight spring canola cultivars, to identify the B-inefficient cultivars and to identify specific responses. The cultivars were grown under B moderate deficiency (extractable B 0.56 mg kg^?1) and toxic B applied (15 kg B ha^?1) conditions. According to the results, seed yield varied significantly among the cultivars and B application decreased the seed yield by 31% on average. Also, toxic B application reduced protein and oil contents similar to seed yield, and increased leaf B concentration in all varieties. This study has shown that leaf B concentration has increased considerably when B is applied to Pactol and Star cultivars, but seed yield of +B and ?B has not shown significantly a change. It is possible to say that Star and Pactol—which have not been affected by the toxic B application—are genotypes that are tolerant to B toxicity and may be cultivated at B toxic lands.     

THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN SOURCES ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF SALAD ROCKET GROWN IN DIFFERENT MONTHS OF THE YEAR

The effects of months of the year and nitrogen (N) sources on salad rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) yield, quality, and nitrate accumulation was investigated during the years 2002 and 2003. In both years, seeds were sown on the first day of April, May, June, July, August and September. Three different nitrogen sources were used: farmyard (cattle) manure (100 tonnes·ha^?1), calcium nitrate [Ca(NO₃)₂]-15.5% N (150 kg N·ha^?1) and ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄)]-21% N (150 kg N·ha^?1). Yield, leaf color, dry matter, vitamin C and total glucosinolate content and nitrate accumulation was assessed. Growing months affected all the assessed parameters significantly both years, with the exception of hue angle in 2003, whereas nitrogen source only influenced yield and nitrate accumulation in 2003. In both years the highest yield was obtained in April, but vitamin C and total glucosinolate contents were higher during summer months, and leaves were slightly darker colored. Chemical fertilizers increased the yield compared to farmyard manure; however, they also increased nitrate accumulation slightly, without any significant difference between them. Nitrate accumulation never exceeded 300 mg kg^?1 fresh weight (FW), which is well below the acceptable daily intake of 3.7 mg nitrate per kg^?1 bodyweight set by European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food.     

Population structure of Phytophthora infestans in Turkey reveals expansion and spread of dominant clonal lineages and virulence

Late blight, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, is considered the most important and destructive disease of potato in Turkey. In this study, characterization of 367 isolates of P. infestans obtained from the potato-growing areas of the country was carried out to evaluate the pathogen population structure over the 2017–2019 production seasons. The isolates were characterized by numerous features including mating type, in vitro mefenoxam sensitivity, simple-sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and virulence against a set of potato differential lines. Most isolates were A2 mating type (353 isolates). Also, 68% of isolates were resistant to mefenoxam; the remainder were intermediate in their sensitivity and there were no sensitive isolates. SSR-based genotypic analysis of P. infestans populations showed a low genetic diversity. The 13_A2 clonal lineage predominated with a frequency of 92.1%, followed by 34_A1 (3.3%) and 37_A2 (2.7%). Genotypes 34_A1 and 37_A2 were detected only in 2019. This is the first report of 34_A1 and 37_A2 clonal lineages causing late blight disease of potato in Turkey. The most abundant virulence type was one overcoming resistance genes R1, R2, R3, R4, R6, R7, R10, and R11. These results emphasized that the migration of individuals and the asexual generation of subclonal differences were the main factors driving the population structure of P. infestans in Turkey.     

Determination of Energy Use Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) Production in Adıyaman Province

The purpose of this research is to perform the energy use efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of pistachio production. This research was performed for 2016 and 2017 production season in Ad?yaman province of Turkey in dry conditions in 2017. The data supplied from research were collected from 152 different farms by face to face surveys with simple random sampling method. The agricultural input energies and output energies used in pistachio production were computed to determine the energy use efficiency. According to the research findings, the energy inputs in pistachio production were computed respectively as 4561.11?MJ ha^?1 (35.50%) diesel fuel energy, 3206.24?MJ ha^?1 (24.96%) chemical fertilizers energy, 2420.93?MJ ha^?1 (18.84%) machinery energy, 1020.06?MJ ha^?1 (7.94%) human labour energy, 715.69?MJ ha^?1 (5.57%) animal labour energy, 656.95?MJ ha^?1 (5.11%) farmyard manure energy and 266.16?MJ ha^?1 (2.07%) chemicals energy. Total input energy was computed as 12,847.14?MJ ha^?1. Energy values of pistachio yield were computed as 15,008.65?MJ ha^?1. Energy use efficiency, specific energy, energy productivity and net energy computations were computed respectively as 1.17, 22.32?MJ kg^?1, 0.04?kg MJ^?1 and 2161.51?MJ ha^?1. The consumed total energy input in pistachio production can be classified as 49.01% direct, 50.99% indirect, 18.62% renewable and 81.38% non-renewable. Total GHG emission was computed as 1123.72?kg CO_2?eqha^?1 for pistachio production with the greatest portions for human labour (32.42%). The human labour followed up chemical fertilizers usage (23.21%), diesel fuel consumption (19.89%), machinery usage (15.30%), farmyard manure usage (5.65%), chemicals usage (3.25%) and animal labour usage (0.27%), respectively. Additionally, GHG ratio value was computed as 1.95 kgCO_2?eqkg^?1 in pistachio production.

     

Effects of repeated urea doses on soil chemistry and nutrient pools in a Norway spruce stand

Pools of macro-nutrients in soil and vegetation were studied in an old fertilization experiment with a large previous input of N. Different doses of N, in the form of urea, had been added four times during a 20-year period. In total, between 480 and 2400 kg N ha⁻¹ had been given. The experiment was established in a relatively productive Norway spruce stand and the expectation was that the large N input would cause an accelerated leaching of N, especially nitrate, accompanied by soil acidification and losses of several nutrients. The aim was to test for possible residual effects. Thirteen years after the last N addition, samples from the aboveground part of trees, field layer, S-layer, humus layer and mineral soil (0–10 cm) were analyzed for concentrations of most major nutrients. Nutrient pools were calculated. In the humus layer, the concentration of N increased and the C/N-ratio decreased with increasing N dose. The calculated recovery of added N in soil including ground vegetation was complete for the lowest N dose, while it was 25–50% for higher doses. The amount of N retained was unaffected by the N dose. The amount of extractable P in the upper part of the mineral soil was negatively correlated with N dose, as was also the concentration of total P in the S-layer. Neither soil pH, nor concentrations or amounts of Ca, Mg and K were affected by the previous fertilization. The calculated total soil-plant pool was only influenced by N dose in the case of P, which was 20% lower at the highest N dose compared with unfertilized conditions. Despite the large extra N input, the nutritional changes in plants and soil of the actual study site seemed surprisingly small.     

Relationship between the shell membrane‐shell bond and shell deformation in hens’ eggs

1. The influence of the shell membranes on shell strength was studied in 21 Single Comb White Leghorn eggs.

2. Shell deformation and shell thickness were plotted for each egg and the regression line was calculated. The difference between the observed shell deformation and that predicted by the regression line was calculated for each egg and this distance, with changed sign, was called the shell deformation index.

3. The force needed to separate the shell membranes from a 10 mm wide strip of the shell was determined by a tensile testing machine and was termed attachment strength.

4. The correlation between shell deformation index and attachment strength was highly significant (r=0.88, P<0.0005). Thus the shell membranes contribute to shell strength, probably by serving as a reinforcement of the crystalline part of the shell.     

Effects of vitamin and mineral premix withdrawal from diets on carcass and meat quality of feedlot steers

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The primary objective of the present study was to assess the effects of vitamin and mineral premix (VMP) withdrawal from the diets 30 and 60&nbsp;days...