Macro and Micro Mineral Content of Some Wild Edible Leaves Consumed in Eastern Anatolia

Wild plants play an important role in the diet of inhabitants in different parts of the world. These plants tend to be drought-resistant and are gathered both in times of abundance and times of need. Used in everyday cooking, these foods may be an important source of nutrients. The purpose of this study was to assess the mineral content of some edible wild leaves. Plants species ( Beta lomatogena Fisch.et Mey., Capparis spinosa L., Chenopodium album L., Eryngium billardieri Delar., Falcaria vulgaris Bernh., Ferula communis L., Gundelia tournefortii L., Lathyrus tuberosus L., Malva neglecta Wallr., Mentha arvensis L., Nepeta concolor Boiss. and Heldr., Ocimum basilicum L., Papaver dubium L., Polygonum bistorta L., Polygonum cognatum Meissn., Portulaca oleracea L., Rheum ribes L . , Rubus sp., Rumex crispus L., Rumex scutatus L ., Scorzonera cana (C.A.Mey.) Hoffm., Scorzonera latifolia (Fish. and Mey.) DC., Scorzonera sp., Sempervivum armenum Boiss et Huet, Tragopogon spp., Urtica urens L.) were collected in late winter and spring, and their taxonomic identifications were made according to Flora of Turkey and analyzed for their mineral content. Moisture content, ash content and pH were found reasonable as compared to some vegetables. However, protein content, N, K, Ca and Mg content of wild plants were higher, while P, S and Na content were lower, and Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu content were equal to, or higher than those of some commonly used vegetables such as spinach, pepper, lettuce, cabbage species.     

Breed-related plasma disposition of ivermectin following subcutaneous administration in Kilis and Damascus goats

Many factors related with drug and animals affect the plasma disposition of endectocides including ivermectin (IVM). The aim of the present study was to investigate the breed differences in pharmacokinetics of IVM in goats following subcutaneous administration. Two different goat breeds (Kilis and Damascus goats) were allocated into two treatment groups with respect to breed. The injectable formulation of IVM was administered subcutaneously at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight. Blood samples were collected before treatment and at various times between 1 h and 40 days after treatment and the plasma samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescence detection. The results indicated that the plasma disposition of IVM was substantially affected by breed differences following subcutaneous administration in goats. The last detectable plasma concentration (t_last) of IVM was significantly later in Kilis goats (38.33 days) compared with Damascus goats (22.50 days). Although, there were no significant differences on C_max (10.83 ng/ml vs. 10.15 ng/ml) and t_max (2.75 days vs. 2.33 days) values; the area under the concentration–time curve-AUC (110.26 ng.d/ml vs. 73.38 ng.d/ml) the terminal half-life-t_1/2λz (5.65 days vs. 3.81 days) and the mean plasma residence time-MRT (9.31 days vs. 6.35 days) were significantly different in Kilis goats compared with Damascus goats, respectively. The breed-related difference observed on the plasma disposition of IVM between Kilis and Damascus goats could be attributable to different excretion pattern or specific anatomical and/or physiological characteristics such as body fat composition of each breed.     

Effect of temperature and salinity on low thermal tolerance of Penaeus semisulcatus (Decapoda: Penaeidae)

Critical thermal minima (CTmin) and lower incipient lethal temperature (LILT) were determined for Penaeus semisulcatus juveniles at combinations of four acclimation temperatures (18, 22, 26 and 30 °C) and four salinity levels (20, 25, 30 and 35 ppt). While the CTmin and LILT of shrimps were not affected significantly by salinity ( P >0.05), a direct relationship was determined between the thermal minima values (CTmin, LILT) and the acclimation temperature ( P <0.05). The acclimation response ratio for the juveniles of P. semisulcatus had an interval of 0.18–0.32 in the current study.     

Effects of wastewater irrigation on soil and cabbage‐plant (brassica olerecea var. capitate cv. yalova‐1) chemical properties

The use of wastewater for irrigation is increasingly being considered as a technical solution to minimize soil degradation and to restore nutrient contents of soils. The aim of this study is to increase fertility and minimize degradation of soils irrigated with wastewater exposed to different purification treatments. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of control and irrigation with wastewater, which had undergone different purification treatments, on macro‐ and micronutrient distribution within the soil profile and nutrient contents of cabbage (Brassica olerecea var. Capitate cv. Yalova‐1) in Erzurum, Turkey. Wastewater irrigation and preliminary treatment–wastewater irrigation significantly affected soil chemical properties especially at 0–30 cm soil depth and plant nutrient contents after one year. Application of wastewater increased soil salinity, organic matter, exchangeable Na, K, Ca, Mg, plant‐available P, and micro‐elements and decreased soil pH. Wastewater increased also yield and N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, and Mo contents of cabbage plants. Undesirable side effects were not observed in plant heavy‐metal contents, due to salinity and toxic concentrations of metals from the application of wastewater to soil.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from the gum of Turkish pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

The essential oil from the gum of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L. (Anacardiaceae)) grown in Turkey was obtained by the hydro-distillation method, and its chemical composition was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Moreover, the antimicrobial activities of the oil against the growth of 13 bacteria and 3 pathogenic yeasts were evaluated using the agar-disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. The results showed that the essential oil contained about 89.67% monoterpenes, 8.1% oxygenated monoterpenes and 1.2% diterpenes. alpha-Pinene (75.6%), beta-pinene (9.5%), trans-verbenol (3.0%), camphene (1.4%), trans-pinocarveol (about 1.20%), and limonene (1.0%) were the major components. The antimicrobial results showed that the oil inhibited nine bacteria and all the yeasts studied, and the activities were considerably dependent upon concentration and its bioactive compounds such as carvacrol, camphene, and limonene. Moreover, the essential oil of the gum was found to be more effective yeastcide than Nystatin, synthetic yeastcide. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of the oil were lower than those of standard antibiotics, ampicillin sodium, and streptomycine sulfate under the conditions studied.     

Deficit irrigation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in a sub-humid climate

The response of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to 14 irrigation treatments in a sub-humid environment (Bursa, Turkey) was studied in the field for two seasons. A rainfed (non-irrigated) treatment as the control and 13 irrigation treatments with full and 12 different deficit irrigations were applied to the hybrid Sanbro (Novartis Seed Company) planted on clay soil, at three critical development stages: heading (H), flowering (F) and milk ripening (M). The yield increased with irrigation water amount, and the highest seed yield (3.95 t ha⁻¹) and oil yield (1.78 t ha⁻¹) were obtained from the HFM treatment (full irrigation at three stages); 82.9 and 85.4% increases, respectively, compared to the control. Evapotranspiration (ET) increased with increased amounts of irrigation water supplied. The highest seasonal ET (average of 652 mm) was estimated at the HFM treatment. Additionally, yield response factor (k _y) was separately calculated for each, two and total growth stages, and k _y was found to be 0.8382, 0.9159 (the highest value) and 0.7708 (the lowest value) for the total growing season, heading, and flowering-milk ripening combination stages, respectively. It is concluded that HFM irrigation is the best choice for maximum yield under the local conditions, but these irrigation schemes must be re-considered in areas where water resources are more limited. In the case of more restricted irrigation, the limitation of irrigation water at the flowering period should be avoided; as the highest water use efficiency (WUE) (7.80 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (10.19 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) were obtained from the F treatment.     

Critical Thermal Minima of Penaeus semisulcatus (Decapoda: Penaeidae) Acclimated to Four Temperature Levels

Critical thermal minima (CTmin) and lower incipient lethal temperature (LILT) were determined for Penaeus semisulcatus juveniles at four different acclimation temperatures (14, 20, 26, and 32  C). The effect of cooling rate on the CTmin was also investigated. The CTmin of shrimps at these respective acclimation temperatures were 7.1, 8.9, 10.5, 12.6  C and 6.6, 8.0, 9.7, 11.4  C and 6.1, 7.2, 8.3, 9.9  C for the cooling rates of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0  C/h, respectively. The LILT value of P. semisulcatus were 5.23, 6.14, 7.36, 8.57  C at 14, 20, 26, and 32  C, respectively. The results indicated that both the cooling rate and the acclimation temperature significantly affected the CTmin ( P  < 0.05). Acclimation temperature had also significant effects on the LILT of P.   semisulcatus ( P  < 0.05). In acclimation temperatures between 14 and 32  C, the acclimation response ratio values were 0.30, 0.26, and 0.21 at the cooling rates of 0.25, 0.5, and 1  C/h, respectively. The cold tolerance zone in which P.   semisulcatus can survive for short period in this study ranged from 6.1 to 12.6  C.     

Enhancement of growth and feed utilization of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed supplementary dietary salt in freshwater

The effects of increased dietary sodium chloride supplement on growth, feed efficiency (FE), feed dispensed rate and fillet composition and morphological indices of European sea bass (initial weight of 4.9 g) were investigated in freshwater using five different levels of supplemental salt (0 (control diet, with no salt supplemented), 1%, 3%, 5% and 9% of diet). Over the experimental period of 50 days, the final weight of dietary salt (DS) groups was found to be approximately 19% higher than the control group. The final weight, specific growth rate and FE were greatest at the moderate level (1–5%) of salt supplementation. Optimum level of DS inclusion was calculated as 3%. Feed efficiency was significantly enhanced with increasing salt level up to 5%. A negative relationship between daily feed intake and FE (r²=0.66) was observed. The average muscle ratio (MR) in groups fed 1–5% supplemented salt was around 51.4% whereas fish receiving control and 9% salty diets had 5.3% lower MR (48.7%) (P<0.05). However, no significant effects of salt inclusion were found on viscera or hepatosomatic indices. Muscle ash and dry matter content slightly rose with increasing DS in the diet, but with no statistical difference (P>0.05). Similarly, no significant changes were observed in either muscle protein or lipid content among the groups (P>0.05).     

Effects of apple cider vinegars produced with different techniques on blood lipids in high-cholesterol-fed rats

Red delicious apples were used to produce natural apple cider with and without inclusion of maceration. Traditional surface and industrial submersion methods were then applied to make vinegar from apple ciders. Apple cider vinegar samples produced with inclusion of maceration in the surface method had the highest total phenolic content, chlorogenic acid, ORAC, and TEAC levels. Cholesterol and apple vinegar samples were administered using oral gavage to all groups of rats except the control group. Apple cider vinegars, regardless of the production method, decreased triglyceride and VLDL levels in all groups when compared to animals on high-cholesterol diets without vinegar supplementation. Apple cider vinegars increased total cholesterol and HDL and LDL cholesterol levels and decreased liver function tests when compared to animals on a high-cholesterol diet without vinegar supplementation. A high-cholesterol diet resulted in hepatic steatosis. VSBM and VSB groups significantly decreased steatosis.     

Calcium and humic acid affect seed germination,growth, and nutrient content of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings under saline soil conditions

The effects of calcium and humic acid on seed germination, growth and macro- and micro-nutrient contents of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings in saline soil conditions were evaluated. Different levels of humic acid (0, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg kg^?1) and calcium (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg kg^?1) were applied to growth media treated with 50 mg NaCl kg^?1 before sowing seeds. Seed germination, hypocotyl length, cotyledon width and length, root size, shoot length, leaf number, shoot and root fresh weights, and shoot and root dry weights of the plant seedlings were determined. Macro- and micro-nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) contents of shoot and root of seedlings were also measured. Humic acid applied to the plant growth medium at 1000 mg kg^?1 concentration increased seedling growth and nutrient contents of plants. Humic acid not only increased macro-nutrient contents, but also enhanced micro-nutrient contents of plant organs. However, high levels of humic acid arrested plant growth or decreased nutrient contents. Levels of 100 and 200 mg kg^?1 Ca²⁺ application significantly increased N, Ca and S contents of shoot, and N and K contents of root.