Comparison of the genetic structure of populations of wild emmer wheat, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum turgidum</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">dicoccoides</Emphasis>, from Israel and Turkey revealed by AFLP analysis

The aim of the present study was to assess the genetic variation in several Israeli and Turkish populations of wild emmer wheat, Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides, the progenitor of most domesticated wheat. Single spikes were collected in 2002 from 60 plants that grew in six different habitats in Ammiad, northeastern Israel (8–12 plants from each habitat), and in 1998 from 56 plants that grew in seven different habitats in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey (8 plants from each habitat). Seeds were planted in a nursery and DNA was extracted from every plant and analyzed by the fluorescent-based amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. Seven primer combinations produced 788 discernible loci of which 48.6% were polymorphic in Israel and 40.5% in Turkey. The genetic diversity estimates P (frequency of polymorphic loci) and He (gene diversity) were higher in Ammiad than in Diyarbakir (means of P = 0.34 and He = 0.13 in Ammiad vs. P = 0.20 and He = 0.08 in Diyarbakir). Ammiad populations contained more unique alleles than Diyarbakir populations. The relative genetic diversity estimates (θ) values were 0.188 in Ammiad and 0.407 in Diyarbakir, suggesting better differentiation of the populations in Turkey. Genetic distance was larger between Israeli and Turkish populations than between populations of each country. The data indicate that the Israeli and Turkish populations are considerably diverged and that the Israeli populations are more polymorphic than the Turkish ones, having a larger within-populations genetic variation than among-populations one. The significance of the results in relation to the differentiation pattern of wild emmer in the Near East is discussed.     

The Effect of Total Anthocyanins Extracted From Sweet Cherry Cultivars on Carbonic Anhydrases and Antioxidant Activity

Total anthocyanins were extracted from eleven sweet cherry cultivars grown in Sakarya, Turkey. In vitro inhibition effects of extracted total anthocyanins on purified carbonic anhydrase I and II were investigated by using CO₂ as a substrate. The results showed that all extracted total anthocyanins inhibited the hCA I and hCA II enzyme activities. Among all cultivars, ‘Merton Premier’ was found to be the most active one against both hCA I (IC₅₀?=?0.83?µg/mL) and hCA II (IC₅₀?=?1.16?µg/mL). Additionally, the DPPH activities of the extracts were investigated as antioxidant properties. The results exhibited that ‘Churchill’ and ‘Merton Premier’ have high antioxidant activity with 74.102% and 73.503% DPPH activity, respectively.

     

Growth,body chemical composition and trypsin activity of South American catfish,surubim (Pseudoplatystoma sp.) juveniles fed different dietary protein and lipid levels

To evaluate protein and lipid requirement of South American catfish surubim (Pseudoplatystoma sp.) juveniles, nine semi‐purified diets containing three levels of protein (40%, 45% and 50%) and three levels of lipid (12%, 16% and 20%) were tested. After 8‐week feeding trial, body weight increase averaged 2124.3 ± 295.7%. Growth performance was significantly affected by dietary level of protein (P < 0.05). At the 40% protein level, increasing level of dietary lipid had a positive effect on final individual mean weight (protein sparing effect). Whole body protein and moisture contents were affected by the dietary level of lipid (P < 0.05). Whole body lipid content positively correlated with the level of dietary lipid (P < 0.05). Cannibalism related mortality was observed despite rearing fish in 24 h dark. Fatty acid composition of fish was affected by the dietary lipid level (P < 0.05). Polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the increasing level of dietary lipid while saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids decreased. Trypsin activity in the digestive tract of surubim was influenced by dietary levels of protein and lipid (P < 0.05). Our preliminary results suggest that the optimum protein/lipid ratio might be close to 45/16% for surubim juveniles.     

Investigation of tetracycline and degradation products in Euphrates river receiving outflows of trout farms

In this study, tetracycline (TC), epitetracycline (ETC), 4‐epianhydrotetracycline (EATC) and anhydrotetracycline (ATC) concentrations were determined in the surface waters carrying outflows of trout farms. The samples were taken from downstream of Keban Dam and upstream of Karakaya Dam Lake, which are located in the Euphrates and Tigris River Basin. The occurrence of TC and degradation products (DPs) was proved in the sampling points which take the outflows of the trout farms. Tetracycline and DPs were under the detection limits in sampling points where the trout farms do not exist. The highest TC concentration was detected as 50.0 ± 2.5 μg L^?1 (1st week), whereas the lowest TC concentration was 8.2 ± 0.41 μg L^?1 (7th week). The highest ETC concentration was 88.1 ± 4.4 μg L^?1 (3rd week)and the lowest ETC concentration was 9.4 ± 0.4 μg L^?1 (3rd week). The highest and lowest EATC concentrations were detected as 35.8 ± 1.8 μg L^?1 (2nd week) and 8.2 ± 0.4 μg L^?1 (2nd week) respectively. The highest ATC concentration was 28.3 ± 1.4 μg L^?1 (3rd week), whereas the lowest was 6.54 ± 0.34 μg L^?1 (7th week). Tetracycline and DP concentrations detected in surface waters followed the following order: ETC>TC>EATC>ATC.     

A new record for the flora of Turkey: Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae)

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae) is reported for the first time for the flora of Turkey. This invasive alien plant was observed in the Asi River (also called the Orontes River), which runs from Lebanon, through Syria to Turkey. The observation was made in the river near the border with Syria. This site is the in the district of Altinözü in the province of Hatay in the East Mediterranean region. Turkey is divided into grids for floral purposes by the book ‘Flora of Turkey’ and the plants described were collected in grid sector C6. The authors concluded that E. crassipes (water hyacinth) can establish and spread in Turkey.     

On the Indian crested porcupine, Hystrix indica (Kerr, 1792) in Turkey (Mammalia: Rodentia)

This study presents some data about ecological, biological and taxonomical characteristics of Hystrix indica (Kerr, 1792) from Turkey. For this purpose characteristics of burrow, skull, tooth and measurements of external and cranial characters of two female H. indica from Turkey were investigated. It was concluded that our specimens are between the Middle East and Indian sub-region specimens in terms of morphometrical. It was also determined that there were roots in stomach contents of specimens.     

Effects of oestradiol-17β or 17α-methyltestosterone administration on gonadal differentiation of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède)

Monosex populations can be a valuable management tool in culture of larger size largemouth bass (>400 g). In this study, we investigated the effective mode and duration of oestrogen and androgen administrations to produce monosex largemouth bass populations. The experiment consisted of nine treatments. In oral administration groups, we fed 40-day-old fry either 200 mg of an oestradiol-17β (E₂) kg⁻¹ diet or 60 mg of a 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) kg⁻¹ diet for 30, 45 or 60 days. In bath treatments, we immersed fry in a 1 mg MT L⁻¹ solution for 5 h a day on three or six occasions. For control treatment, we fed fry an ethanol-treated diet for 45 days. The frequency of females in the control group was 53.1%. Oral administration of E₂ at all durations resulted in slight increases in the frequency of females (59.8–70.5%). Both modes of androgen administration at all durations were ineffective in altering phenotypic sex. The experimental results of our study indicated that male differentiation passed the point of being completely and functionally influenced by exogenous oestrogens, while female differentiation had already taken place and was no longer responsive to exogenous androgens in 40-day-old (33.5 mm) largemouth bass fry.     

Molecular characterization of the wild relatives of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in Turkey as revealed by ISSRs

In the present study, we used 39 plant samples representing six Carthamus taxa collected from different regions of Turkey: 11 of C. dentatus, 5 of C. glaucus, 18 of C. lanatus, 3 of C. persicus, 1 of C. tenuis subsp. tenuis and 1 of C. tenuis subsp. gracillimus. On these samples, we screened nine ISSR markers for polymorphic products. We generated 151 polymorphic bands. In a dendrogram based on these ISSR bands, the first branch was C. tenuis subsp. gracillimus, then C. persicus formed the second group. The rest of the taxa were grouped in two clusters: the first included C. lanatus, C. tenuis subsp. tenuis and C. glaucus, and the second included C. dentatus. Within the first cluster, C. tenuis subsp. tenuis and C. glaucus grouped together and then united to C. lanatus. Representatives of the same taxa consistently clustered together. Also within species, the groupings were generally concordant with their geographical distributions.     

Spatio-temporal variability of drought characteristics across Pakistan

Climate change in Pakistan has a great impact on the spatial and temporal variation of precipitation and ultimately alters the frequency and duration of droughts. In this study, spatial and temporal trend analyses of precipitation and droughts were observed at 58 meteorological stations across Pakistan from 1981 to 2018. The existing trend analysis methods were evaluated to address the issue of serial correlation in the climatic data. Results of precipitation analysis showed significant decreasing trends in winter (November, December) and significant increasing trends were observed in summer (June and September) at a confidence level of 95 percent. The magnitude of the precipitation trends showed the highest variation during summer season and the least variation in winter season. Rotated Principal Component (RPC) analysis showed the severe droughts (high positive loading) in southeastern side (Sindh province) of Pakistan due to lack of summer rains. Furthermore, variance correction approaches are identified as the most suitable in coping with the effect of serial correlation. The highest drought frequencies were observed in the southern areas of Pakistan and the drought events are expected to occur more frequently in the late winter, early spring, and early autumn, while droughts were expected to occur least frequently in summer.

     

The Effect of Salicylic Acid On Photosynthetic Characteristics,Growth Attributes,and Some Antioxidant Enzymes On Parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) Under Salinity Stress

Gesunde Pflanzen - Parsley (Petroselinum crispum&nbsp;L.) is widely used in food, medicine, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This research was conducted to determine the effect of six...