Development and validation of glycoprotein‐based native‐subunit vaccine for fish against Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas hydrophila is known to be causative agent of an infection named as Bacterial haemorrhagic septicaemia or red pest in freshwater fish. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the glycoprotein‐based fish vaccine against Aeromonas hydrophila. For this aim, after identification and characterization of A. hydrophila isolates from fish farms, one A. hydrophila isolate was selected as vaccine strain. Antigenic glycoproteins of this vaccine strain were determined by Western blotting and glycan detection kit. The connection types of these glycoproteins were examined by glycoprotein differentiation kit. Two glycoproteins, molecular weights of 19 and 38 kDa, with SNA connection type were selected for use in vaccination trials. After their purification by SNA‐specific lectin and size‐exclusion chromatography, protection studies with purified proteins were performed. For challenge trials, four experimental fish groups were designated: Group I (with montanide), Group II (with montanide and ginseng), Group III [with Al(OH)₃] and Group IV [with Al(OH)₃ and ginseng]. The survival ratings of fish were determined, and protection was calculated as 21.56%, 29.41%, 69.83% and 78.88% in groups I, II, III and IV, respectively. In conclusion, A. hydrophila glycoproteins with Al(OH)3 and ginseng could be used as a safe and effective vaccine for fish.     

Promising apricot genetic resources from the Lake Van Region

This study was conducted in order to select valuable genetic resources(Prunus armeniaca L.) of apricot in Geva situatedon Lake Van Region (East Anatolia) of Turkey during 1998 and 1999. Allpopulation consisted of native apricot genotypes were examined with respect tofruit and tree characteristics for two years, and twenty-eight genotypes wereselected for future breeding efforts. Their flowering habit and desirable fruitcharacteristics were determined in comparison withHachalilolu. All selected apricots grown at 1700m in the region were not affected by late spring frosts. In themajority of genotypes, bud break, first flowering, full flowering and end offlowering occurred a few days earlier than the cultivarHachalilolu in both years, whereas, harvest waslater than that. Some selections produced larger fruits thanHachalilolu. All genotypes showed a range of25–48 g for fruit weight, 11–21% for soluble solids and0.19–2.90% for acidity. Soluble solids content was more than 20% in threeselections (G12, G29 and G33), and the acidity was lower than 1% in fivegenotypes (G2, G12, G27, G29 and G33). Selections with attractive fruit colorshad small to medium-sized fruits. Many genotypes were evaluated as promising forfurther breeding efforts.     

Canopy Temperature Depression as a Potential Selection Criterion for Drought Resistance in Wheat

Field studies were conducted at Bushland, Texas, USA, in 2004 to examine usefulness of canopy temperature depression （CTD）, the difference of air-canopy temperature, in screening wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） genotypes for yield under dryland and irrigated. Forty winter wheat genotypes were grown under irrigation and dryland. CTDs were recorded after heading between 1 330 and 1 530 h on 6 clear days for dryland and 9 days for irrigation. Drought susceptible index （DSI） for each genotype was calculated using mean yield under dryland and irrigated conditions. Genotypes exhibited great differences in CTD under each environment. The dryland CTDs averaged 1.33℃ ranging from -0.67 to 2.57℃, and the average irrigation CTD were 4.59℃ ranging from 3.21 to 5.62℃. A low yield reduction was observed under dryland conditions relative to irrigated conditions for high-CTD genotypes. CTD values were highly negatively correlated with DSI under dryland, and genotypes of CTDs = 1.3℃ in dryland condition were identified as drought resistant. For 21 genotypes classified as drought resistant by DSI, their CTDs were 1.68℃ for dryland and 4.35℃ for irrigation on average; for 19 genotypes classified as drought susceptible by DSI, average CTD was 0.94℃ in dryland and 4.85℃ in irrigation. The high-yield genotypes consistently had high CTD values, and the low-yield ones had low CTD values for all measurements in dryland. After heading, genotypes maintained consistent ranking for CTD. Regression results for CTD and yield suggested that the best time for taking CTD measurement was 3-4 weeks after heading in irrigation but any time before senescence in dryland. Crop water stress index （CWSI） calculated from CTD data was highly correlated with CWSI calculated from yield, which suggesting traditional costly CWSI measurement may be improved by using portable infrared thermometers. Most importantly, grain yield was highly correlated with CTD under dryland （R^2 = 0.79-0.86） and irrigation （R^2 = 0.46-0.58） conditions. These results clearly indicated grain yield and water stress can be predicted by taking CTD values in field, which can be used by breeding programs as a potential selection criterion for grain yield and drought resistance in wheat, but a second study year is needed to confirm further.     

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Yersinia ruckeri isolates from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum, 1792) in Turkey

The aim of the study was the phenotypic and molecular characterization of Yersinia (Y) ruckeri strains, the causative agent of Enteric Redmouth Disease (ERM), by antibiotyping, random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns of whole cell proteins. For this aim, a total of 97 Y ruckeri isolates were analyzed. The isolates were distinguished into ten antibiotypes and six phenotypes according to their resistance properties and whole cell protein profiles, respectively. Also, a glycoprotein band of approximately 25.5 kDa was observed in all Y ruckeri strains tested. In all strains, six different RAPD types were observed. In conclusion, Y ruckeri strains isolated from rainbow trout of fish farms in Turkey showed variation according to their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and the use of these three typing techniques in double and triple combinations could be more useful for discriminating the strains.     

Levels of fire blight (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Erwinia amylovora</Emphasis>) susceptibility of native apple,pear and quince germplasm from Lake Van Basin,Turkey

Fire blight resistance of apple, pear and quince genetic resources from Lake Van Basin (eastern Turkey) was tested using Erwinia amylovora strain Ea Van. Shoot tips of 92 native accessions (48 accessions for apple, 38 accessions for pear and 6 accessions for quince) were wounded for inoculation, and artificially inoculated with pathogenic bacteria under greenhouse conditions. The levels of resistance of accessions were classified in comparison with control varieties according to the genotype susceptibility index (GSI%) scores based on the lesion length on shoots of each genotype. Fire blight resistance of accessions consisted of five classes: resistant (R), moderately resistant (MR), moderately susceptible (MS), susceptible (S) and highly susceptible (HS). GSI% scores differed significantly among accessions from each fruit species (p < 0.01). GSI values ranged from 12.4% to 64.1% for apple genotypes, from 17.2% to 55.1% for pear genotypes, and from 17.8% to 43.4% for quince genotypes. No resistant genotypes of apple, pear and quince were observed. Seven accessions of apple, two accessions of pear and one accession of quince were MR. 25 accessions of apple, 14 accessions of pear and one accession of quince were MS. These findings indicate a considerable variation in fire blight resistance and could contribute to breeding efforts regarding fire blight resistance in apple, pear and quince.     

A comparison of embalming fluids on the structures and properties of tissue in human cadavers

Cadaveric material has long been used to teach anatomy and more recently to train students in clinical skills. The aim of this study was to develop a systematic approach to compare the impact of four embalming solutions on the tissues of human cadavers. To this end, a formalin‐based solution, Thiel, Genelyn and Imperial College London soft‐preservation (ICL‐SP) solution were compared. The effect of these chemicals on the properties of the tissue was assessed by measuring the range of motion (ROM) of joints and measuring the dimensions of different structures on computed tomography (CT) images before and after embalming. The mean changes in the ratio (angle to ROM) differed statistically between embalming methods (Welch Statistic _3,1.672 = 67.213, p = 0.026). Thiel embalmed cadavers showed an increase in range of motion while ICL‐SP cadavers remained relatively the same. Genelyn and formalin embalmed cadavers registered a notable decrease in range of motion. Furthermore, investigation into the impact of the embalming chemicals on the dimensions of internal organs and vessels revealed that Thiel embalming technique leads to a decrease in the dimension of the cardiovascular system alone while formalin‐based solutions maintain the shape of the organs and vessels investigated. Our findings suggest that the joints of cadavers’ embalmed using ICL‐SP technique may faithfully mimic that of unembalmed cadavers and that formalin is necessary to retain shape and size of the organs and vessels investigated in this study. Despite this, a study with larger numbers of cadavers is required to confirm these findings.     

Disease of rainbow trout caused by Pseudomonas luteola

Bacteria isolated from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, kept in a farm, in Turkey. During the outbreak, 40% of the rainbow trout (10-40 g) died. Typical clinical signs were exophthalmia, dark pigmentation, hemorrhage at the base of the pectoral, pelvic, anal fins and around the vent. Internal signs were enlarged spleen, pale liver and intestine filled with yellowish fluid. Liver, kidney and spleen of diseased fish, were aseptically streaked on Tryptic Soy Agar. After incubation, pure cultured colonies were observed and biochemically characterized with API 20 NE and other biochemical tests. Cultured bacterial 16 S rDNA gene was sequenced. Based on biochemical characteristics and sequence of 16 S rRNA, the causative bacteria were identified as Pseudomonas luteola. This study reports the first P. luteola infection in fish.     

An Alternative Sucker Management Method in Hazelnut: Application of Nitrogen Fertilizer Solution

The goal of this study was to determine the usability of nitrogen solution for hazelnut sucker management. This study was carried out from 2015 to 2016?at two hazelnut orchards; one established with the shrub (ocak) system in Atakum district and the other established with the multi-stemmed system in the Carsamba district, both in Samsun province. For sucker management, 21% ammonium sulphate (AS) and 26% calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) fertilizer solutions were used. Doses of 0, 10, 15 and 20% of solutions for both fertilizers were tested. In the study, hazelnut suckers were removed by knife in July 2015 and March 2016. Nitrogen solution applications were started in September 2015 when suckers reached 20–30?cm length. In 2016 four applications were made from April to August. Fifteen days after the applications, the wilting ratio (starting from the tip) and newly emerged suckers per bush were determined. Nitrate, pH, and EC analyses were made with soil samples collected at the beginning of the experiment and compared to those taken 15 days after each application. As a result, a 10% dose of 21% ammonium sulphate fertilizer gave the best results for hazelnut sucker management. Nitrogen solution application should be started 1 to 1.5 months after removal of suckers by cutting with a knife. Suckers should be removed when they reach 15–20?cm length and before they are lignified. For effective sucker management, nitrogen solution application should be applied at least three times in a year.