Effects of Seedbed Density on One-Year-Old <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fraxinus angustifolia</Emphasis> Seedling Characteristics and Outplanting Performance

To assess the effects of seedling spacing on one-year-old seedling morphology in the nursery, seeds of three provenances of Fraxinus angustifolia were sown at five different seedling spacings within rows of two different spacings in the seedbed. Subsequent growth performance of one-year-old seedlings was assessed by planting in the forest. Within row spacings were: 4.3, 5.0, 6.3, 8.3, and 12.5 cm, and there were five rows at 20 cm apart, or three rows at 33 cm apart across the 1.2 m wide seedbeds. Both spacings within and between rows significantly affected shoot height, root collar diameter, root dry weight and shoot dry weight, but not root/shoot ratio. Wider spacings produced larger seedlings, but only the wider spacing within rows significantly increased fine and coarse root mass. Provenances showed significant differences in diameter, root/shoot ratio, and fine and coarse roots, and they also showed interactions with row spacings in height and diameter measurements. One year after outplanting, diameter growth was significantly related to provenance, and diameter growth was 88% greater for trees from 33 cm nursery row spacing than those from 20 cm nursery row spacing.     

Chemical composition of the essential oil and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from fruits and flowers of Hypericum lydium Boiss.

This study was conducted to evaluate the essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from fruits and flowers of Hypericum lydium Boiss., a wild growing species of the Turkish flora. The antioxidant activities were determined through several biochemical assays. Both extracts showed an inhibitory effect against the formation of TBARS in a phosphatidylcholine liposome model system, moderate scavenging effect on DPPH and superoxide radicals, prominent reducing power and inhibitory effect on deoxyribose degradation in both the nonsite and site-specific assay, but a greater hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was observed in the non-site specific assay, suggesting that the extracts were better at scavenging hydroxyl radicals than at chelating iron. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a linear relationship between antioxidant potency, free-radical scavenging activity, reducing power and the content of flavonoids of fruits and flowers extracts. The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. In total forty-three compounds were identified. The most abundant components were monoterpenes hydrocarbons represented principally by α-pinene. The tested oil showed no antioxidant activity.     

Effect of supplemental yeast culture and sodium bicarbonate on ruminal fermentation and blood variables in rams

A trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of sodium bicarbonate (BC) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, live yeast culture (yea sacc(1026), YS) on ruminal fermentation and blood variables. Four Kivircik rams with ruminal cannula were used in a Latin square design, during 27-day periods (20 days for adaptation and 7 days for collection). They received 0 (control group), 5 g/day (i.e. 25 x 10(9) CFU) of YS or 10 g/day of sodium BC or 10 g/day of BC and 5 g/day of YS (BC + YS) (treatment groups). The cultures and sodium BC were added to the ration in a grain mix. The ration consisted of 70% grain mix and 30% lucerne hay. Rumen contents were collected before and 3 h and 6 h after morning feeding on days 1 and 7 in each collection period and were analyzed. Blood samples were also collected on the same days. Ruminal pH at 3 h (p < or = 0.1) and 6 h (p < or = 0.05) after feeding were higher when rams were fed BC and BC + YS than when they were fed CG and YS. Addition of YS to the diet did not modify the proportions of the different protozoa types; only Diplodinium at 0 h tended to be lower (p < 0.1) when rams were fed YS, BC and BC + YS than when they were fed CG. Plasma sodium value decreased by YS and BC + YS. Other biochemical and haematological variables were not affected by treatments. Also total volatile fatty acid, NH3-N concentrations and protozoa counts in the ruminal fluid were not affected by treatments.