The ecosystem services concept: a new Esperanto to facilitate participatory planning processes?

Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of...     

Molecular characterization of stem gall disease caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (= Agrobacterium biovar 1) on Citrus trees as a new host,in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Citrus (Citrus spp. L.), which has high nutritional and economic value, is one of the most commonly grown fruits in Turkey. In spring 2020, large aerial...     

Tillage management changes size-distribution of aggregates and macro-structure of soils used for irrigated row-crops

The Tatura system for the preparation of seed-beds for irrigated annual row-crops is described, where the soil is tilled when wet and friable and so requires few passes with implements to become suitable for crops, and where seeds are sown into wet soil. In soil prepared by the Tatura system, the percentage of aggregates < 0.5 mm diameter (as measured by dry-sieving) in the seed-bed was about half that found in commercially prepared seed-beds which were tilled up to 50 times when dry. With the Tatura system, the wetter the soil (up to 22% water content) when tilled, or the more passes (up to 4) of the implement at a water content of 22%, the less dust (< 0.5 mm diameter) and/or fewer clods (> 20 mm diameter) were formed.

The macro-structure of the surface layer of soil tilled at different water contents by the Tatura system was also quantified statistically by the method of wax-impregnation. The macro-structures were compared at the 10 mm, 20 mm, 40 mm, 60 mm and 80 mm depths in beds of soil prepared for irrigated annual row-crops by a system which has been described previously. Within each treatment (21.7%; 19.0%; 11.6% water content at 0–100 mm depth at tillage), the linear porosity and mean pore-size each tended to decrease with depth to 40 mm, with no further change or slight decrease to 80 mm depth. In all treatments, the mean aggregate-size tended to increase with depth from 10 mm depth to 80 mm depth. The sizes of pores and aggregates varied across each bed and possibly depended on the position of tines within the bed at each pass at tillage. Water content at tillage led to small differences in structure of the beds of soil. Soil tilled at a water content slightly above the Casagrande Plastic Limit generally had slightly larger pores and aggregates than soil tilled at lower water contents.     

Determination of the quality parameters of pike perch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis> caught by gillnet,longline and harpoon in Turkey

ABSTRACT:   The effects of the different catching methods (gillnet, longline, harpoon) on sensory, chemical (pH, total volatile base nitrogen, K -value) and microbiological (total viable count [TVC]) changes in pike perch Sander lucioperca stored in ice were investigated. The same soaking time was used for both gillnet and longline fishing. The catching method had considerable influence on the freshness quality of pike perch. The acceptable shelf life was 15 days for pike perch caught by gillnet, and 22 days for longline and harpoon. The initial concentrations of inosine monophosphate (2.4 μmol/g) in pike perch caught by gillnet were significantly lower ( P  < 0.05) than longline (4.1 μmol/g), and especially by harpoon (16.7 μmol/g). However, the initial K -values for fish caught by harpoon were significantly ( P  < 0.05) lower (24.36%) than fish caught by longline and gillnet (57.69%, 64.41%, respectively). The average K , Ki, G and H -values at rejection day in terms of sensory assessment were approximately 90, 98, 156 and 40%, respectively, for all catching methods during ice storage. However, TVC reached 7.0 log cfu/g after approximately 11 days of storage for fish caught by gillnet, 19 days for fish caught by longline and 8 days for fish caught by harpoon. The result of this study suggests that the best catching method for preserving the freshness of pike perch is longline, based on the data obtained from the sensory and microbiological analysis.     

Effects of different temperatures on the total carbohydrate, lipid and protein amounts of the bean beetle, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

This study investigates the effects of different temperatures on the total carbohydrate, lipid and protein amounts of Acanthoscelides obtectus Say, which is a common cereal pest. Studies have been carried out under laboratory conditions at 20 +/- 2 degrees C, 30 +/- 2 degrees C and 60 +/- 5% relative humidity. No specific photoperiodic regimen has been used throughout the study. Total carbohydrate, protein and lipid amounts for females at 20 degrees C were 61.74, 35.77 and 83.79 microg/individual, respectively, whereas the amounts for males were 34.94, 29.53 and 57.98 microg/individual, respectively. At 30 degrees C, total carbohydrate, protein and lipid amounts for females were 92.00, 42.18 and 83.26 microg/individual, respectively. The amounts at the same temperature for males were 43.34, 34.08 and 52.19 microg/individual, respectively. In both sexes, total carbohydrate and protein amounts at 30 degrees C were higher than those at 20 degrees C whereas this was not true for total lipid amounts.     

Age and sex related variations in protein and carbohydrate levels of Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in constant lightness and darkness

Variations in protein and carbohydrate levels correlated with the age and sex of Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in constant lightness and darkness were investigated. Tests were conducted under laboratory conditions at 28 +/- 2 degrees C temperature and 65 +/- 5% relative humidity. Insects were fed on combs without honey. Protein level in 100 mg of adults increased in the first days of adult life of females in connection with their age and then decreased. No difference was observed in males. Carbohydrate level in 100 mg of adults increased in both sexes in connection with their age. In all tests carbohydrate and protein levels of females were found higher than males. Protein and carbohydrate levels of adult G. mellonella varied in connection with the photoperiod regimes implemented. Decrease in the nutrient levels was observed in constant darkness.     

Simultaneous Determination of Phorate and Oxyfluorfen in Well Water Samples with High Accuracy by GC-MS After Binary Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction

The potential risk of pesticides to cause harm to humans and other organisms even at trace levels calls for sensitive and accurate analytical techniques for their simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determinations. In this study, a sensitive binary dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (B-DLLME) strategy was developed for the simultaneous determination of phorate and oxyfluorfen by gas chromatography mass spectrometry after extraction/preconcentration from aqueous solution. An experimental design was used to optimize parameters of the B-DLLME method to obtain maximum outcome. Under the optimum conditions of B-DLLME, the limit of detection (LOD) for phorate and oxyfluorfen were found to be 0.41 μg L^?1 and 0.54 μg L^?1, respectively. The detection limits correlate to about 37 and 73 folds enhancement in detection powers when compared to direct GC-MS determination of phorate and oxyfluorfen, respectively. In order to find out the applicability of developed method to real samples, recovery tests were performed for 20 μg L^?1 of phorate and oxyfluorfen spiked in well water samples. Percent recovery values were found to be 94.5% for phorate and 101.9% for oxyfluorfen.     

Demography and population projection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myzus persicae</Emphasis> (Sulz.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on five pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis> L.) cultivars

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a major pest of pepper. In this study, we collected data on the development, survival, fecundity, and proportion of apterous and alate forms of green peach aphid reared on five commercial pepper cultivars (Amiral, Erciyes, Mert, Mertcan, and Naz) at 25?±?1°C, 60?±?5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. We analyzed the life history raw data by using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The shortest development time (6.66 days) and highest fecundity (62.68 individuals) occurred on the Erciyes cultivar. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r?=?0.332 d^?1), finite rate of increase (λ?=?1.394 d^?1), net reproductive rate (R₀?=?62.7 offspring) and shortest mean generation time (T?=?12.45 d) also occurred on the Erciyes cultivar; while the lower fitness occurred on the Amiral, Mertcan and Naz cultivars. Our results compared differences in the population growth rate of M. persicae on different pepper cultivars. This information will be useful to individuals working in pest management programs particularly those involving M. persicae.