A survey of aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) in Diyarbakır,Turkey

A list is given of aphid parasitoids found in Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. In the survey, performed between 1998 and 2000, 16 species of aphid parasitoids were found on different hosts in Diyarbakır Province.Monoctonus mali is reported for the first time in the Turkish aphid parasitoids fauna. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Oct. 20, 2003.     

Phyllonorycter apparella, a new record and a new pest of trembling aspen (Populus tremula) in Turkey

Phyllonorycter apparella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a new record for the Turkish fauna and a new trembling aspen(Populus tremula L.) pest for Turkey. Its biology, damage and infestation ratio were studied in Sankami?. (Kars), Turkey, during 1996 and 1997.P. apparella has one generation a year. The developmental stages of the pest are described briefly. P.apparella hibernates in the adult stage. At the beginning of June, the adults appear. Females deposit their eggs on both leaf surfaces, generally one by one, 7–10 days after emerging. The early instars (sap-feeding larvae) start to mine mostly from the underside of leaves. Each mine has one larva, and each leaf may have up to 26 mines. The last instar (tissue-feeding larva) begins to pupate in the mine after mid August. The adults emerge from mid September to the beginning of October, and move to the trunks of old pine trees, where they hibernate in bark crevices. The infestation level may be as high as 90% of the leaves on some trees.     

Effect of some organic amendments on onion bulb rot

The effect of soil amended with stalks of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Hungarian vetch (Vicia pannonica Crantz) on onion bulb rot caused byFusarium oxysporum Schlecht. f.sp.cepae (Hanz.) Snyder Hansen andAspergillus niger v. Tieghem was tested in a soil naturally infested with the pathogens under field conditions. All treatments significantly reduced bulb rot incidence. The fungal and antibacterial populations varied among all of the amended tested soils. Heterotrophic fungal populations were more effective than heterotrophic bacterial populations in the suppression of disease. The highest population of fungal microflora was found in plots amended with sunflower stalks. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and available moisture content of amended soils have an indirect suppressive role on disease, by increasing the heterotrophic fungal population. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting June 18, 2002.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the families apionidae and nanophyidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) from Turkey, with new records

Data are presented on the occurrence of 43 species of the family Apionidae and two species of the family Nanophyidae in Turkey based on the material obtained mainly by beating stone-fruit trees in NE Turkey. The identity and information about the three species of Apionidae —Squamapion sp.cf.bifarium (Balfour-Browne),Protapion sp.cf.ruficrus (Germar),Catapion sp.cf.seniculus (Kirby) — must be revised. The faunistic data in the present paper on almost all species add to prior knowledge on their distribution in Turkey.Hypophyes aphyllae (Peyerímhoff),Ceratapion kasbekianum (Gerstaecker),Squamapion ottonis (Wagner),S. samarense (Faust),S. phocopus (Eppelsheim),Taeniapion rufulum (Wencker),Pseudoprotapion astragali (Paykull),P. ergenense (Becker),Stenopterapion intermedium (Eppelsheim) andOxystoma fausti (Desbrochers) are reported for the first time in the Turkish fauna. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Nov. 8, 2001.     

Studies on differential response of wheat cultivars to boron toxicity

Experiments were carried out to study the differential responses of different wheat cultivars to boron toxicity in field, greenhouse and growth chamber conditions. In field trials carried out at two locations, both of which are known to contain toxic amounts of water-extractable B, significant correlations were obtained between toxicity symptoms and grain yields. The only durum cultivar included in this group of experiments (Kunduru 1149) was the most sensitive of the 21 cultivars trialed. The most tolerant cultivars were of local origin. Genotype-environment interaction was considerably large. Twenty-nine bread wheat and three durum wheat cultivars were compared in a greenhouse experiment with and without the application of 40 mg L^-1 B. Again, the durums were the most sensitive cultivars. The most tolerant cultivars were either selections from local populations or had at least one parent of local origin. The detrimental effect of B on root dry matter production was much higher than on shoot dry matter (45 and 26%, respectively), but genotypical variation was greater in shoot growth retardation. While this implies the possible role of reduced translocation, high concentrations of B in the shoots of tolerant cultivars (though lower than in the sensitive cultivars) indicated the existence of other contributing mechanisms, such as tissue tolerance. Also, greater genotypical variation in older leaves showed that reduced uptake might be more important than reduced translocation in some cases. Due to the lack of correlation between results from the field and the controlled-environment studies, it was concluded that screenings should be undertaken in both situations as a means of verification. Another conclusion drawn was that symptom scoring for B tolerance was more reliable than measuring plant B concentrations. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Feather content of porphyrins in Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) fledglings depends on body condition and breeding site quality

Porphyrins are pigments produced in most animal cells during the synthesis of heme, but their importance for external coloration is unclear. Owls (Order Strigiformes) are among the few animals that accumulate porphyrins in the integument, where it could serve as a means of signaling. Here we hypothesized that the porphyrin content of feathers may depend on body condition and breeding site quality in Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) fledglings and, thus, constitute amplifiers of the quality of the area where they are born. Using high‐performance liquid chromatography, we found 2 porphyrins (protoporphyrin IX and coproporphyrin III) in the body feathers of 19 eagle owl fledglings from 7 breeding territories. Coproporphyrin III, but not protoporphyrin IX feather concentration, was positively associated with the body mass of fledglings and with the quality of the breeding sites where they were reared with respect to food quality and availability. As coproporphyrin III is produced under oxidative stress, we suggest that good breeding sites may lead to fledglings in good condition. This, in turn, may make fledglings induce a certain level of free radical and coproporphyrin III production to signal to conspecifics their site‐mediated capacity to cope with oxidative stress. This is the first time that porphyrin content in the integument has been found to be related to individual quality, opening a new scenario for studying evolution of animal coloration.     

Bycatch and discards from two types of bivalve dredges targeting Donax trunculus and Chamelea gallina used in the southern coast of the Marmara Sea,Turkey

Fisheries Science - Intensive commercial harvesting of the wedge clam Donax trunculus and the striped venus Chamelea gallina was conducted along the southern coast of the Marmara Sea using a...     

The Effects of Fermentation Process with Acid and Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains on the Biogenic Amine Formation of Wet and Spray-Dried Fish Silages of Discards

The impacts of fermentation process with acid and lactic acid bacteria strains (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Pediococcus acidilactici, Enterococcus gallinarum, and Streptococcus spp.) on the biogenic amine formation of wet and spray-dried fish silage obtained from whole gibel carp (Carassius gibelio, freshwater discard), whole ponyfish (Equulites klunzingeri, seawater discard), and processing by-products of seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were investigated. The results showed that among biogenic amines, cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine, spermine, serotonin, dopamine, and agmatine were predominant in all groups. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in biogenic amine concentrations of wet and spray-dried fish silage were observed. Raw fish and wet silages contained histamine level lower than the allowable limit of 50mg/kg, indicating the use of raw fish material with low microbial counts. In addition, no histamine was detected in spray-dried fish silage, except for seabass by-products with a trace quantity of histamine (<0.04mg/100g). The starter culture used for silage preparation did not effectively retard formation of biogenic amines compared to acid silage. It can be concluded that there is potential use of fermented fish silage as a protein source and possibly as a probiotic ingredient for animal feed in both wet and dry form.     

Biochemical alterations induced by Zn and Cd individually or in combination in the serum of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oreochromis niloticus</Emphasis>

Measurement of serum biochemical parameters in response to metal exposures can be especially useful to help identify target organs of toxicity as well as the general health status of animals. Oreochromis niloticus were exposed to 5.0 mg/L Zn, 1.0 mg/L Cd, and 5.0 mg/L Zn + 1.0 mg/L Cd mixture for 7 and 28 days, and alterations in serum enzyme activities and ion levels were measured. Significant changes in all the biochemical parameters were found to be time dependent. Following metal exposure, alkaline phosphatase activity was elevated at both exposure periods. No changes in activities of lactate dehydrogenase and lipase were observed in response to single or combined Zn and Cd exposure at 7 days while they increased at 28 days. Fish exposed to metals showed a decrease in cholinesterase activity at 7 days followed by a return to control levels at the end of the exposure period. The individual and combined effects of metals caused a decline in levels of Na⁺, Cl⁻, and Ca²⁺, especially at 28 days. K⁺ level increased at 7 days but it returned to control levels with increasing duration of exposure. This study indicated that the alterations in serum parameters may be a result of the target tissue (i.e., liver, gill, and kidney) damage and dysfunction induced by the metals and that these parameters can thus be used to assess the effects of metals on organisms.