EFFECT OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION ON FIG LEAF NUTRIENTS AND FRUIT QUALITY

Turkish dried fig (Ficus carica L.) production plays a major role in the world trade due to its volume and quality. The production is generally realized from orchards on steep slopes under rain-fed conditions. Birgi-?rima?z? in Ödemi? has peculiarities in respect to dried fig production. In this region, colluvial soils require additional late-winter irrigation by flooding especially in years because of inadequate winter rainfall. Organic dried fig production has gained importance since mid 1980s. The research work aimed at testing the effect of sheep and cow manure mixtures (at two different ratios: 1:1 and 2:1) on leaf and fruit nutrient contents, vigor, and fruit quality. The results proved that tree vigor and fruit quality were improved with the applied rates of farmyard manure, where as the effect on nutrient content of the leaf was not marked.     

Determination of iron chlorosis with extractable iron analysis in peach leaves

Iron (Fe) though indispensable for the biosynthesis of chlorophyll, but its total content in the plant was not associated with the occurrence of chlorosis. Iron, which is the ferrous‐iron (Fe²⁺) form—termed “active”; Fe— and extracted with weak acids and some chelating agents, has been closely related to Fe chlorosis. In this study, three different methods were tested in order to determine suitable methods for extractable‐Fe analysis in a Dixired peach cultivar. In the first two methods, o‐phenantroline (o‐Ph) and 1N hydrochloric acid (HCl) were used to extract Fe²⁺ from fresh leaves. In the third method, 1N HCl were used as an extractant on dried leaf samples. The relationship between chlorophyll content of the leaves and Fe extracted by the three methods, was statistically significant. Hydrochloric acid extraction with dried leaves which gave the highest significant correlation (r = 0.930) with chlorophyll content, can be used for the determination of Fe²⁺ ("active”; Fe) status in peach trees.     

In vivo anti-mildew activity of essential oils against downy mildew of sunflower caused by PLASMOPARA HALSTEDII

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Commercial essential oils (EO) obtained from different parts of black cumin (N. sativa), mustard (S. nigra), St. John’s wort (H. perforatum), garlic (A....     

Fungal pathogens of oregano occurring at the breeding plots in Ankara

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Fungal pathogens cause significant losses both in terms of quality and quantity on oregano (Origanum spp.) cultivation. Various fungal diseases on oregano...     

Effect of boron phosphate on the mechanical, thermal and fire retardant properties of polypropylene and polyamide-6 fibers

The effect of boron phosphate (BPO₄) nanoparticles on the mechanical, thermal, and flame retardant properties of polypropylene (PP) and polyamide 6 (PA-6) fibers are investigated by tensile testing, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and micro combustion calorimeter (MCC). The addition of BPO₄ reduces the mechanical properties of the both PP and PA-6 fibers. According to the TGA results, the addition of BPO₄ does not change the thermal behavior of PP fiber and slightly reduces the thermal stability of PA-6 fiber by about 30 °C. According to MCC results, the addition of BPO₄ does not change the effective total heat evolution and heat release rate (HRR) peak for PP fibers. Although the inclusion of BPO₄ does not change the total heat evolution of PA-6 fiber, it reduces the HRR peaks due to increase in barrier effect of char.     

Apilarnil reduces fear and advances sexual development in male broilers but has no effect on growth

1. An experiment was conducted to determine the possibility of stimulating sexual development at an early age in male and female broiler chickens by administration of apilarnil, a natural bee product, in the pre-pubertal period.

2. From 28 to 55 d of age, birds were given apilarnil orally. The effects of low (2.5 g/bird) and high (7.5 g/bird) doses of apilarnil on growth performance, testicular weight, secondary sexual characteristics, blood lipids, testosterone and fearful behaviour were evaluated.

3. Apilarnil administration did not cause a positive effect on growth performance of male and female broilers suggesting that apilarnil did not have an anabolic effect.

4. Apilarnil administration suppressed blood glucose and cholesterol.

5. Birds receiving apilarnil remained immobile for a shorter period in a tonic imobiliy test and showed less home-cage avoidance responses suggesting a lower level of fearfulness.

6. Increases in testicular weight, testosterone concentration and comb growth in males receiving apilarnil implied that it stimulates the sexual maturation at an early age. However, a similar stimulation of secondary sexual characteristics was not observed in females.     

Effect of dietary n-3 series fatty acids on sperm production in the freshwater crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz) (Astacidae)

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of three different rates of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC n-3 PUFA) on the sperm number of Astacus leptodactylus. The experiment was carried out with the four following treatments: control group (not supplemented LC n-3 PUFA), D1 (1 %), D2 (2 %) and D3 (3 %). The sperm number of A. leptodactylus was counted; the reproductive system was weighted; and the macroscopical analysis of the testes and vasa deferentia (DVD) were conducted. In addition, gonado-somatic index (GI) and testes index (TI) were also calculated. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the crayfish fed LC n-3 PUFA supplemented diets (D1, D2, D3) and control in mean sperm number (P < 0.05). The highest sperm number was found for the crayfish fed D3 (6.27 ± 0.14 × 10⁸ sperm/distal vas deferens section). The results also showed that the reproductive system of the crayfish fed D3 and D2 was significantly heavier than that of the crayfish fed the control and D1 (P < 0.05). On the other hand, there was not a significant difference in the testes weight and vasa deferentia weight between the crayfish fed the control and D1, and between the crayfish fed D2 and D3 (P < 0.05). GI of the crayfish fed D3 and D2 was significantly higher than that of the crayfish fed control and D1 (P > 0.05), but there was not a significant difference in the TI of the crayfish fed control, D1, D2 and D3 (P > 0.05). In conclusion, diets containing different levels of LC n-3 PUFA significantly increase the sperm number of A. leptodactylus, and they are crucial for the production of higher number of sperm in this species.     

The Effect of Liquid Smoking of Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus,L. 1758) Fillets on Sensory,Meat Yield,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Content,and Chemical Changes

In this study, the effects of a commercial liquid smoke flavoring agent and two different brining solutions applied on fillets of anchovy were investigated by performing sensory analyses, meat yield, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content, and chemical composition analyses. Fillets were brined at 40 and 65% for 4 h at 4°C. Meat yield, sensorial acceptability, and chemical compositions were affected by each brining level. No detectable PAH levels were found in smoke flavoring treated fish samples. Sixty-five percent salt level was rejected by the participants due to high salt content. The results of the study showed that liquid smoke flavoring treatment is applicable to the anchovy fillets, and 40% brining level is recommended.     

Electric current in polymer solution jet and spinnability in the needleless electrospinning process

In this study, the electric current of polymer solution jet was measured during a needleless rod electrospinning process using memory oscilloscope recording. According to the results, electric current of solution jet increases as the polyurethane (PU) and tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) salt concentration increase. Especially at 17.5 and 20 wt% PU concentrations, electric current increases dramatically with TEAB concentration. Also, there is a strong relationship between the electric current in the solution jet, spinnability and the spinning performance of the roller electrospinning. Thus, the spinnability of polymer solutions can be easily estimated using this simple method.