Evaluating and Modeling of the Seedling Growth Ability of Wheat Seeds as Affected by Shallow-Saline Groundwater Conditions

The adverse effects of shallow-saline groundwater may vary among crucial growth stages of crops by decreasing crop growth and productivity. The present study aimed to assess the germination and seedling growth ability of wheat seeds grown in four different (0.38, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 dSm^?1) groundwater salinities (GWS) and three (30, 55, and 80?cm) groundwater depths (GWD) condition. To achieve this aim, wheat crops were grown in drainable lysimeters under rain shelter conditions until the maturity stage, and then wheat seeds were harvested from various saline groundwater conditions. Afterward, wheat seeds were germinated to identify the performance of germination and seedling growth attributes. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimal growing wheat seeds condition, which had high early seedling growth performance. The results showed that the seedling growth performance of wheat seeds increased with increasing GWDs, while decreased with increasing GWSs. Based on the RSM findings, we suggest that GWD and GWS should be at least 42?cm and at most 5.46 dSm^?1, respectively, for sustainable higher wheat yield and seed quality. Finally, this study could provide considerable information for selecting strong and healthy wheat seeds grown under shallow saline groundwater conditions.

     

Strong interactions in multimode random lasers

Unlike conventional lasers, diffusive random lasers (DRLs) have no resonator to trap light and no high-Q resonances to support lasing. Because of this lack of sharp resonances, the DRL has presented a challenge to conventional laser theory. We present a theory able to treat the DRL rigorously and provide results on the lasing spectra, internal fields, and output intensities of DRLs. Typically DRLs are highly multimode lasers, emitting light at a number of wavelengths. We show that the modal interactions through the gain medium in such lasers are extremely strong and lead to a uniformly spaced frequency spectrum, in agreement with recent experimental observations.     

Crop water stress index for potato under furrow and drip irrigation systems

Summary This study was conducted to determine the crop water stress index (CWSI) for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) grown under furrow and drip irrigation methods and subjected to three different irrigation levels (100, 50 and 0% replenishment of soil water depleted). The lower (non-stressed) and upper (stressed) baselines were determined empirically from measurements of canopy temperatures, ambient air temperatures and vapor pressure deficit values. Tuber yield decreased when mean CWSI prior to irrigation exceeded 0.68 in furrow and 0.81 in drip irrigation. The tuber yield was directly correlated with the seasonal CWSI values and the linear equations for furrow and drip irrigation methods, Y = −45.82 CWSI + 50.69 and Y = −52.65 CWSI + 58.44, respectively, can be used for yield prediction.     

Effects of dietary <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-carnitine and chromium picolinate supplementations on performance and some serum parameters in rainbow trout (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis>)

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of supplemental dietary l-carnitine, chromium picolinate (Cr-Pic) and their combination on growth performance and serum total protein, cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A total of 276 rainbow trout were randomly allocated to four groups. Fish (average initial body weight = 151 ± 1.69 g) were fed a basal diet without supplemental l-carnitine and chromium picolinate in the control group. The basal diet was supplemented with either 500 mg/kg l-carnitine, 1.6 mg/kg chromium picolinate or 500 mg/kg l-carnitine plus 1.6 mg/kg chromium picolinate for experimental groups 1 (C), 2 (Cr-Pic) and 3 (C + Cr-Pic), respectively. Fish were fed twice a day to apparent satiation for 58 days. Weight gain, growth rate, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio (feed/gain) were calculated for the whole period. At the end of the study, six fish were chosen randomly from each tank to represent the experiment and frozen at −20°C for subsequent dorsal muscle analysis. The results showed no significant differences in final body weight, weight gain or feed conversion ratio among groups. There were also no significant differences in serum total protein, cholesterol, triglyceride or glucose concentrations among groups. Significantly higher lipid concentration of dorsal muscle was observed in experimental groups 1 and 3. In conclusion, supplemental dietary l-carnitine, chromium picolinate and their combination have no beneficial effects on improving growth performance and feed conversion ratio in rainbow trout. However, dietary l-carnitine slightly increased lipid concentration in dorsal muscle of rainbow trout.     

An investigation of equine infectious anaemia infection in the central Anatolia region of Turkey

In this study, 162 horses, 80 donkeys and 51 mule serum samples were collected in Konya city. Additionally, 64 horse serum samples from Ankara and 49 samples from Kayseri city were included in the study. A total of 406 serum samples were examined by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibody to equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) and no positive result was detected.     

Surfactant-Enhanced Permanganate Oxidation on Mass-Flux Reduction and Mass Removal (MFR-MR) Relationship for Pool-Dominated TCE Source Zones in Heterogeneous Porous Media

Chlorinated solvents generally enter the subsurface as dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) and accumulation mostly occurs in aquifers as pool-dominated zones that can cause long-term aqueous phase groundwater contamination. In situ remediation of DNAPL source zones in such systems is crucial for protecting and/or restoring groundwater quality in these aquifer systems having significant groundwater potential. The objective of the project was to investigate the surfactant-enhanced permanganate oxidation efficacy for pool-dominated DNAPL source zones in heterogeneous aquifer media. A complementary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of nonuniform distribution of DNAPL source zones, surfactant-enhanced dissolution and surfactant-enhanced permanganate oxidation conditions on mass-flux reduction/mass-removal behavior relationships. A series of 2-D flow-cell tank experiments using various grain sizes silica sand and natural soil were conducted as part of this study. DNAPL trichloroethene (TCE) was used as a chlorinated solvent, and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and KMnO₄ (potassium permanganate) were used as anionic surfactant and oxidant (remediation agents), respectively. The results were compared with a water-flooding experiment to test the remediation effort. Although, high fractions of TCE source zones in the heterogeneous porous media were removed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-enhanced flushing, TCE removal in this system exhibited an extended multi-step concentration elution behavior. This nonideal behavior was observed for both the water-flood and SDS-flushing experiments. The results emphasized that in the early stage, some portion of the organic liquid is hydraulically accessible (matrix) whereas the later stage of mass removal was controlled by the more poorly accessible mass (pool) associated with higher saturation zones. Our results also showed that the distribution and the emplacement of organic liquid and flow-field heterogeneity had a significant influence on remediation and removal for both flushing solution (SDS and water). It was postulated that when SDS/MnO₄ was applied with sufficient dosage and provided enough contact time, pool-dominated source zones could be remediated more efficiently compared to surfactant flushing alone. As a result, the performance of technology depends on the site characteristics which are critical to characterize effective DNAPL remediation strategies for contaminated sites.     

Nutritional and physicochemical variation in Turkish kabuli chickpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer arietinum</Emphasis> L.) landraces

We examined the physical, physicochemical, and cooking properties of 91 kabuli chickpea landraces from Turkey, using two cultivars (İnci and İzmir-92) as controls. All landraces were grown under the same agroclimatic conditions to eliminate variance caused by genotype × environment interactions. There was high diversity among the landraces in the contents of protein (17.55–23.31%), fat (4.45–6.11%), ash (2.54–3.41%), fiber (2.03–4.18%), starch (41.76–49.07%), moisture (6.39–10.57%), 100-seed weight (25.03–51.67 g), hydration capacity (0.2585–0.6169 g/ml), swelling index (0.7207–1.1859), swelling capacity (0.15–0.32 ml seed⁻¹), cooking time (33–72 min), and seed density (0.8450–1.4800 g/ml). Regional analysis of landraces showed significant differences with respect to nutritional characteristics and cooking parameters. There were also significant relationships between various seed quality and cooking parameters. Together, our results provide an initial step toward identification of chickpea landraces that may be useful for development of high-quality chickpea cultivars.     

Response of maize for grain to potassium and magnesium fertilizers in soils with high lime contents

An antagonistic reaction between calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) may lead to low absorption of K and Mg by plants from soils with high Ca contents even when levels of K and Mg should be adequate. Two separate field studies were carried out in 2009 and 2010 to determine the effects of potassium (0, 40, 80, 120 kg K₂O ha^?1; as potassium sulfate) and magnesium (0, 20, 40, 60 kg magnesium oxide (MgO)ha^?1; as magnesium sulfate) applied to a soil with high lime content either separately or in combinations, on the grain yield and yield components of maize for grain in semi-arid Central Anatolia in Turkey. One dose of the K, Mg-fertilizers was applied during sowing in both years. According to the results, increasing the dosage of K increased yield components more than increases in Mg dosages. Combinations of K and Mg tended to maximize the yield components. Moreover, the greatest plant heights, first ear lengths, grain weights per ear and protein ratios were obtained for the K₈₀Mg₄₀ dose.     

Assessment of spatial and seasonal changes in groundwater nitrate pollution of agricultural lands through ordinary and indicator kriging techniques

Geostatistical approaches (ordinary kriging (OK) and indicator kriging (IK)) were used in this study to investigate the spatial and temporal variations in groundwater nitrate concentrations in Çar?amba plain of Turkey. Groundwater samples were taken in April 2012, July 2012, September 2012 and March 2013 from 78 groundwater wells. The experimental semivariograms were often fitted well by a Gauss model for April 2012 and September 2012, whereas a spherical model was fitted to experimental semivariograms for July 2012 and March 2013. Spatial distribution maps revealed that groundwater nitrate concentrations were above the threshold value of 50 mg L^?1 specified for drinking water in 4.3% of the study area in April 2012, 40.8% in July 2012, 32.8% in September 2012 and 19.1% in March 2013. Probability maps created with IK showed that 3.1% and 3.2% of the total area had very strong probability (0.8–1.0) of exceeding the threshold nitrate concentration in July 2012 and September 2012, respectively. Current findings revealed that groundwater nitrate concentrations changed seasonally and increased much more in summer. It was concluded that OK and IK may yield significant outcomes for groundwater management, identification of risky sites for potential pollution and identification of the sites with excessive fertilizer uses.     

Detection of Chlamydophila abortus in Ovine Milk by Immunomagnetic Separation–Polymerase Chain Reaction

The present study was carried out to investigate the presence of Chlamydophila abortus, the causative agent of ovine enzootic abortion, in milk samples collected from sheep flocks with and without the history of abortion in Eastern Turkey by means of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) in conjunction with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total number of 201 milk samples collected from 10 flocks with abortion and four flocks without abortion were tested. In the analysis of the milk samples by IMS–PCR, correct amplification was obtained with three (1.5%) samples originating from one flock with abortion. In the digestion of PCR positive products by AluI, restriction profiles observed in all three samples were determined to be the same as C. abortus S26/3.