Comparative susceptibility of chickens, turkeys and ducks to infectious bursal disease virus using immunohistochemistry

Twenty chicks, 12 turkey poults and 10 ducklings, all 5 weeks old were infected with 2 × 10^3.5 chick LD₅₀ IBD virus to determine the course of the virus in the 3 poultry species. Uninfected control birds were kept separately. Two infected and 2 control birds/species were euthanized at time intervals between 3 and 168 hours post infection (pi). Sections of thymus, bursa of Fabricius, spleen, liver, kidney, proventriculus and ceacal tonsil were stained for the detection of IBD virus antigen using immunoperoxidase technique. IBD virus antigen positive cells stained reddish-brown and the amount of such cells in tissue sections were noted and scored. Stained cells were present in all organs examined for up to 168 hours pi in the 3 poultry species except ceacal tonsils of ducks at 72 and 120 hours pi. Antigen score was highest in chickens and least in ducks as reflected by average of total scores/sampling time of 12, 10.8 and 8 in chickens, turkeys and ducks respectively. Total antigen score/sampling time in infected chickens peaked twice; 24/48 and 144 hours pi, whereas such bi-phasic peaks were absent in turkeys and ducks. Range of total antigen score at different sampling times was 7–17.5 in chickens, 10–13 in turkeys and 7–10 in ducks indicative of marked viral replication in chickens. Presence of IBD viral antigen in organs of all 3 poultry species is indicative of infections. The innate ability of turkeys and ducks to prevent appreciable replication of IBD virus after infection requires further investigation.     

Note: Tachinid parasitoids of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ancyrosoma leucogrammes</Emphasis> and notes on parasitization rates of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clytiomya dupuisi</Emphasis>

The study deals with the tachinid parasitoids ofAncyrosoma leucogrammes (Gmelin) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae):Clytiomya dupuisi Kugler,Clytiomya sola (Rondani) andGymnosoma clavatum (Rohdendorf) (Diptera: Tachinidae). All species are recorded for the first time as parasitoids ofA. leucogrammes, andC. dupuisi was reared for the first time from a host. The parasitization rates ofC. dupuisi on adults ofA. leucogrammes varied from 7% to 9% between 1994 and 1999.C. sola andG. clavatum were reared in only small numbers. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 10, 2003.     

Genetic variability among Turkish pop, flint and dent corn (Zea mays L. spp. Mays) races: Enzyme polymorphism

To determine magnitude and pattern of genetic variation, 32 Turkish corn accessions available from the USDA/ARS North Central T-Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) collections (Ames, Iowa), representing pop, flint and dent corn races, different climatic, geographic and topographic areas in Turkey, were identified and, 19 isozyme systems were studied. Thirty-nine alleles were detected by 19 isozyme loci in 32 accessions. The PGD-2, Mmm-1, GOT-3 and IDH-1 loci were found to be monomorphic in all accessions. Mean number of alleles per locus varied between 1.2 in Balıkesir-167949 accession to 1.7 in Ankara-177600, Trabzon-185062, Eskişehir-204822 and Samsun-239573 accessions. The proportion of polymorphic loci ranged from as low as 15.8% in Balıkesir-167949 to as high as 57.9% in Trabzon-185049 accession. Observed heterozygosity was the highest in Adana-183779 and the lowest in Ankara-204800 accession. Genetic identities ranged from 0.823 for 170881-Kocaeli and 167949-Balikesir pair to 0.997 for 182327-Iğdır and 168008-Kırklareli pair. Dendrogram constructed by using Nei's genetic distances (1978) revealed three clustering groups, though one of the clusters included only 170881-Kocaeli accession. It is concluded that170881-Kocaeli accession must have experienced with intensive selection, inbreeding and/or bottleneck effects in the past. Corn germplasm managers and breeders could use the results of the present studies for monitoring genetic resources, accession identification, and sampling genetic diversity, but agronomic characteristics of these corn accessions are also needed for a better utlization of Turkish corn land races evolved over the years. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Variation in Wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum</Emphasis> spp.) Landraces from Different Altitudes of Three Regions of Turkey

Wheat landrace populations, collected from different altitudes of three regions of Turkey, were evaluated for variation within and among populations. Experimental material consisted of 380 accessions, from nine provinces, in Central Anatolian Plateau and North Transitions. The material was grown at Haymana-Ankara Research Farm of Central Research Institute for Field Crops in 1999–2000 planting season, in a three-meter, two-row-plot trial with three bread and three durum wheat checks. Populations were evaluated for plant height, tillers number, spike length, grains per spike, awn length, thousand kernels weight (TKW), winter survival, and days to flowering. Observations and measurements were performed on five randomly selected plants in each plots. Mean, coefficient of variation (CV), and range were computed for populations from five altitude intervals of 0–399, 400–799, 800–1199, 1200–1599, and 1600–1999 m, and geographical regions. Correlation, principal component (CPC) and cluster analyses were performed later. The highest variation was recorded for awn length and the lowest for number of days to flowering. First three principal components (PCs) accounted for 60.69% of the total variation. Cluster analysis for bread wheat, durum wheat, cultivated einkorn and cultivated emmer grouped the species meaningfully.     

Characterisation of white clover populations collected from the Caucasus and high altitude regions of eastern Turkey

White clover populations collected from the Caucasus region and eastern Turkey were compared with seven white clover cultivars in a moist, lowland, highly fertile environment. The Caucasus collection came from 15 sites below 1000 m and 19 sites above 1000 m; all seven sites in Turkey were above 1000 m. The populations were generally small leaved and except for those from low altitude sites in Dagestan and Azerbaijan populations were acyanogenic. None of the collected populations were significantly higher yielding than Grassland Huia in any season. However, several populations from the Caucasus were higher yielding than Kent Wild White and similar to that of Grassland Tahora. Survival was poor with only four populations having more than 50% of plants surviving after 18 months in this environment. High altitude Caucasus populations were earlier flowering than low altitude populations, an adaptation to allow adequate seed set.There was a negative relationship between altitude of population origin and proportion of cyanogenic plants; and between altitude and both leaf size and canopy height. High incidence of no leaf mark (vv) was associated with populations from colder rather than warmer environments. Populations from sites with low rainfall were larger leaved and more upright than populations from wetter sites. Populations from severely grazed sites were less upright and less cyanogenic than populations from infrequently or nil defoliated sites.Deceased     

Performance of Locally Managed Irrigation in Turkey: Gediz Case Study

Performance indicators for locally managedirrigation systems in the Gediz Basin,Turkey, show that during the first fouryears after management transfer there wasbeen a continued improvement in irrigationperformance. While the area cropped usingsurface water has only marginally improved,yields and water productivity have shownsignificant increases. These benefits canbe attributed in part to favorable marketconditions for cotton and grapes, but alsoto a management system that values level ofservice so that farmers are not constrainedby uncertainties in water deliveries. Individual systems are managed quitedifferently within the Gediz Basin showingthat there is scope for considerablediversity in Irrigation Associationspractices without affecting the resultingperformance of systems.     

Some biological interactions between the parasitoid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anagyrus pseudococci</Emphasis> (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and its host <Emphasis Type="Italic">Planococcus ficus</Emphasis> (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae)

The development, longevity, fecundity and life-table parameters of the endoparasitoid Anagyrus pseudococci (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), 15 d.o. (3rd-instar nymphs) and 21 d.o. (young adult females) of the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) at 28 ± 1°C, 65 ± 10%RH and 16:8h L:D under laboratory conditions. The developmental time of female parasitoids within the host was 17.7 ± 0.39 days in 15 d.o. and 16.65 ± 0.25 days in 21 d.o. hosts; for males, development time was 16.85 ± 0.29 and 15.25 ± 0.09 days, respectively. The average number of offspring per female was 22.35 ± 1.68 in 15 d.o. and 34.8 ± 2.56 in 21 d.o. vine mealybugs. The longevity of female parasitoids was 14.8 ± 0.98 days in 15 d.o. and 15.65 ± 0.92 days in 21 d.o. mealybugs, respectively; for males, longevity was determined as 7.3 ± 0.43 and 6.7 ± 0.54 days, respectively. The mean time of pupation was 7.85 ± 0.003 days in 15 d.o. mealybugs and 8.65 ± 0.003 days in 21 d.o. mealybugs. The aggregate encapsulation rate in the parasitized 15 d.o. mealybugs was 49.73 and 60.36% in 21 d.o. mealybugs. Furthermore, effective encapsulation was 24.82% in 15 d.o. mealybugs and 37.50% in 21 d.o. mealybugs. Population growth rate (r _m) for A. pseudococci was 0.0999 female/female/days in 15 d.o. mealybugs and 0.1269 female/female/days in 21 d.o. mealybugs. The mean population generation time was 23.49 days for parasitoids reared in 15-days-old and 22.39 days when reared in 21 d.o. mealybugs.     

Elemental prospecting and geoarchaeology in Turkey and Mexico

Understanding past human impacts on soils requires many forms of evidence including elemental chemistry. Human activities leave traces of different elements, distinguishing activity sites. Since the 1990s more scholars have used a full range of analytical techniques including inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP/AES), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP/MS). Also since that time the near singular focus on phosphate as a prime indicator of human activity has broadened to include a large suite of elemental indicators, aided by the emergence of many tools and techniques such as ICP. This paper focuses on the elemental chemistry of sediments at two archaeology sites, Chunchucmil, Mexico, and Kinet, Turkey. The purpose of this study is to understand how certain elements correlate with each other and vary by space and time at different archaeology sites, and as an important methodological consideration, how different solvents affect ICP-AES analyses. In other words, does human activity significantly alter the elemental chemistry of a site, and if so, is this in a systematic way or does it vary geographically? And, are these chemical signatures of human activity hidden or highlighted by different ICP methods? We examined soil chemistry by types of geomorphic and archaeological location contexts (e.g., floors, natural deposits, walls, streets) and by age of deposit (e.g., Hellenistic, Iron Age) to detect differences in soil chemistry signatures associated with them, and for regional variations in ICP methods’ effectiveness. Our analyses revealed detectable differences between natural and anthropogenic deposits, site types, eras, and large differences between methods. High amounts of lead were correlated with streets and rooms in the Medieval and Bronze periods in Kinet, Turkey and natural deposits had lower levels of cadmium and mercury. ICP-NP treatments revealed higher detection levels of most elements than did ICP-DT treatments in Chunchucmil, Mexico.     

EXCLOSURE EFFECTS ON RECOVERY OF SELECTED SOIL PROPERTIES IN A MIXED BROADLEAF FOREST RECREATION SITE

Human‐caused trampling that results from excessive recreational use has caused damage to soil and vegetation in forest ecosystems in the Belgrad Forest of Istanbul. The objectives of this study were to examine effects of exclosure on selected soil properties and to determine the recovery time required for soil characteristics in a broadleaf forest recreation site. Litter biomass and topsoil (0–15 cm) were sampled in the forest, exclosure and recreational sites, and soil samples were analysed for saturation capacity, permeability, bulk density, total porosity, organic matter, root biomass, electrical conductivity and soil pH. Results showed that saturation capacity, permeability, total porosity and organic matter increased whereas bulk density decreased significantly in the topsoil under the exclosure, and all these soil properties in the topsoil of the exclosure were greater than those of recreational site. When effects of main factors were compared, averaging over sampling year and soil sampling depth, soils from the exclosure had significantly greater saturation capacity, permeability, total porosity, organic matter and litter biomass and lower bulk density values than the soils from recreational site. Six years of exclosure was effective in improving most of the soil properties in the topsoil. When topsoil and subsoil are considered together, it is obvious that a longer time period is needed for soil recovery in the forest recreational sites. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustainable Forestry in Turkey

Sustainable forestry is considered as one of the most important focal points for sustainable development, as it is part of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio in 1992 which followed the completion of “Our Common Future.” To this end, many studies have been carried out on implementing of sustainable forestry at the global level.

Geographically, Turkey can be seen as part of Pan-European and Near East sustainable forestry initiatives. Forest organizations have carried out many studies to implement the decisions made with these initiatives in line with their own needs in forest management. While conducting studies in the framework of the National Forestry Program prepared within this context, people have been confronted with various problems due to insufficient infrastructure and implementation difficulties. This article provides information on sustainable forestry leading to observations and suggestions relevant for Turkey.