Note: Tachinid parasitoids (Diptera: Tachinidae) of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi</Emphasis> in the southeast Anatolian region of Turkey

The loreyi leaf worm,Mythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a serious pest of gramineous crops and reduces yields in maize plantations. This study was undertaken to determine the tachinid parasitoid complex ofM. loreyi in the southeast Anatolian region of Turkey. Four tachinid species were found:Pseudogonia rufifrons (Wiedemann),Exorista larvarum (Linnaeus),Drino imberbis (Wiedemann) andLinnaemya neavei Curran were reared from field-collectedM. loreyi larvae. Of the four tachinid speciesM. loreyi is a new host record forE. larvarum andD. imberbis. L. neavei was recorded for the first time in Turkey and was the most frequently encountered parasitoid in this study. Total parasitism level was 7.1% in 2003 and 15.5% in 2004. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Jan. 16, 2007.     

A Survey (1992–1996) of natural enemies of diaspididae species in Antalya, Turkey

Natural enemies associated with armoured scale insects were surveyed in Antalya province during the years 1992-1996. The surveys yielded 16 species of predators and 11 species of parasitoids associated with 11 species of scale insects. One predator species—Lestodiplosisaonidiellae Harris, one hyperparasite species—Ablerusperspeciosus Girault, and one parasitoid species—Coccophagoidesmoeris (Walker), are recorded for the first time in Turkey. Three coleopterans, namely,Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus),Cybocephalus fodori- minor Endrödy-Younga andRhyzobius lophanthae (Blaisdell), were found to be the most common predators and to be associated with the diverse species of diaspidids in Antalya and are known so also in other parts of Turkey. Among the parasitoids found,Aphytis chrysomphali (Mercet) andAphytis melinus DeBach are known to be relatively important onAonidiella aurantii (Maskell),Aphytis maculicornis (Masi) onParlatoria oleae (Colvée),Aphytis mytilaspidis (LeBaron) onLepidosaphes ulmi (Linnaeus), andEncarsia berlesei (Howard) onPseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni Tozzetti), in Antalya and/or other parts of Turkey.     

Leptin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Some Turkish Donkey Populations

Leptin receptor is a fundamental regulator in physiological functions of the regulation of food intake, energy homeostasis, immune function, and reproduction as well as on ovarian follicular cells on the placenta and lactating mammary glands. The aim of this study was to investigate the LEPR gene polymorphism in 60 donkeys reared in Thrace region of Turkey. A 585 bp long partial intron 6, exon 7, intron 7, and exon 8 regions of LEPR gene were amplified, and polymerase chain reaction products analyzed via DNA sequencing. A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified as g.713668A>G in the seventh exon region of LEPR gene. This novel SNP was first identified, and the partial DNA sequence of LEPR gene in donkeys was reported for the first time in this study, and these sequences were deposited to NCBI Genbank database with the accession number: MK807114-MK807115. The A>G transition revealed a silent mutation (CAA-CAG) in glutamine amino acid. This nucleotide mutation could cause the changes of secondary structure of protein and expression level of LEPR hormone. For this reason, additional studies are needed to reveal new SNPs and in the LEPR gene that may affect economic traits and structure of protein in donkey breeds.     

不同烟熏次数消毒对火鸡孵化率影响的初步试验

本文研究一定剂量的高锰酸钾、福尔马林不同烟熏次数消毒火鸡种蛋对孵化率的影响。结果表明,烟熏消毒2～4次的种蛋孵化率比未经消毒的提高28％～29％,差异显著。火鸡种蛋烟熏消毒初步显示以2～3次为宜,孵化过程中消毒次数过多,不但不能进一步提高孵化率,且增加药费开支。     

Land-use effects on organic matter and physical properties of soil in a southern Mediterranean highland of Turkey

Forest and grassland soils in highlands of southern Mediterranean Turkey are being seriously degraded and destructed due to extensive agricultural activities. This study investigated the effects of changes in land-use type on some soil properties in a Mediterranean plateau. Three adjacent land-use types included the cultivated lands, which have been converted from pastures for 12 years, fragmented forests, and unaltered pastures lands. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from four sites at each of the three different land-use types from depths of 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm in Typic Haploxeroll soils with an elevation of about 1400 m. When the pasture was converted into cultivation, soil organic matter (SOM) pool of cultivated lands for a depth of 0–20 cm were significantly reduced by, on average 49% relative to SOM content of the pasture lands. There was no significant difference in SOM between the depths in each land-use type, and SOM values of the forest and pasture lands were almost similar. There was also a significant change in soil bulk density (BD) among cultivation (1.33 Mg m⁻³), pasture (1.19 Mg m⁻³), and forest (1.25 Mg m⁻³) soils at depth of 0–20 cm. Only for the pasture, BD of the depth of 0–10 cm was significantly different from that of 10–20 cm. Depending upon the increases in BD and disruption of pores by cultivation, total porosity decreased accordingly. Cultivation of the unaltered pasture obviously increased the soil erodibility measured by USLE-K factor for each soil depth, and USLE-K factor was approximately two times greater in the cultivated land than in the pasture indicating the vulnerability of the cultivated land to water erosion. The mean weight diameter (MWD) and water-stable aggregation (WSA) were greater in the pasture and forest soils compared to the cultivated soils, and didn’t change with the depth for each land-use type. Aggregates of >4.0 mm size were dominant in the pasture and forest soils, whereas the cultivated soils comprised aggregates of the size ≤0.5 mm. I found that samples collected from cultivated land gave the lowest saturated hydraulic conductivity values regardless of soil depths, whereas the highest values were measured on samples from forest soils. In conclusion, the results showed that the cultivation of the pastures degraded the soil physical properties, leaving soils more susceptible to the erosion. This suggests that land disturbances should be strictly avoided in the pastures with the limited soil depth in the southern Mediterranean highlands.     

A short review of the fruit germplasm resources of Turkey

Turkey is one of the most significant and unique countries in the world from the point of view of plant genetic resources and plant diversity. Over 85 fruit species, including almost all the deciduous fruit species, most of the subtropical and some tropical fruit are grown. Matters regarding their distribution within the provinces, nomenclature, characteristics, ethnobotanical aspects and uses are discussed, as well as knowledge about the germplasm of those species of greater economic importance, namely Malus spp., Pyrus spp., Cydonia spp., Crataegus spp., Sorbus spp., Amygdalus spp., Prunus spp., Castanea sativa L., Coryllus spp., Pistacia spp., Juglans regia L., Ribes spp., Ficus spp., Morus spp., Punica granatum L., Rubus spp., Rosa spp., Fragaria spp., Cornus mas L. and Olea spp. Several tables and distribution maps of some fruit species in Turkey are included.     

The cost of soil lost from fields due to removal on harvested sugarbeet: a case study in Turkey

Abstract. Soil removed on sugarbeet ( Beta vulgaris L .) at harvest may be an important factor in soil degradation causing significant decline in soil productivity. This study evaluated soil losses on sugarbeet and estimated the cost of plant nutrients lost by this process. The losses were calculated using data from the agricultural reports published by the General Directorate of the Turkish Sugar Industry. Organic matter and plant available nutrient contents of soils removed from sugarbeet fields were determined. It was estimated that approximately 30 000 t of soil is lost annually in Erzurum, and 1.2 million t in the whole of Turkey. The cost of N, P and K losses is approximately 60 000 US$ annually for the study area.     

Variation in landraces of durum wheat (T. turgidum L. conv. durum (Desf.) M.K.) from Turkey

Summary Durum wheat is historically an important crop in Turkey. Diverse durum wheat germplasm has been recorded many times in Turkish collections. 812 single plant genotypes from 190 durum wheat populations of 23 provinces in Turkey have been studied for number of days to germination, tillering, shooting, heading, maturity, and yield per plant. Variation in samples for traits studied was large enough and subsamples with different characteristics were identified. Grouping samples into provinces and altitudes of origin have revealed that variation in samples existed for some traits depending on province and altitude of origin. Yield per plant were not correlated with any of the developmental stages: but developmental stages were correlated with each other in varying magnitudes. Variation in yield per plant was not explained as well by developmental stages studied under a dry-cold environment. Further studies on samples needed to explore genetic variation more for other traits of economic importance.     

On the limnology of Salda Lake,a large and deep soda lake in southwestern Turkey: future management proposals

• 1. The limnological characteristics of Salda Lake, a deep, soda and highly alkaline lake in the Lake District of southwestern Turkey, are presented.
• 2. Physical and chemical variables indicate that the lake is composed of hydrochemically different water layers formed by groundwater sources located on the floor of the lake.
• 3. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are characterized by a limited number of species and low dominance reflecting the extreme conditions of the lake.
• 4. Hydromagnesite stromatolites occur all around the lake margins.
• 5. The lake is threatened by falling water levels and organic pollution. Recommendations for the conservation of the lake are presented.

Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.