Identification of Resistance to Common Bacterial Blight Disease on Bean Genotypes Grown in Turkey

Common bacterial blight (CBB) in edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), incited Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli, reduces bean yields and seed quality. The main objective of this study was to determine resistance to common bacterial blight in bean genotypes. Twenty-two bean genotypes grown in Turkey including common and snap bean cultivars/lines were collected from different parts of Turkey and tested for resistance against to Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli strain MFD-11. All the common and snap bean lines/cultivars tested were moderately susceptible, susceptible or highly susceptible, except AG-7117 which was found resistant to Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli. This is the first report of a resistance source in a common bean line (AG-7117) against Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli.     

Study of programmed cell death in bovine herpesvirus 1 infected MDBK cells and the possible role of nitric oxide in this process

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) is the aetiological agent of many disease types and may predispose infected animals, possibly through immunosuppression, to secondary bacterial infections. Immunosuppression may directly be associated with the induction of programmed cell death (PCD) in some virus-infected cells. Nitric oxide (NO) has an important mediating role against fungal, bacterial, protozoal, viral pathogens and tumours. BHV-1 induced apoptosis between 0.5-3 h postinfection (PI) in MDBK cells; however, between 3 and 6 h PI the PCD response was found to be decreased. It was interesting to see that BHV-I inhibited staurosporin-induced PCD after 1 h. These results showed similarities with those obtained from herpes simplex type I infections in human epithelial cells. PCD response decreased 1 h following caspase-3 inhibitor applications, whereas NO response increased 3 h following infection in the presence of caspase-8 and -9 inhibitory peptides. In conclusion, BHV-1 inhibited the staurosporin-induced apoptotic response and also the NO response. We propose that this inhibition is caspase-3 dependent.     

Prognostic factors for successful outcome following urethral rupture in dogs and cats

Twenty dogs and 29 cats were identified with urethral rupture. Males predominated in both groups. The most common cause of urethral rupture in dogs was vehicular trauma, and in cats it was trauma associated with urethral obstruction and catheterization. Clinicopathological findings, type of surgical correction, time to surgery, type of urinary diversion, and duration of urinary diversion were not statistically associated with the outcome. In this study, the presence of multiple traumatic injuries was associated with a poor outcome.     

Effects of Irrigation Frequency on Yield and Quality Parameters in Apple c.v. ‘Gala,Galaxy’

This study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 in order to determine the effects of irrigation frequency on the yield and quality parameters of dwarf trees of the apple cultivar ‘Gala, Galaxy’ in the first and second year of cultivation. Irrigation water was applied at 3?, 5?, 7?, and 10-day intervals as much as the amount of water consumed from the field capacity. Statistical analysis revealed that the effects of irrigation frequency on yield were significant. Since the trees used in the experiment showed mainly vegetative growth, the effects of irrigation frequency on the fruit quality characteristics varied. Irrigation water amount was applied as 355.7–446.5 mm and 359.2–538.9 mm to the experimental treatments in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The evapotranspiration measured was in the range 400.7–491.5 mm in 2007 but in the range 440.2–600.5 mm in 2008, while the yields in the same years ranged from 1.54 to 2.84 t ha^?1 and from 2.61 to 6.06 t ha^?1. Water use efficiency varied between 2.40 and 4.80 t ha^?1mm^?1 in the first year of the experiment but between 3.45 and 7.08 t ha^?1mm^?1 in the second year. The I₂ treatment, in which the highest yield and water use efficiency were recorded in both years of the experiment under the experimental conditions, was determined as the irrigation scheduling.     

Genetic variation and environmental stability of grain mineral nutrient concentrations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum dicoccoides</Emphasis> under five environments

Nineteen wild emmer wheat [Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides (Körn.) Thell.] genotypes were evaluated for the grain concentrations of phosphorous (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and cooper (Cu) under five different environments in Turkey and Israel. Each mineral nutrient has been investigated for the (1) genotype by environment (G × E) interactions, (2) genotype stability, (3) correlation among minerals and (4) mineral stability. Among the macronutrients analyzed, grain concentrations of Ca (range 338–2,034 mg kg^?1) and S (range 0.18–0.43%) showed the largest variation. In the case of micronutrients, the largest variation was observed in the grain Mn concentration (range 13–87 mg kg^?1). Grain concentrations of Fe and Zn also showed important variation (range 27–86 and 39–115 mg kg^?1, respectively). Accessions with higher nutrient concentrations (especially Zn and Fe) had also greater grain weight, suggesting that higher grain Zn and Fe concentrations are not necessarily related to small grain size or weight. Analysis of variance showed that environment was the most important source of variation for K, S, Ca, Fe, Mn and Zn, explaining between 44 and 78% of the total variation and G × E explained between 20 and 40% of the total variation in all the minerals, except for S and Zn where its effect accounted for less than 16%. Genotype was the most important source of variation for Cu (explaining 38% of the total variation). However, genotype effect was also important for Mg, Mn, Zn and S. Sulfur and Zn showed the largest heritability values (77 and 72%, respectively). Iron exhibited low heritability and high ratio value between the G × E and genotype variance components \( \left( {\sigma_{\text{GE}}^{2} /\sigma_{G}^{2} } \right) \), suggesting that specific adaptation for this mineral could be positively exploited. The wild emmer germplasm tested in the current study revealed some outstanding accessions (such as MM 5/4 and 24-39) in terms of grain Zn and Fe concentrations and environmental stability that can be used as potential donors to enhance grain micronutrient concentrations in wheats.     

Assessment of genetic relationships among 29 introduced and 49 local sweet cherry accessions in Turkey using AFLP and SSR markers

Summary

The characterisation of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) genetic resources in Turkey may help to increase their use in breeding programmes worldwide, as Turkey is the centre of origin of sweet cherry. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were therefore used to analyse genetic diversity among a total of 78 local and introduced sweet cherry cultivars. Four AFLP primer combinations, and six SSR primer pairs for sweet cherry were used for genetic diversity analysis. A genetic similarity matrix was calculated using the combined data from AFLP and SSR analyses with simple matching coefficient. Genetic similarities among the sweet cherry genotypes studied were higher than 42%. No two accessions had an identical AFLP and SSR marker profile, indicating that all 78 genotypes were unique. An UPGMA dendrogram, based on the similarity matrix, revealed 18 separate Groups at or above the 70% similarity level. While some Groups consisted of both introduced and local genotypes, other Groups had only local genotypes. This result suggests that there was broad genetic diversity among the local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes, which was not present in the introduced sweet cherry accessions. The genetic variation present in local Turkish sweet cherry genotypes may be useful for future breeding programmes. We found that the use of both SSR and AFLP marker systems was effective for distinguishing between genetically-close sweet cherry genotypes. These marker systems can be used to complement pomological and morphological markers during the characterisation and identification of sweet cherry genotypes.     

Protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on rotenone-induced myocardial oxidative injury

Rotenone, an insecticide, causes toxicity through inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport chain at complex I and oxidative injury to the tissues. The aim of the present study was to determine in vivo effects of rotenone on myocardium and cardio-protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an antioxidant agent, against rotenone toxicity in rats. The rats were divided into three groups: untreated control, rotenone (2.5 mg/kg/day for 60 days, i.p.) and rotenone + CAPE groups. CAPE was administrated i.p. 10 μmol/kg/day for 62 days started two days before first dose rotenone injection. The malondialdehyde, nitric oxide levels and xanthine oxidase activity of rotenone group was significantly higher than control and rotenone + CAPE groups (p < 0.05). However, catalase activity in the rotenone group was decreased in comparison with the other groups (p < 0.05). The superoxide dismutase activity of rotenone group was insignificantly decreased compared to the others. In conclusion, rotenone caused lipid peroxidation in myocardial tissue and CAPE treatment prevented this rotenone-induced lipid peroxidation in rats. CAPE might be a cardio-protective agent against myocardial toxicities.     

Teat characteristics in relation to animal temperament during milking in buffaloes,and comparison of buffalo and cow teat morphology

This study aimed to examine the teat characteristics in relation to the animal temperament during milking in the Anatolian buffaloes using ultrasonographic, histomorphological and immunohistochemical methods. The teat canal length (TCL), teat wall thickness (TWT), teat cisternal diameter (TCD), teat diameter (TD), teat length (TL), and teat circumference (TC) values in docile (n = 5) and nervous (n = 7) buffaloes were measured at the 0th, 3rd and 6th minute of stimulation. In additional experiments, comparative histomorphology and immunohistochemical examinations of buffalo (n = 7) and cow teats (n = 8) were performed. It was determined that post-stimulation mean TCL values were significantly higher in nervous buffaloes than those of teats in docile buffaloes (p < .05). A significant positive correlation between TCD and TD, TL and TC in both docile and nervous buffaloes was noted (p < .05). Unlike nervous buffaloes where only 3/14 teat canals were open by 3rd minute of milking stimulation, almost all (9/10) teat canals were observed opened in docile buffaloes. There were fewer muscle but more collagen bundles in buffalo teats compared with cow teats. It seems that temperament of animal during milking effects the milking efficiency, and in nervous buffaloes, probably the stimulation alone may not be sufficient for opening of the teat canal and hence achieve complete milking.     

Integrated Use of Nitrogen Fertilization and Microbial Inoculation: Change in the Growth and Chemical Composition of White Cabbage

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of seed and seedling inoculation by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on nitrogen use efficiency, growth, yield, and chemical composition of cabbage at varying levels of nitrogen (N). Data revealed that N alone or in combination with PGPR either as seed or seedling inoculation significantly improved growth, yield, and nutrients of cabbage. PGPR inoculations were more efficient than non-inoculated controls in terms of yield and yield parameters. This study showed that seed and seedling inoculation increased yield and yield parameters as well as chlorophyll reading value and stomatal conductance versus controls. Applications of mineral fertilizers with microbial applications save 25% of mineral fertilizers yet give 33% more yield versus full doses of mineral application without microbial applications. Both seed and seedling treatments increased the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) rates by 45, 53, 58, 45, and 40%, and 49, 59, 68, 69, 60, and 55%, respectively.