Chemical composition,toxic and development- and reproduction-inhibiting effects of some essential oils against Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae) as fumigants

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most serious pests of many crops both indoors and outdoors in...     

Effects of Short-Term High Carbohydrate or Fat Intakes on Leptin, Growth Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone Secretions in Prepubertal Fat-Tailed Tuj Lambs

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of high carbohydrate or fat diets, fed for 15 days at the end of breeding season, on leptin, GH and LH secretions in prepubertal fat‐tailed Tuj lambs. For that purpose, 9‐month‐old ram‐lambs were divided into three groups as control group (fed with basal ration, n = 4), high carbohydrate (HC) group, basal ration plus barley, n = 4), or high fat (HF) group (basal ration plus by‐pass fat, n = 4). For the measurement of leptin and GH, blood plasma samples were collected on days 1, 4, 9 and 14 of the experiment. For the measurement of LH pulse frequency, serial blood samples were collected every 15 min for 6 h on day 14. Lambs were weighed and body condition scored (BCS) on days 1 and 15. Body weight and BCS increased towards the end of the study (p < 0.05). The BCS was higher in high energy groups at the end of the experiment (p < 0.05). Diet affected plasma leptin concentrations (p = 0.002) but time did not. The GH concentrations were not affected by diet or time. The LH pulse frequency appeared to be higher in HC and HF groups but there were no statistical difference between the groups. There was a significant positive relationship between overall BCS and corresponding leptin concentrations (R² = 0.263; p = 0.010) and between LH pulse frequency and leptin concentrations (R² = 0.594; p = 0.003). In conclusion, the present study suggests that rather than type of energy, amount of energy intake and body energy reserves are much important regulators of plasma leptin concentrations and LH pulse frequency in fat‐tailed Tuj lambs.     

Resistance of potato to cucumber mosaic virus appears related to localization in inoculated leaves

Although CMV can cause extensive damage to solanaceous crops like tomato, tobacco and pepper, it has little if any impact on the related crop, potato. To better understand this phenomenon, we have tested 32 potato genotypes for susceptibility or resistance to local and systemic Fny-CMV infection. Using ELISA, all genotypes appeared to show virus replication in leaves that were mechanically inoculated. In contrast, only ten genotypes exhibited systemic spread as expressed by significant CMV titers in new growth. These data suggest that, although CMV can replicate in potato cells and appears to spread short distances cell-to-cell, long distance movement appears to be blocked in most potato genotypes. Therefore, the general resistance of potato crops to CMV infection may be related to virus localization at points of entry.     

Active ingredient contents of ‘me-too’ registered abamectin products and differences in their efficacy onTetranychus cinnabarinus

Many agrochemical companies in Turkey purchase generic active ingredients (a.i.) and, by way of ‘me-too’ registration, sell pesticides under different brand names. Farmers and researchers often claim that these products are ineffective. In order to determine the a.i. content and efficacy of me-too registered abamectin-based products, we studied seven (in 2004) and ten (in 2005) products, which were chosen based on their availability and high market share. Differences in both efficacy and a.i. contents were observed in the products investigated in the study, but making speculative statements that could affect all me-too registered products based on our investigations of only 17 abamectin-based samples is not realistic. Timectin® was found to be statistically less effective onTetranychus cinnabarinus in both laboratory and greenhouse trials than all other tested products. Furthermore, Timectin was determined to have 69.8% less a.i. than in its product specifications. Our findings make it clear that grower complaints about the qualities of agricultural pesticides are based on actual chemical inadequacies of formulated pesticides. Analysis of the a.i. should be carried out as part of regular market inspection in order to determine whether agricultural pesticides comply with their product specifications. In this way growers will be provided with good quality but inexpensive products.     

The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer application on herbage yield of natural pastures

This study was carried out in a natural pasture in Van province of Turkey between the years of 2004 and 2005 to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on herbage yield. The study was performed in randomized block with three replications. 0, 4, 8, 16 kg da(-1) nitrogen and 0, 6, 12 kg da(-1) phosphorus applications were examined. The effects of different nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer applications on plant height, green herbage and crude protein yield were significant for both years. Depending on the increasing nitrogen and phosphorus applications, significant increases were in green herbage, hay and crude protein yields. According to results, differences between 8 and 16 kg da(-1) doses of nitrogen and 6 and 12 kg da(-1) doses of phosphorus applications were insignificant. In the first year, in terms of nitrogen applications, the highest green herbage, hay and crude protein yield (1423.1, 263.3 and 29.2 kg da(-1)) were obtained from 8 kg N da(-1), in the second year, the highest values (1426.1, 602.7 and 67.8 kg da(-1)) were obtained from 16 kg N da(-1) application. As for the phosphorus applications, in the first year, the highest green herbage yield was 1142.2 kg da(-1) at the 6 kg P2O5/da application, hay and crude protein yields (218.2, 23.1 kg da(-1)) were recorded from 12 kg P2O5/da application. In the second year, the highest green herbage, hay and crude protein yields were (1335.8, 549.6 and 66.1 kg da(-1)) determined at the 12 kg P2O5/da application.     

Using caesium-137 measurements to investigate soil erosion rates in western Istanbul (NW Turkey)

Buyukcekmece Reservoir, located in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is one of the major water resources of Istanbul, and supplies drinking water to about 4 million people. Erosion in the catchment of the reservoir is an important problem in terms of its longer-term sustainability for water supply. There is an urgent need to obtain reliable quantitative data regarding erosion and deposition rates within the catchment to assess the magnitude of the problem and to plan catchment management strategies. In the absence of existing data, attention has focussed on the potential for using ¹³⁷Cs measurements to provide retrospective estimates of medium-term soil erosion rates within the catchment over the past ca. 40 years. To date, the ¹³⁷Cs approach has not been used to document soil redistribution rates in Turkey and this contribution reports an attempt to confirm the viability of the approach and the results of a preliminary investigation of rates of soil loss from uncultivated areas within the catchment. The soil redistribution rates estimated using the profile distribution conversion model varied from − 16.11 (erosion) to 4.59 (deposition) t/ha/year.     

Translation Inhibition of Capped and Uncapped Viral RNAs Mediated by Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins

ABSTRACT Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are N-glycosidases that remove specific purine residues from the sarcin/ricin (S/R) loop of the large rRNA and arrest protein synthesis at the translocation step. In addition to their enzymatic activity, RIPs have been reputed to be potent antiviral agents against many plant, animal, and human viruses. We recently showed that pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), an RIP from pokeweed, inhibits translation in cell extracts by binding to the cap structure of eukaryotic mRNA and viral RNAs and depurinating these RNAs at multiple sites downstream of the cap structure. In this study, we examined the activity of three different RIPs against capped and uncapped viral RNAs. PAP, Mirabilis expansa RIP (ME1), and the Saponaria officinalis RIP (saporin) depurinated the capped Tobacco mosaic virus and Brome mosaic virus RNAs, but did not depurinate the uncapped luciferase RNA, indicating that other type I RIPs besides PAP can distinguish between capped and uncapped RNAs. We did not detect depurination of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) RNAs at multiple sites by PAP or ME1. Because AMV RNAs are capped, these results indicate that recognition of the cap structure alone is not sufficient for depurination of the RNA at multiple sites throughout its sequence. Furthermore, PAP did not cause detectable depurination of uncapped RNAs from Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), Satellite panicum mosaic virus (SPMV), and uncapped RNA containing poliovirus internal ribosome entry site (IRES). However, in vitro translation experiments showed that PAP inhibited translation of AMV, TBSV, SPMV RNAs, and poliovirus IRES dependent translation. These results demonstrate that PAP does not depurinate every capped RNA and that PAP can inhibit translation of uncapped viral RNAs in vitro without causing detectable depurination at multiple sites. Thus, the cap structure is not the only determinant for inhibition of translation by PAP.     

Seroepidemiological investigation of brucellosis in sheep abortions in Kars,Turkey

This study was undertaken to investigate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in unvaccinated sheep from the flocks having previous abortion cases in Kars and around, Turkey and to compare the efficacy of each serological test used. Four hundred serum samples collected from 16 different flocks of sheep having a history of abortions in Kars and its surrounding area in Turkey were examined for the presence of antibodies raised against Brucella using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), Serum Agglutination Test (SAT), Rivanol Agglutination Test (RAT) and Complement Fixation Test (CFT). All animals were unvaccinated against Brucella. Of the serum samples tested, 147 (%36.7), 142 (%35.5), 139 (%34.75) and 135 (%33.75) were found positive by SAT, RAT, RBPT and CFT, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the serological tests used (p > 0.05). It is concluded from this study that brucellosis continues to be an important problem for ovine abortions and poses a risk both for human and other animals in this area. Therefore, adequate intervention measures should be implemented to control and eradicate brucellosis. In addition, if conventional serological tests are used at least two tests, RPBT for screening and CFT for the confirmation of the positive samples are preferable, should be used in parallel for detection of brucellosis effectively. This study was summarized from M.Sc. thesis of Ozgur CELEBI.     

Anatomic investigation of the lumbosacral plexus of the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

The study was conducted for the determination of the main nerves of the lumbosacral plexus in the helmeted guineafowl. Five helmeted guineafowls were used. Fowls were anaesthetised and the a. carotis communis was cut for blood drainage. Body cavities were revealed and were fixated with 10% formaldehyde. Nerves forming the lumbosacral plexus were dissected and photographed. Results were named according to the Nomina Anatomica Avium. It was determined that the lumbosacral plexus forms by 8 synsacral ventral rami from the ventrolateral side of synsacrum which include (2–9) synsacral spinal nerves. It was seen that the lumbar plexus was formed by the ventral rami of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th spinal nerves, and the sacral plexus was formed by the ventral rami of the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th synsacral spinal nerves. It was observed that following nerves of n. pubicus (ilioinguinalis), r. cutaneous femoris lateralis, r. cutaneous femoris medialis (n. saphenus), n. femoralis and n. obturatorius originate from the lumbar plexus, and following nerves of n. ischiadicus, the common branch of n. fibularis and n. tibialis originate from the sacral plexus. It was determined that the n. ischiadicus was formed by the truncus cranialis, medianus and caudalis. In conclusion, it was determined that there are macro anatomical differences between different avian species in the quantity, thickness and distribution of the spinal nerves that form the lumbosacral plexus, and in formations of the plexus, and in separations of nerve branches.