Genetic analysis of selected almond genotypes and cultivars grown in Turkey using peroxidase-gene-based markers

Peroxidase plays important roles in many stress-related interactions and catalyzes important reactions in various physiological processes. Since peroxidase played critical roles in the evolution of almond(Prunus dulcis Miller(D.A Webb) syn P. amygdalus Batsch), peroxidase-gene-based analyses may increase the understanding of evolution of this species. Peroxidase gene polymorphism(POGP) markers were used to determine genetic diversity and relationships among 69 Turkish genotypes/cultivars and 27 foreign almond cultivars by using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean(UPGMA) analysis. This study is the first evaluation of the use of POGP markers for diversity analysis in almond.Totally, 83 fragments were obtained from eight peroxidase primer pairs, and polymorphism was identified as 94 %.Similarity level among the genotypes ranged between 0.63 and 0.93, and all materials were distinguished. In general,Turkish and foreign genotypes were mixed in clusters since they share a common genetic background and gene migration among the sites. Clusters were not based on geographic regions except for some minor groupings. This study indicated that peroxidase gene markers can be reliably used to determine genetic relationships in almonds.     

Determination of Heat Requirements and Effective Heat Summations of Some Pomegranate Cultivars Grown in Southern Anatolia

Temperature (high and low) is one of the most limiting environmental factors for growth and production of fruits in different parts of the world. For temperate-zone fruit species, a certain total heat requirements are needed in order to obtain ripe fruits. The aim of this study was to determine heat requirements of three commercial pomegranate cultivars (‘Suruc’, ‘Katirbasi’ and ‘Hicaznar’) grown in Southern Anatolia region. The cultivars showed a narrower range of heat requirements for flowering (growing degree hours, GDH), i.e. ‘Suruc’ (25,000), ‘Katirbasi’ (25,270), ‘Hicaznar’ (28,000) and a wide range of heat requirements for fruit ripening, i.e. ‘Suruc’ (73,670), ‘Katirbasi’ (74,105) and ‘Hicaznar’ (88,052) GDH. Under the Sanliurfa province conditions, two years average of effective heat summation requirement from bud swelling to 50 % flowering stage for ‘Suruc’, ‘Katirbasi’ and ‘Hicaznar’ cultivars are calculated as 643, 655 and 718 growing degree days (GDD) and from bud swelling to harvest are 2734, 2802 and 3289 GDD. It can be concluded that the effective heat summation of Sanliurfa province is enough for commercial growing for all pomegranate cultivars.     

Formation of Resistant Starch by a Twin-Screw Extruder

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential to increase the level of resistant starch (RS) in extruded products by optimizing extruder conditions. Three experiments were conducted as randomized complete block designs with two replicates. In the first experiment, corn starch, wheat starch, and potato starch were added at a level of 30% (w/w) to degerminated yellow corn meal to investigate the influence of starch type. In the second experiment, citric acid (CA) monohydrate was added to corn meal at levels of 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% (w/w). The third experiment was a full-factorial arrangement to evaluate the effect of high-amylose corn starch (HACS) level (0, 15, 30%, w/w) and CA level (0, 5, 7.5%, w/w) at two screw speeds (200 and 300 rpm). In the first experiment, the means for RS plus dietary fiber for the different starch formulations ranged from 1.27 to 2.28%. In experiment 2, adding CA increased RS plus dietary fiber content to a maximum of 5.23% at 7.5% CA. In the third experiment, the means for RS plus dietary fiber ranged from a low of 1.75% for 100% corn meal at 300 rpm to 14.38% for 7.5% CA and 30% HACS at 200 rpm. The results indicated a highly significant positive relationship between CA and RS formation and the same for amylose content. The RS formation had a negative relationship with screw speed, but the influence of screw speed was small when compared with that of CA and HACS.     

The effects of different temperatures and relative humidity on the development,mortality and nymphal predation of <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Anthocoris minki</Emphasis>

Mass rearing techniques are a necessity in developing a suitable and economic biological control method. Anthocoris minki Dohrn (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae), which is successfully reared for use in biological control, is a promising indigenous Anthocoris species for biological control of Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Homoptera: Psyllidae) in pistachio orchards. Development time of nymphal instars, mortality percentage and prey consumption of A. minki fed on Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs were studied at three constant temperatures (20, 25 and 30 ± 1°C) and two relative humidity levels (40 and 65 ± 5%) under laboratory conditions. Temperature and r.h. significantly affected development time and nymphal prey consumption of A. minki. Duration of incubation and total nymphal development time decreased significantly with each increase in temperature. Total nymphal development time of A. minki at 40% and 65% r.h. was 18.6 and 18.6 days at 20°C; 13.7 and 14.6 days at 25°C; and 10.8 and 11.8 days at 30°C, respectively. The shortest nymphal development time and highest nymphal mortality percentage were recorded at 30°C and 40% r.h. The lowest nymphal mortality was 30.1% and 32.1% at 40% and 65% r.h., respectively, at 25°C; the highest nymphal mortality was 51.5% and 52.1% at 20° and 30°C, respectively, and 40% r.h. The highest average number of E. kuehniella eggs consumed was 123.1 at 20°C and 65% r.h., and the lowest was 86.4 at 30°C and 40% r.h. during nymphal development time of A. minki.     

Area-wide management of Aedes albopictus: choice of study sites based on geospatial characteristics, socioeconomic factors and mosquito populations

BACKGROUND: Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is an introduced invasive species in the United States that is responsible for a significant proportion of service requests to local mosquito control programs. This container‐utilizing mosquito is refractory to standard mosquito abatement measures in the United States. This study is part of a USDA‐ARS project to develop an area‐wide management strategy for Ae. albopictus. The goal was to identify three study sites, similar in socioeconomic parameters, geography and Ae. albopictus abundance, in urban and suburban areas in Mercer and Monmouth counties in New Jersey. Prior service requests and light trap counts and also detailed county maps were used to chose nine preliminary sites (four in Mercer and five in Monmouth) where weekly surveillance for Ae. albopictus was performed throughout the 2008 active season. RESULTS: Although outliers were detected, socioeconomic variables in the study sites within each county were fairly consistent. Ae. albopictus abundance was associated with poverty levels and had the highest maxima in Mercer, although average mosquito abundance was similar in urban Mercer and suburban Monmouth. CONCLUSION: Three study sites in each county were identified for future studies. The summer‐long surveillance also revealed socioeconomic variables critical for the development of integrated mosquito management. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of dietary calcium on growth and survival of silver catfish fingerlings, Rhamdia quelen (Heptapteridae), exposed to different water pH

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of dietary Ca²⁺ on the growth and survival of silver catfish fingerlings (Rhamdia quelen) exposed to different water pH (5.5, 7.5 and 9.0). Silver catfish fingerlings were randomly placed in a thermoregulated water re‐use system with twelve 250 L‐tanks, two 1000 L‐biofilters and a 2000 L‐reservoir with a medium flow of 3.84 L min^?1 tank. Stocking density was 0.16 fingerlings L^?1. To prepare the treatment diets, the control diet (0.8 g kg^?1 Ca²⁺) was supplemented with CaCO₃ to yield experimental diets with 6.4, 9.5 and 23.9 g kg^?1 Ca²⁺. There were three replicates/treatments. Survival was more than 93.9% in all treatments. Exposure of silver catfish fingerlings to alkaline or acid water reduced growth, and this effect was not ameliorated by dietary Ca²⁺ supplementation. Moreover, when fingerlings were maintained in water with pH 7.5, the best dietary Ca²⁺ range for silver catfish fingerling growth was 0.8–6.4 g kg^?1.     

Control of the pink bollworm <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pectinophora gossypiella</Emphasis> by the mating disruption technique on cotton in a semi-arid region of Turkey

This study evaluated the effectiveness of mating disruption pheromones for the pink bollworm (PBW) Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.) (Lep.: Gelechiidae) and determined the damage levels of cotton plants in Turkey in 2007 and 2008. Adult populations were monitored by pheromone traps, with 250 pieces ha⁻¹ of PBW rope dispensers used for each treated field of approximately 12 ha. Calculations were based on comparing cotton yield in the control field with that in treated fields. The PB-Rope L dispensers significantly decreased both number of males in the pheromone traps and cotton boll damage. Results showed that PB-Rope L dispenser application during the square period of cotton plants effectively reduced damage. Cotton yield of treated fields was increased compared with control fields by 20.28% and 10.28% in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Infestation ratios were determined by comparing cotton bolls collected from treated fields with bolls from control fields; the results were 25% and 15% for control fields and 16% and 4% for treated fields in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Larval densities in the control fields were higher than those in the treated fields in both years. Results showed that the PB-Rope L dispensers released pheromone satisfactorily to disrupt pest mating.     

Carotenoid absorption in humans consuming tomato sauces obtained from tangerine or high-beta-carotene varieties of tomatoes

Tomato sauces were produced from unique tomato varieties to study carotenoid absorption in humans. Tangerine tomatoes, high in cis-lycopene, especially prolycopene (7Z,9Z,7'Z,9'Z), and high-beta-carotene tomatoes as an alternative dietary source of beta-carotene were grown and processed. Sauces were served after 2 week washout periods and overnight fasting for breakfast to healthy subjects (n = 12, 6M/6F) in a randomized crossover design. The serving size was 150 g (containing 15 g of corn oil), tangerine sauce containing 13 mg of lycopene (97.0% as cis-isomers) and high-beta-carotene sauce containing 17 mg of total beta-carotene (1.6% as the 9-cis-isomer) and 4 mg of lycopene. Blood samples were collected 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.5 h following test meal consumption and carotenoids determined in the plasma triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fraction by HPLC-electrochemical detection. Baseline-corrected areas under the concentration vs time curves (AUC) were used as a measure of absorption. AUC0-9.5h values for total lycopene in the tangerine sauce group were 870 +/- 187 (nmol.h)/L (mean +/- SEM) with >99% as cis-isomers (59% as the tetra-cis-isomer). The AUC0-9.5h values for total beta-carotene and lycopene after consumption of the high-beta-carotene sauce were 304 +/- 54 (4% as 9-cis-carotene) and 118 +/- 24 (nmol.h)/L, respectively. Lycopene dose-adjusted triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein AUC responses in the tangerine sauce group were relatively high when compared to those in the literature and the high-beta-carotene group. The results support the hypothesis that lycopene cis-isomers are highly bioavailable and suggest that special tomato varieties can be utilized to increase both the intake and bioavailability of health-beneficial carotenoids.