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.     

Arterial vascularization of the pineal gland in the fetus of Zavot-bred cattle

This study aimed at revealing arterial vascularization of the pineal gland of the Zavot-bred foetus. Twenty foetuses, regardless of their sex, at the age of 2-7 months were used. Coloured-latex was injected by way of both the right and left common carotid arteries. Then, dissection was performed and vessels nourishing the pineal gland were documented. The pineal gland is vascularized by a number of 2-5 central rami. A small vessel arising from each of the central rami in two foetuses (10%) was shown anastomosing with a branch of the cranial cerebral artery, which advances in cranio-caudal direction in the callosal groove. Hence, anastomoses were observed between several sub-branches of each caudal cerebral and cranial cerebellar arteries.     

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.     

Origin, course and distribution of the hypoglossal nerve in the New Zealand rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L)

With 8 figures SUMMARY: This study aimed at revealing the origin, course and distribution of the hypoglossal nerve in 20 adult male New Zealand rabbits. In all the animals dissected, the hypoglossal nerve arose from the ventrolateral side of the medulla oblongata with two main roots and gave off a descending branch to the ansa cervicalis before reaching the division of the common carotid artery. This branch was not seen on the right side of only one case. At the lateral aspect of the hyoglossus muscle, the nerve then divided into the lateral and medial main branches, sent branches to the styloglossus, hyoglossus, genioglossus and geniohyoideus muscles and terminated in the intrinsic tongue muscles. A communicating branch was observed between the hypoglossal and accessory nerves in the right side of one animal and between the hypoglossal nerve and the ganglion nodosum in the right retropharyngeal area of another animal. An additional branch was observed innervating the stylohyoideus muscle in one animal only. A lateral lingual-hypoglossal communication was also seen between the lateral branch of the hypoglossal nerve and terminal branches of the lingual nerve.     

THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN SOURCES ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF SALAD ROCKET GROWN IN DIFFERENT MONTHS OF THE YEAR

The effects of months of the year and nitrogen (N) sources on salad rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) yield, quality, and nitrate accumulation was investigated during the years 2002 and 2003. In both years, seeds were sown on the first day of April, May, June, July, August and September. Three different nitrogen sources were used: farmyard (cattle) manure (100 tonnes·ha^?1), calcium nitrate [Ca(NO₃)₂]-15.5% N (150 kg N·ha^?1) and ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄)]-21% N (150 kg N·ha^?1). Yield, leaf color, dry matter, vitamin C and total glucosinolate content and nitrate accumulation was assessed. Growing months affected all the assessed parameters significantly both years, with the exception of hue angle in 2003, whereas nitrogen source only influenced yield and nitrate accumulation in 2003. In both years the highest yield was obtained in April, but vitamin C and total glucosinolate contents were higher during summer months, and leaves were slightly darker colored. Chemical fertilizers increased the yield compared to farmyard manure; however, they also increased nitrate accumulation slightly, without any significant difference between them. Nitrate accumulation never exceeded 300 mg kg^?1 fresh weight (FW), which is well below the acceptable daily intake of 3.7 mg nitrate per kg^?1 bodyweight set by European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food.     

Determination of the relationship between serum anti‐Müllerian hormone level and superovulatory response in Simmental cows

The most significant focal points of the embryo transfer technology are as follows: the selection of donors, the response of the selected donor to the superovulation protocol and the obtained number of the transferable embryos. For this purpose, it is suggested that donor selection can be done by anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, and embryo production is evaluated. AMH is secreted by the granulosa cells of primordial, pre‐antral and antral follicles below 4 mm in the ovary, independent of FSH. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum AMH levels and the number of corpus luteum (CL), total embryos and transferable embryos that were shaped after a uniform superovulation protocol. For this reason, 48 Simmental cows, which were located at General Directory of Agricultural Enterprises (region, province, etc. instead of the general directorate), were used as donors for the embryo transfer. Blood samples were taken at random, regardless of the stage of animal's sexual cycle. AMH levels were measured by enzyme‐linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) method of the miniVIDAS^® (bioMérieux SA) using AMH Bovine Test Kit. According to the statistical analyses of the obtained data, AMH levels were positively correlated with CL and total embryos (p < .05). No significant correlations between AMH and transferable embryos were approved (p > .05). It was also determined that each 200 pg/ml increase in serum AMH level resulted in one increase in CL number. Overall, considering the positive correlation between AMH level and the obtained number of CL and total embryos after a superovulation treatment, it was concluded that measuring blood AMH level prior to any further costly implementation may be an effective method in donor selection.     

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.