ATAK-S is a newly developed native hybrid layer. Although the laying performance of this hybrid has been studied and determined, the performance response of the hybrid to different environmental temperature conditions is not known. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the effect of cold and heat stress on egg quality traits. Hens were divided into three different groups; control (20°C), low (12°C) and high (32°C). A total of 360 hens, with 120 in each of the groups, were used in the study. Hens were held in three tier battery cages in an environmentally controlled poultry house. The study lasted for 3 weeks. No differences were found among different groups in terms of shape index, albumen height and Haugh unit of the egg quality traits. It was found that the differences among the heat groups in terms of egg shell breaking strength, egg weight, shell thickness and yolk colour were significant and the value of these traits decreased under the heat stress conditions, whereas they were not affected from the cold stress.

The most significant crop losses worldwide occur due to unfavorable temperatures such as heat, drought, cold, and freezing. Minerals like silicon can play important roles in the growth, development, and stress responses of plants. In this study, changes in stem/root length, dry weight, relative water content and silicon content, of peas under cold and freezing stress, as well as antioxidant system indicators such as proline, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorophyll levels, ion leakage, and the expressions of genes coding for the topoisomerase TOP2 and DNA helicase PDH47 enzymes, which play important roles in the replication, transcription, and repair of DNA molecules, were examined in root and stem tissues in the presence of two different concentrations of silicon. The results of the study showed that silicon application under cold and freezing stresses has induced various changes in pea metabolism, including increases in cell membrane integrity parameters and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, as well as increase in the expressions of TOP2 and PDH47 genes. These changes have been found to have positive effects on the pea cold and freezing tolerance.