Ultrasonic measurements of Musculus longissmus dorsi thoracis et lumborum (MLD) were taken of Dorper (n=99) and Dorper x Merino (n=65) lambs at 156 days of age and comparisons made to various body dimensions to ascertain whether sex, genotype, birth type and live weight had any effect on these parameters. Lambs were weaned two months after birth and placed ad libitum on basic dry land pasture during the draught spring and summer months of 2014 in the arid southeastern region of Turkey. Least square means of backfat thickness, skin+backfat thickness, muscle depth, body length, chest girth and live weight, at the mean age of 156 days, were 0.17 cm, 0.32 cm, 1.75 cm, 63.30 cm, 72.37 cm and 25.16 kg, respectively. Genotype was a statistically significant factor in terms of back fat thickness (BFT), skin and backfat thickness (S+BFT), muscle depth (MD), body length (BL) and live weight (LW). The study showed that Dorper and Dorper x Merino genotypes into Turkey show a clear advantage over the native breeds in terms of meat production and quality not to mention the high potential for lean carcass production. Ultrasonic measurements of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (MLD) will provide an important contribution to selection index in breeding programs for Dorper and Dorper crossbred genotypes. However estimation of genetic parameters are required in containing a pedigree database in order to establish an effective selection index.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of rosemary essential oils in various doses on hen performance, egg quality, lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA) level in fresh and stored egg yolk. The experiment was carried out in random parcel experimental design. In the experiment, 6 groups were formed and each group was divided into 5 replicates. In total 240 Bovans hite laying hens, each replicate included 8 hens, 32 weeks old, were used. Treatment groups were control (Negative Control), 500 mg//kg antibiotic (Positive Control 1), 200 mg/kg vitamin E (Positive Control 2), 100 mg/kg rosemary essential oil, 200 mg/kg rosemary essential oil, 300 mg/kg rosemary essential oil. There was no significant difference in live weight, egg production, egg weight, damaged egg ratio, mortality and egg quality but feed comsumption, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and egg yolk MDA values were affected significantly in between control and treatment groups. At all treatment groups feed comsumption decreased significantly and other groups improved in feed conversion ratio except 500 mg/kg antibiotic and 100 mg/kg rosemary doses groups compared to negative control significantly. 100 mg/kg rosemary essential oil addition during the storage time for 42 and 56 days and 200 mg/kg vitamin E addition for all storage time to ration decreased egg yolk MDA values significantly. As a result, laying birds fed 200 mg/kg vitamin E, and 100 mg/kg of rosemary essential oil additives can use to prevent lipid oxidation.

The frogs production is done on the basis of fully hunting, an important export product in Turkey. The frogs are almost no domestic consumption. The frogs are exported to France, Italy, Switzerland, Lebanon, Greece and Spain by five companies a processed form as live frog, frozen frog legs and chilled frog legs. In Turkey, some regulations related to hunting frogs and exports are prepared by under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs General Directorate of Protection and Control. The hunting frogs is banned by 3/1 the Commercial Fisheries regulating the hunting notification. These prohibitions are designed to be different for each province. The provinces are permitted for frogs hunting by the legislation in Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Balıkesir, Bingöl, Bursa, Edirne, Bursa, Istanbul and Yalova. Frogs were exported in different amounts (kg) with different price in every year during the last ten years. The highest amounts of the frogs with the lowest of price were exported in 2013. Prey weight is shrinking due to overfishing. In this case, the price of export materials has got significantly negative effects. As a result, the ban on hunting and restrictive measures for protection should be taken seriously in some of the provinces. Hunting ban is absolutely necessary in Turkey. In many countries including Turkey, in order to ensure sustainability, it is important to do the frog breeding.

Quality of plain set yoghurt was investigated by varying levels of ultrafiltration concentration of cow skim milk (1-without ultrafiltration, 1.5 and 2 folds) and inoculum (2, 2.5 and 3%) of yoghurt culture (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus 1:1). Titratable acidity development and pH reduction were significantly faster during incubation of yoghurt with increasing ultrafiltration concentration level and inoculum level. Increased ultrafiltration concentration level decreased spontaneous whey syneresis, but increased water holding capacity and firmness of the product significantly. Body & texture and overall acceptability scores were significantly better in yoghurts prepared from 1.5 fold concentrated milk irrespective of the inoculum level studied. Inoculum level did not show any significant effect on the quality of yoghurt, but higher inoculum level decreased the incubation period significantly. Optimized product was obtained with 1.5 fold concentrated skim milk standardized to 3.3% fat and incubated with 2% inoculum level in about five and a half hour of incubation. Optimized product had 13.60±0.02% total solids, 3.31±0.01% fat, 5.27±0.04% protein, 4.20±0.03% lactose and 0.82±0.02% ash. Whey syneresis, water holding capacity and firmness in optimized product were nil, 63.49% and 1.89 N, respectively. Thus, high quality plain yoghurt could be prepared by employing ultrafiltration, without addition of stabilizers, which is otherwise widely used commercially for the manufacture of yoghurt to control its wheying off and body.

Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst (Reishi mushroom) is one of medicinal mushroom species. The chemical content of the mushrooms shows significant changes depending on the physical and chemical properties of their growing place. In this study; total soluble protein, total soluble carbohydrate (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and some mineral elements (P, K, Mg, Mn, S, Fe, Zn, Ca and Na) of Ganoderma lucidum collected from the nature and cultured on orange stump were investigated. According to the results; total protein, glucose, fructose, sucrose and starch content of the G. lucidum cultured on orange stump were found higher than G. lucidum collected from nature. Phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium and sulfur content were determined to be higher in mushroom samples cultured on orange stump. Calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc values were found as higher in mushroom samples collected from nature. According to these results, G. lucidum cultured on orange stump had higher nutritional value than mushrooms collected from nature.

When continuity is lacked in the agricultural programs and policies of a developing nation, such nation cannot avoid to keep moving round a circle. Such nation’s agricultural sector will be full of activities without actions and achievements will elude such country. This study therefore reviewed some of the agricultural programs and policies in Nigeria, their failures and successes as well as reasons behind the failures and success vis-à-vis the recent agricultural development strategy of Nigeria; Agricultural Transformation Agenda which has had its attending major successes of lifting the agricultural economy of Nigeria from being a democratic dividend to profit-oriented commercial business sector of the economy and x-rayed the role of legislature in sustainability of the successes of the agricultural strategy for continuity of agricultural development in Nigeria.

This study was conducted to determine the influence of eggshell thickness, albumen height, yolk height and haugh unit on hatching results. A total of 746 eggs, which were obtained and evaluated for egg quality parameters from 100 brown pure line hens of 42 weeks of age, were used. Eggs were collected from each hen for 12 days and individual incubation was carried out. Eggs were grouped based on quality parameters and evaluated accordingly. The findings suggested that hatchability, hatchability of fertile eggs, early, mid and late embryonic mortality did not differ in terms of haugh unit, albumen height, eggshell thickness and yolk height groups. However, early embryonic mortality was found different between the yolk height groups. No relationship was determined among albumen height, haugh unit, eggshell thickness and hatching results. There was no relation between yolk height and hatchability of fertile eggs, hatchability, mid and late embryonic mortalities but was a positive correlation with early embryonic mortality. The results of the present study demonstrate that egg quality parameters studied here had no influence on hatching results except that early embryonic mortality increased with the yolk height.

Silage quality and nutritive value of sunflower silages ensiled with different level of fibrolytic enzymes at blooming, milk and dough stages were investigated. Fibrolytic enzyme complex (Viscozyme® L, V2010 Sigma Novozyme) was applied 0, 1, 1.5 and 2.5 ml/kgDM at ensiling. The dry matter (DM) yield increased with each increment of the maturity stage. Dry matter (DM), ether extract (EE) and crude cellulose (CC) contents of silages increased also in each delay in harvesting, while crude protein (CP), NDF and ADF contents of silages were the highest in blooming stage. The pH was higher in sunflower silage harvested at dough stage when compared to blooming stage, while acetic, propionic and butyric acid concentrations were all higher in blooming stage, although there were no differences in lactic acid concentrations among harvesting periods. Although silage structural carbohydrate composition was not significantly affected by any enzyme dose, Dose III enzyme treatment at the dough was associated with the highest concentration of lactic acid. Overall, there was no profound effect of enzyme supplementation on nutritive value and silage characteristics of sunflower silage.

The main aims of this study were to observe the seasonal variations of physicochemical parameters and heavy metal content, to determine the water quality properties and the suitability level in terms of aquatic life, and also to classify the quality of water in accordance with the Surface Water Quality Management Regulation (SWQMR) criteria at Çiğdem Pond (Kastamonu/Turkey). In total, 21 physicochemical parameters and 7 heavy metals were investigated for water quality assessment of the studied pond between July 2015 and June 2016 in 3 stations. The water quality in Çiğdem Pond was found to be Class I according to SWQMR. The results of this study provide a data baseline for future studies on subsequent evaluations of possible future environmental contamination. Also, to protect the water quality and to ensure the health of aquatic life in this area, it is required to make regular observations.

Response of sunflower germplasms viz. cultivated sunflower H. annuus and two breeding lines H. annuus x T. rotundifolia and H. annuus x V. encelioides developed after wide hybridization were used for identification of drought tolerant sunflower genotypes at the seedling growth stage. Three water stress levels of zero (control), -0.4, and -0.8 MPa were developed using polyethyleneglycol-6000 (PEG-6000). Physiological and biochemical stress determining parameters such as root and shoots length, fresh weight, antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (GPO), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and antioxidant metabolite content (total antioxidant capacity, total phenols and total flavonoids content) were compared between seedlings of all three genotypes. Results revealed that sunflower genotypes have similar responses at two osmotic potentials for shoot and root length and fresh weight. The data also showed that drought stresss could induce oxidative stress, as indicated by the increase level of ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase at -04 MPa in H. annuus cv 1114. Although the activity of ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase was differentially influenced by drought, the changes of antioxidant enzyme activities such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase subjected to drought stress follow a similar pattern in both breeding lines, indicating that similar defense systems might be involved in the oxidative stress injury in sunflowers. Increase in content of phenols and flavonoids were detected for all three genotypes under stress, which showed that these were major antioxidant metabolites in scavenging cellular H2O2.