This study investigated the reproductive performance, lamb survivability, and growing performance of Morkaraman ewes, the estrus of which was induced by natural and synthetic progesterone and which were inseminated by laparoscopic technique at the end of the mating season (December). In the study, 5 different estrus synchronization methods (CIDR, Crestar, Natural progesterone, Cronolone and MAP), 100 Morkaraman ewes, and lambs born to them were used. After the completion of the estrus synchronization methods, the first sign of estrus was detected earliest in the natural progesterone group (39.53±1.87 hours), and there was a significant difference between the natural progesterone and vaginal sponges containing MAP and Cronolone concerning the time to the first hour of estrus. Estrus rates were found significantly different across the study groups, with the shortest time to estrus having been achieved by MAP. The lambing rates for CIDR, Cronolone, Natural progesterone, MAP, and Crestar groups were 74%, 61%, 56%, 33%, and 10%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups concerning birth weight, weight at various periods, and survivability of lambs although a significant difference was found in their weaning weight.

In this study conducted to investigate the effect of breeding flock age on the fattening performance and carcass characteristics of broilers, Ross-308 chicks obtained from the eggs of breeding in three different age groups; young (30 weeks old), middle (47 weeks old), and old (59 weeks old) were used. For this purpose, three different treatment groups and three replications in each treatment group were formed depending on the breeder age in the experiment. In the study, 30 chicks in each replication, 90 chicks in each treatment group and 270 chicks in total were used. At the initial and the end of the experiment, the differences observed between the treatment groups in terms of live weight were found to be significant. It was determined that chick live weights per trial increased with increasing flock age (P0.05). As a result, although chicks obtained from old flocks had higher live weight at the beginning of the experiment, the effect of flock age on fattening performance and carcass parameters was eliminated at the end of the experiment and showed similar values with the chicks obtained from medium and young flocks.

During the production of olive oil two types of waste are generated: wastewater and olive pomace. Since these wastes have high biochemical and chemical oxygen needs, they have harmful effects on the environment. However, in addition to these damages, many bioactive compounds in olive are transferred to wastewater and pomace during oil processing. Hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleuropein are bioactive components that are dominantly found in both olive oil wastewater and pomace, and these compounds have many bioactivities that positively affect human health. As a result of scientific studies, it has been proven that hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleuropein compounds exhibit various bioactivities such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effect, cardioprotective effect, neuroprotective effect, chemoprevention properties, antidiabetic effect, antimicrobial and antiviral effect. These wastes are recycled in various sectors such as food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals due to the bioactive components they contain. It has been reported by scientific studies that wastewater and pomace contain phenolic compounds, pectic polysaccharides and fibers. These can be used as natural preservatives, antioxidants, food enrichers, packaging materials in the food industry. In this review, the production methods, chemical and biological properties of olive oil wastewater and pomace and studies investigating the use potential of these wastes in the food sector are compiled.

Information and communication technology (ICT) tools such as radio, television, mobile phone, the internet, computers are gaining momentum in the development discourse of the agriculture sector in Nepal. In agriculture extension, ICT tools fill the void that traditional agriculture extension cannot address. So, this study aimed at assessing the paddy farmers' knowledge, perception, and satisfaction on ICT tools in Jhapa, Kapilbastu, and Kailai districts following a multistage purposive sampling method. A survey research design was used for the study. Pretested semi-structured interview schedule was employed to randomly selected 390 sample respondents. Descriptive statistics along with the appropriately developed scales were used in the data analysis. The findings revealed that respondents were moderately aware (0.44) of the significant roles of ICT tools. Respondents do have more knowledge on the radio (0.87), TV (0.85), and mobile phones (0.76), whereas the majority possess TV (94%), radio (93%), and mobile phones (88%) among ICT tools. Farmers from Bardiya were more aware of the roles of ICT as compared to other study districts. Likewise, Radio and TV were the primary ICT tools used for agriculture-related information. Respondents had high skills in using radio and TV for information but poor skills in using the computer in all study districts. Most of the respondents positively perceived (0.14) ICT tools and were satisfied (0.23) with them, but their use was limited to radio, TV, and mobile phones. In addition, farmers of Kapilbastu districts were less satisfied with the use of ICT tools as compared to other study districts.

Forecasting of vegetable area, production, and productivity of Nepal was made from the historical data of 1977/78 to 2019/20 by using the Box-Jenkins Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. The best fitted ARIMA models were chosen based on the minimum value of the selection criterion, Akaike information criteria (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC). ARIMA (0, 2, 1) model was found suitable for all areas and production, whereas ARIMA (0, 2, 0) model was best fitted for forecasting vegetable productivity. The model was cross-validated by comparing the point prediction with the actual test series data from 2015/16 to 2019/20. The performances of models were determined from the mean absolute percent error (MAPE) value. The MAPE was found to be 2.70%, 2.40%, and 3.80%, respectively for the prediction of area, production, and productivity. The forecast was made for the immediate five years (2020/21 to 2024/25), and it showed an increasing value for area and production while the forecasts of productivity had lower values. The vegetable production policy in Nepal should be planned following accurate forecasts to increase production in the upcoming years. Awareness among the vegetable growers should be raised in the following years with appropriate extension programs.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships of udder surface temperature (UST) with milk components, and somatic cell count (SCC) in dairy cows during the hot season. The study was carried out with 115 lactating dairy cows (Holstein, Simmental, and Holstein × Simmental) at a private dairy farm in Samsun, Turkey, with monthly visits. The UST was measured from the udder surface before cleaning and milking. At the same time, a portable cell counter and an automatic milk analyzer were used to determine the components and the SCC of the raw milk. The UST values of the cows changed significantly. Increased UST had an adverse effect on milk solids-non-fat (SNF), protein, lactose, and density levels. LogSCC values of cow groups with UST ≤35.0°C, 35.1-36.0°C, >36.0°C were found to be 4.475±0.0803, 4.774±0.1244, and 4.981±0.1491 respectively. The UST negatively correlated with SNF, protein, lactose, density, and freezing point, but positively correlated with LogSCC. As a result, performing UST measurements before milking may be beneficial to monitor udder health and to obtain high quality milk.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of Trichoderma harzianum on seedling growth and quality as two consecutive experiments during the spring months of 2018. In the first experiment, four different T. harzianum strains and a commercial preparate were used by adding into seed sowing substrate and compared with control group which had no treatment. The most promising strain (strain2), was used with and without foliar fertilizer (20:20:20) and foliar fertilizer itself was considered as control. Emergence period and rate were determined to observe the effects of treatments of germination of seeds. Regarding the seedling growth and quality, seedling length, root length, hypocotyl diameter, leaf thickness, fresh and dry weights of root and shoots, dry matter content, color, chlorophyll index, leaf macro and micro plant nutrient contents and seedling quality index were determined at the planting stage. Data obtained from the first experiment showed that the effects of T. harzianum strains on seedling morphology, physiology and nutrient content were different. Among the tested strains, strain2 showed better performance on seedling length, root and shoot dry matter contents, total fresh weight, chlorophyll, a color value and P, Ca, Mn, Cu and Zn contents of leaves and improved seedling quality. The second experiment result showed that the foliar fertilizer application increased the efficiency of T. harzianum strain2. T. harzianum strain2 without foliar fertilizer remained below the control treament in all measured parameters. When all the data were evaluated together, it was concluded that T. harzianum could be used to increase seedling quality due to its positive effects on seedling biomass, plant nutrition uptake and quality index. Moreover, it can be used in organic seedling production as alternative biostimulant.

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a severe and most destructive pest of cruciferous vegetables in many parts of the world, including Nepal. The natural history and ecology of the diamondback moth are summarized here, along with appropriate management options. Caterpillar is the most devastating stage of DBM that matures and causes “windowing” damage, leaving only the epidermis. Biological control, cultural practices, effective chemical control, botanical pesticides, and host plant resistance are the most viable options. Insecticide abuse and resistance concerns are likely to persist, as numerous research-based outcomes have proven that none of these measures will suffice independently. However, these techniques can complement each other and result in a better long-term management system when combined. This review highlights the integrated eco-friendly management strategies for DBM and other cruciferous insect pests. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which focuses on sustainable production, has shown promising results. Modern management techniques include genetic modification, use of parasitoids, modified cultural methods, the precautionary application of chemicals, resistant cultivars, fungal, bacterial (Bt. based biopesticides), and viral entomopathogens, etc., which are found to be more effective and eco-friendlier.

The province of Istanbul, Şile District has a very advantageous position for beekeeping in terms of its geographical structure and vegetation. The main purpose of this research is to reveal some general characteristics of the beekeeping producers in the Şile District of Istanbul, to evaluate the use of chemicals, and to determine the problems in the production stages. In this evaluation on beekeeping activities, the data obtained through the questionnaire applied to 69 beekeepers in 36 villages in Şile Region were used. With the questions asked in this survey study, detailed data were obtained on many subjects such as the education status of the producers, their experiences, bee colony assets, honey yields, and diseases and pests control. The issues in beekeeping activities are discussed as education, queen production or supply, diseases and pests control. It has been found that the winter colony losses are quite high and the productivity is quite low in the region.

Iron (Fe) is an important micronutrient for plants, and its deficiency causes serious yield losses by inhibiting plant growth and development. Detailed studies have been carried out for many years on the uptake of available iron in the soil by plants and its transport to plant organs. These studies proved that Fe can be transported in chelated form with some organic substances including peptides and amino acids. However, detailed studies have not been conducted on the uptake of peptide- or amino acid-chelated Fe into the plant or its transport between organs. Few studies have focused on the oligopeptide transporter (OPT) and drug/metabolite transporter (DMT) families. The possible roles of the recently discovered UMAMIT amino acid transporter family have not been studied in iron transport in plants yet. In this review, the transporter families responsible for the uptake and translocation of iron were summarized. Then, the roles of the OPT, DMT, and UMAMIT families in transporting iron-peptide and iron-amino acid complexes were discussed in detail.