Tıbbi ve aromatik bitkiler, doğadan toplananlar ve yetiştirilenler olmak üzere iki gruba ayrılır. Doğadan toplanan tıbbi ve aromatik bitkiler, orman gibi doğal yerlerde kendiliğinden yetişen bitkilerdir. Akdeniz bölgesinde bulunan bu bitkilerden ikisi Laurus nobilis L. ve Myrtus communis L'dir. Bu çalışma, defne ağaçları ve mersin bitkilerinden elde edilen uçucu yağların oran ve bileşenlerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Türkiye'nin Osmaniye ili florasında yoğun olarak yetişen bu bitkilerden elde edilen yapraklar endüstriyel uygulamalarda büyük damıtma kazanlarında (imbik) su buharı distilasyon yöntemi uygulanarak uçucu yağları elde edilmiştir. İmbik yöntemleriyle elde edilen uçucu yağ oranları defne bitkisinde %0,9-1,4 ve mersin bitkisinde %0,4-0,8 arasında gözlenmiştir. Uçucu yağ bileşenleri incelendiğinde defnenin ana bileşenleri α-pinene (%5,75), sabinen (%8,9), eucalyptol (%44,42) ve α-terpinyl asetat (%17,37) olarak belirlenmiş olup, mersin bitkisinin ana bileşenleri ise, α-pinene (%50,79), limonene (%4,08), eucalyptol (%31,66), α-terpineol (%5,57), α-terpinyl acetate (%2,37) olarak belirlenmiştir.

High concentrations of chromium in the soil have a toxic effect on the living organisms in the soil ecosystem. If chromium, which is not an absolute essential element, accumulates in plants, it causes structural changes, causing a decrease in plant growth and also high toxicity due to its accumulation in biomass. Use of plants to remove chromium (Cr) from contaminated soils, it is an environmentally efficient, cost-effective, modern, applicable technique. The different species of plant and ornamental plants are used in this technique. In this study, the Kordes shrub rose used in landscaping in our province, Cr phytoremediation capacity was evaluated by growing at contaminated soil with Cr. In the study, the different doses of Cr (0, 50, 100, 500, 1000 mg kg-1) have been applied in Cr+3 and Cr+6 forms. In addition, two doses (0% and 3%) of leonardite were added to the pots to determine the effect on the developmental status of the plants and Cr uptake. In the study, plant height, number of branches, number of flowers, flower diameter, stem diameter, flower yield values and total wet and dry weight values at the end of the experiment were determined. At the end of the experiment, it was observed that generally developmental status of the plants was adversely affected at high Cr doses. Especially at 500 and 1000 mg kg-1 application doses was observed that the plants could not withstand Cr toxicity in a short time. It has been observed that plants treated with leonardite were healthier than those without. According to the data obtained at the end of the study, it was determined that the resistance of plant to high doses of Cr was low, but it showed better growth at 50 and 100 mg kg-1 doses.

The aim of this work is the isolation, identification and evaluation of the antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi from the Algerian medicinal plant Marrubium vulgare L. The isolation of endophytic fungi is carried out by the method of sterilization of surface to eliminate epiphytes then incubation of the fragments treated according to a precise protocol. The identification of the grown isolates allowed us to obtain three fungal strains belonging to three genera: Fusarium, Alternaria and Chaetomium, which are generally of the Deuteromycete phylum. The antibacterial capacity of the fungi was tested against five human pathogenic bacteruim using the agar-fungi disk diffusion method. With an inhibition zone (IZ) spanning from 7.5 to 25 mm, all isolated fungal strains showed antibacterial activity against at least one of the bacteria tested.. However, Fusarium sp has the highest antibacterial activity with an IZ of 19 and 24 mm against S. aureus and B. subtilis, respectively. Finally, our results clearly confirm that the medicinal plant M. vulgare L. presents a reservoir of endophytic fungi, which can be used in various fields, especially pharmaceutical fields.

In this study, it was aimed to optimize the ultrasonic rehydration conditions of dried tomatoes. Rehydration conditions were optimized by Response Surface Method (RSM). The optimization of ultrasonic (37 kHz) rehydration conditions were performed with independent variables at different temperatures (20-80°C), time (2-60 min) and water ratios (1/50-1/100 g/g water), and rehydration ability, color a* (redness) and texture values were selected as responses (dependent variable). The estimated and experimental analysis results were compared in the selection of the optimum rehydration condition. As a result, it was determined that ultrasonic rehydration at 58°C/54 min/72 ml water conditions could be used as the optimum point. At the selected optimum point, the rehydration ability, color a* value and texture values were determined as 2.82±0.16, 13.09 ±1.63 and 0.46±0.13 N, respectively. These results are seen as proof that ultrasound application can be used in the rehydration of dried tomatoes.

Bu çalışma, yetiştirme ortamına kompost ve gübre ilavesinin gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus ex Hooker f.) bitkisinin büyüme ve çiçeklenmesine etkilerini belirmemek amacıyla 2021-2022 yıllarında yürütülmüştür. Yetiştirme ortamına farklı oranlarda kompost (%0- %20 ve %40) ve farklı EC seviyelerine sahip (EC 750 µS/cm – EC 1100 µS/cm ve EC 1450 µS/cm) gübreleme uygulamaları yapılmıştır. Kompost oranlarının bitki gelişimine etkisi incelendiğinde, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek sap kalınlığı, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı, SPAD değeri, vazo ömrü, kök uzunluğu, kök yaş ağırlığı, kök kuru ağırlığı ve verim parametrelerinde kompost uygulaması yapılmayan (%0) ortamlarda en iyi sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Farklı gübreleme düzeylerinin etkisine bakıldığında ise, EC 1100 µS/cm gübreleme seviyesinde, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı, vazo ömrü, kök uzunluğu, kök kuru ağırlığı ve verim parametrelerinde en iyi sonuçlar saptanmıştır. Farklı oranlarda kompost ve gübreleme uygulamalarının kombine edilmesi sonucunda ise, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek sap kalınlığı, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı ve vazo ömrü parametrelerinde %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 750 µS/cm olduğu yetiştirme ortamlarında diğer uygulamalara kıyasla olumlu etki yaptığı görülmüştür. Bitki boyunda %40 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1100 µS/cm, SPAD değerinde ve kök uzunluğunda %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1100 µS/cm, kök yaş ağırlığında ise %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1450 µS/cm olduğu yetiştirme ortamlarında en iyi sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. İki yıllık veriler kıyaslandığında ise gerbera bitkisinin gelişim özelliği ve uygulamaların da etkisiyle ikinci yılda ve büyüme ve çiçeklenmenin daha iyi olduğu saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak, gerberada kompost oranının artışı genel itibariyle bitki gelişimini kısıtladığı tespit edilmiştir Gübreleme uygulamalarında ise 1100 µS/cm EC düzeyinin bitki gelişimi açısından diğer uygulamalara kıyasla daha olumlu etki yaptığı görülmüştür.

Events such as oxidative stress caused by spinal cord injury (SCI) are a serious condition because they negatively affect many organs. Alternative treatment options for this type of injury are quite limited. In this study, we planned to investigate the effect of oxidative damage on the spleen tissue of rats with spinal cord damage and the protective role of valproic acid (VPA) in this damage. Sixteen Wistar albino rats were divided into two equal groups. No treatment was administered to the rats in Group 1 (SCI-(Control), but a single dose of 300 mg/kg intraperitoneally VPA was administered to the rats in Group 2 (SCI-VPA). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were examined as markers of oxidative stress in spleen tissues taken after decapitation of rats. VPA treatment increased the SOD and TAS level but decreased the TOS level, indicating improved oxidative damage and impaired enzymatic antioxidant levels in spleen tissue homogenate damaged by SCI. We have observed that VPA, which has many beneficial properties, has a significant healing effect on spleen tissue affected by SCI-induced oxidative stress.

Plants have been used for many purposes in different communities. Plants used in alternative medicine since ancient times have been the main material in the treatment of many diseases. In this context, it is very important to determine the biological potential of plants. In our study, total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, oxidative stress index and DPPH free radical scavenging activity of Euphorbia eriophora Boiss. were determined. The aerial parts of the plant were extracted with ethanol in a Soxhlet device. TAS, TOS and OSI values of the plant extract were determined using Rel Assay kits. In addition, the free radical scavenging activity of the plant extract was measured by the DPPH method. As a result of the studies, the TAS value of the plant extract was 5.390±0.227, the TOS value was 20.971±0.348, and the OSI value was 0.390±0.014. The DPPH activity of the plant extract was determined to have an inhibition value of 68.721±1.694% at 2 mg/mL concentration. As a result, in our study, it was determined that E. eriophora has antioxidant potential and can be used as a natural antioxidant agent in this context.

The study analysed the extent of vulnerability to food insecurity and household coping mechanisms among yam farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional data were used for this study with the aid of a well-designed questionnaire. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 360 respondents. Multinomial logit (MNL) model and Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) method were employed for the data analysis. The results of the FGLS model showed that 49.3% of the households were food secure and experienced low vulnerability to food insecurity. However, 30.23% of them were food insecure and highly vulnerable; they are considered as chronically food-insecure households. Also, the study revealed that 11.01% of the food secure households may be food insecure in the future if necessary attention and intervention are not given by both households and the government. Again, 9.4% of the households that were experiencing food shortage, as at the time of the study, may recover in the future. The findings of MNL revealed that the age of the household head, main occupation, household size, land size, net household income, and membership in a cooperative society were the main significant factors in yam farming households' decision to use coping strategies. As a result, it is recommended that leveraging the potential role of coping mechanisms already used by households during food shortages, and building a comprehensive human capital development, such as education, will be vital policy options to reduce food insecurity.

In this study, the antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of the ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Lepidium spinosum Ard., which is distributed in many regions of the world, were determined. The aerial parts of the plant were dried, powdered and extracted with ethanol. Total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) of the plant extract were determined using Rel Assay Diagnostics kits. Antimicrobial activities of the plant extract were determined against standard bacterial and fungal strains by agar dilution method. As a result of the studies, the TAS value of the plant extract was determined as 4.550±0.132, the TOS value as 12.610±0.221, and the OSI value as 0.277±0.007. In addition, it has been found to be effective at 25-200 µg/mL against standard bacterial strains and 100-200 µg/mL concentrations against fungal strains. As a result, it was determined that L. spinosum used in our study could be a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial source. In this context, it is thought that natural material may be used in pharmacological designs.

The extraction process of peanut oil has been a major concern for local processors due to the difficult task it constitutes during processing. The use of oil expellers has been found to reduce the difficulty in this task yet different processing factors tend to affect the efficiency of those oil expellers. In this study, the optimum peanut oil processing factors and their interaction were investigated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with fractional factorial design (33) model of Central Composite Design (CCD). Processing factors such as Moisture Content (10, 12, and 14% db), Peanut Temperature (50, 65, and 80°C), and Water Quantity added during extraction (12, 14, and 16 ml). This aimed at providing the optimum parameter needed to obtain the optimum oil yield using a peanut oil expeller. From this study, it was observed that all three factors considered affecting the oil yield of peanuts during extraction. Only water quantity added during extraction is statistically different. The optimum condition of the oil extraction processing parameter was observed at 50oC, 10 db, and 120 ml. The correlation coefficient (R-squared) of the model analysis was found to be 0.8901.