This study aims to comprehensively evaluate land consolidation studies carried out in Türkiye between 1961 and 2004. Data from 509 land consolidation and on-farm development services projects carried out in 33 provinces of Türkiye were examined using statistical analysis methods. It was determined that land consolidation projects significantly contributed to more efficient use of agricultural lands, reducing the number of parcels and reaching more suitable sizes of agricultural enterprises. The results show that the average consolidation rate of the examined projects was 35.76% and an average increase of 81.45% occurred in parcel sizes. In the regional evaluations, it was determined that the Black Sea Region had the highest consolidation rate. In contrast, relatively lower success rates were obtained in the Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions. These differences are related to land structure, property relations and agricultural enterprise sizes. It has been observed that technological developments, especially computer-aided mapping techniques and tools such as Geographic Information Systems, have increased the success of consolidation projects. As a result, it has been determined that land consolidation studies play a critical role in the sustainability of agricultural production. Still, more strategic planning should be made by considering regional characteristics. This study is essential for evaluating the historical development and impacts of land consolidation studies in Türkiye. It is also considered a guide for institutions carrying out consolidation studies.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of using Spirulina and Chlorella instead of fish meal on the growth, feed utilization, digestibility and digestive enzyme activity of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). For this purpose, 25% fish meal was added to the control diet, 25% Spirulina to the SP diet and 25% Chlorella to the CL diet as the main protein source. In the 3×3 planned experiment, fish with an average weight of 1.98±0.10 g were fed with isonitrogenous and isolipidic formulated diets until satiation for 60 days. At the end of the experiment, higher final body weight and specific growth rate were obtained in the groups fed with diets containing Spirulina and Chlorella (p<0.05) and feed conversion was not affected by the main protein source in the diet. Lipid content in muscle tissue of fish fed with control diet was lower than that of the group fed with Chlorella containing diet (p<0.05). Microalgae addition to the diets significantly (p<0.05) increased dry matter, protein and lipid digestibility, as well as protease and lipase activity. The results obtained showed that Spirulina or Chlorella in Cyprinus carpio diets increased growth, nutrient digestibility and activity of digestive enzymes, and therefore, based on these parameters examined, Spirulina and Chlorella could be used instead of the entire 25% fish meal in the diet.

In dairy farms, water is crucial for the health, productivity, and welfare of animals. Water is a fundamental component in all biological processes, and insufficient water intake can negatively impact milk production, reproductive health, and overall animal welfare. The water requirement for dairy cattle depends on various factors such as age, weight, milk yield, environmental temperature, and nutritional status. An adult dairy cow can consume approximately 80-150 liters of water per day. This requirement increases in high-yielding cows. Adequate water intake directly affects milk production, as approximately 87% of milk is composed of water. The quality of water is as crucial as its quantity. This study investigates the quality of drinking water in dairy farms within Niğde Province, Turkey, focusing on its implications for livestock health and productivity. Water samples were collected from 11 livestock enterprises, encompassing water tanks and troughs, and analyzed for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, nitrate (NO₃), nitrite (NO₂), and phosphate phosphorus (PO₄) concentrations. Results showed EC values averaging 0.803 dSm⁻¹, within acceptable standards for livestock, although high concentrations in certain tanks raised concerns regarding mineral content and potential health impacts. The pH ranged from 7.27 to 8.20, remaining suitable for all livestock classes. NO₃ concentrations averaged 21.834 mgL⁻¹, with no samples below the 10 mgL⁻¹ threshold, highlighting risks from prolonged exposure. In contrast, NO₂ concentrations averaged 0.251 mgL⁻¹, remaining within safe limits. PO₄ concentrations were minimal, averaging 0.056 mgL⁻¹, and posed no significant risks. The findings underscore the importance of periodic water quality monitoring in livestock farms to mitigate risks of contamination and ensure optimal health and productivity. These findings highlight the necessity for customized water management techniques to fit particular farm settings and advance our understanding of the complex effects of water quality on livestock performance.

The aim of the present study was to determine the the effects of carazolol injection during mating following progestagen + eCG administration on conception rate in breeding season Lacaune ewes. Sixty-two Lacaune ewes were used in the study. On day 0, an intravaginal sponge containing 20 mg flugestone acetate was inserted and left in place for 10 days. On day 10, the sponges were removed, and each ewe received an intramuscular injection of eCG at a dose of 480 IU. Ewes in estrus were mated with a proven rams (ewe:ram ratio of 5:1). Fifty-nine mated ewes were randomly assigned into two groups: control and treatment. In the carazolol group (n = 30), ewes received an intramuscular injection of carazolol (0.01 mg/kg; Simpanorm, Fatro, Italy) on the day of estrus, post-mating. In the control group (n = 29), ewes were not administered any treatment. Pregnancy diagnosis was conducted in all ewes on days 30 and 60 post-mating using transabdominal ultrasonography with a Hitachi EUB-405 device equipped with a 3.5 MHz convex probe. The estrus rate, conception rate, total pregnancy rate, and early fetal death rate were evaluated across all groups. The study results indicated no statistically significant differences between the control group and the carazolol group regarding conception rates (62.1% vs. 66.7%) and total pregnancy rates (79.3% vs. 83.3%). In addition, as a result of repeated ultrasound examinations, no early fetal death was found in the study. In conclusion, carazolol injection during mating following progestagen + eCG administration did not increase on fertility in breeding season Lacaune ewes.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between body defects, egg and chick quality and hatching results at different age periods of the laying period of partridges raised in production conditions (cage system). The study was based on three different periods. The first period is the pre-peak egg production period (˂200 eggs), the second period is the peak egg production period (˃200 eggs) and the third period is the post-peak egg production period (˂200 eggs). These periods also represent the age of the animals. As material, 432 female and 216 male partridges in their first egg production year were used. The study was organized according to the random plots experimental plan. There were changes in body defects and other health parameters depending on egg production periods. Foot-pad dermatitis and elbow burns increased with increasing age. Parent partridges had better head, neck, back, chest and tail feather condition before peak egg production. Egg weight increased with advancing age. Hatching egg characteristics such as excessively pointed eggs and eggs with calcium deposits decreased in the peak and post-peak yield period. Eggshell transparency increased with advancing age. Fertility was higher in the pre-peak egg yield period compared to other periods. Hatchability was lower after the peak period. Tona score of chicks decreased with age. There were weak negative and positive phenotypic correlations between many traits. Practices that prevent body injuries in the early egg production period and deteriorating feather condition with advancing age, decreasing shell opacity, deterioration in hatching performance and chick quality traits in partridges will be beneficial in terms of increasing both production performance and animal welfare.

In this study, the effects of pre-slaughter fasting periods (8, 12, and 16 h) on stress levels, body weight loss, slaughter, carcass, and meat quality characteristics were investigated in broiler chickens with different growth rates (medium and fast-growing). In the experiment, 15 male and 15 female broilers each from the ANADOLU-T A1 (medium growing) dam line and ROSS-308 hybrid (fast growing) at 42 days of age were used. Body weight losses did not differ significantly among fasting periods, but medium-growing broilers exhibited higher body weight losses across all fasting groups (P<0.05). The carcass yield was higher in fast-growing broilers (P<0.05), while abdominal fat ratios were higher in medium-growing broilers (P<0.05). The amount of residual feed in the gizzard, digestive system, and gizzard ratios decreased with increasing fasting duration (P<0.05). Digestive system ratios also differed between genotypes (P<0.05). An increase in breast ratio was observed with longer fasting periods (P<0.05). On the other hand, the fast-growing genotype had higher breast ratios, lower wing ratios, lower back ratios, and lower neck ratios (P<0.05). Fasting periods did not significantly affect the L*, a*, and b* color values of breast and thigh meat, but differences between genotypes were significant, with higher values observed in the fast-growing genotype (P<0.05). Breast pH values did not differ among fasting periods but were higher in the fast-growing genotype (P<0.05). Thigh pH values, however, varied significantly between fasting periods and genotypes (P<0.05). The medium-growing genotype had higher thigh pH values, and thigh pH increased with longer fasting periods (P<0.05). White striping and woody breast scores in breast muscles were higher in the fast-growing genotype, with partial increases observed as fasting duration increased. In conclusion, the results indicate that a 12-h pre-slaughter fasting period is sufficient for digestive tract clearance and carcass quality. However, meat quality defects in fast-growing genotypes should be monitored.

Tarihin başlangıcından beri insanların yaşamlarını sürdürebilmeleri için en temel gereksinimleri gıda ürünleri (yiyecek-içecek) olmuştur. Artan insan nüfusu ile gıda ürünlerine olan ihtiyaç da artmış ve gelişen teknolojiyle birlikte, gıda sektöründe gerçekleştirilen seri üretimlerle bu ihtiyaçlar karşılanmaya çalışılmıştır. Ancak küreselleşmenin de etkisiyle artan kitlesel gıda ürünlerinin güvenliği sorunu ortaya çıkmış ve bu da toplumları gıda güvenliği ve izlenebilirliği politikaları ve izlenebilirlik sistemleri oluşturmaya yönlendirmiştir. Bu derlemede 18. yy’da buharlı makinelerin kullanımıyla ortaya çıkan 1. Endüstri Devrimi ile başlayıp günümüzde endüstriyel süreçlerde makinelerin insan gücüne göre etkin bir rol almaya başladığı 4. Endüstri Devrimi (Endüstri 4.0) dahil olmak üzere endüstriyel devrim aşamaları ele alınmış ve bunların gıda sektöründeki etkileri incelenmiştir. Endüstri 4.0’ün temel prensipleri ve uygulamalarının gıdada izlenebilirlikte kullanımı ile ilgili çalışmalar araştırılarak tartışılmıştır.

Drought is regarded as one of the most significant abiotic constraints to agricultural crop output worldwide. Drought in the spring and early summer, which coincides with important reproductive stages, severely limits lupin yield in Mediterranean climate zones. The purpose of this study was to determine how different drought treatments affected seed germination and initial seedling growth in Lupinus albus L. (white or field lupin). Seed germination parameters and initial seedling growth traits were tested against five levels of drought stress induced with Polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG6000) at concentrations of 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16%. An experiment with four replications was conducted using a completely randomized design. The results revealed that the negative effect of drought stress started at 4% (-0.03 MPa or -0.3 bar) treatment for the initial seedling growth stage; whereas, it started at 12% (-0.2 MPa or -2 bar) treatment for the germination stage. Therefore, it was determined that L. albus was more sensitive to drought stress at the initial seedling growth stage than at the germination stage. However, it was observed that the growth parameters were more sensitive in shoot growth than in root growth to drought stress. There will be a sharp loss of yield in soils with levels of drought stress imposed by 12% PEG6000 (-0.2 MPa-moderate drought-) and beyond. Therefore, it is likely that L. albus has low drought tolerance.

Salinity is a primary abiotic factor affecting agricultural productivity in arid and semiarid environments. The stages that are most vulnerable to salinity are germination and early seedling growth. There are limited reports on the responses of Lupinus albus L. to salinity. Therefore, in the study, we aim to test germination and early seedling growth of L. albus under different salinity levels. To this end, seeds of L. albus were treated with different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM) of NaCl under laboratory conditions. A total of 16 parameters, including germination and growth, were examined. The results showed that under 200 mM NaCl, germination percentage (GP) decreased by 13.4% and germination rate index (GRI) decreased by 69.24%, while mean germination time (MGT) increased by 30.02%. In addition, the shoot length (SL), root length (RL), shoot fresh weight (SFW), root fresh weight (RWF), and root dry weight (RDW), root to shoot dry matter (R/S DM), shoot water content (SWC), root water content (RWC), and seedling vigor index (SVI) were reduced respectively by 82.69%, 75.65%, 53.30%, 70%, 66.66%, 70.86%, 23.47%, 0.35% and 82.57% under 200 mM NaCl, compared to the control condition. However, root to shoot ratio (R/S), shoot dry weight (SDW), shoot dry matter (SDM), root dry matter (RDM) were increased by 43.33%, 65.07%, 249.68%, and 3.22% under 200 mM NaCl. Overall, the study results showed that the critical level to mitigate the negative effect of salinity is 150 mM NaCl (-0.6 MPa osmotic potential) for germination and 50 mM NaCl (-0.2 MPa osmotic potential) for growth. Therefore, L. albus has a low tolerance to salinity.

In this research, the usability of spent mushroom compost/substrate (SMC/SMS) as casing material was investigated. For this purpose, different volumes of peat and spent mushroom substrate (peat, peat + SMS (1/1), peat + SMS (1/2), peat + SMS (2/1), SMS) were used as casing material. The effects of spent mushroom substrate waste used as casing material and different volumes of peat applications on cap length, cap diameter, stipe length, stipe diameter, hardness, number of mushrooms, average mushroom weight, yield of cultivated mushrooms were determined. Different casing material applications affected stipe length, hardness, number of mushrooms, average mushroom weight and yield. Although the highest yield was obtained from peat application (59.86 kg 100 kg-1 compost), it has been shown that spent mushroom substrate waste can be used in casing material mixtures in mushroom cultivation.