Enhancing crop productivity is essential for increasing farmer incomes, and application of ethephon along with proper pruning practices could provide effective approaches for improving yield of cucurbit crops. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of ethephon and pruning practices on sex expression and yield of cucumber cv long green at Rupandehi, Nepal from April to July 2022. The experiment used a two-factor factorial RCBD, with 2 doses of ethephon (300 ppm & control spray) as one factor and pruning practices (3G, 2G & no pruning) as the other, resulting six treatments which were replicated four times. Morphological and phenological parameters such as plant height, days to flowering, number of male and female flowers per plant, M: F ratio, fruit length, fruit weight, fruit number per plant, and yield were recorded. It was observed that ethephon @ 300 ppm produced the highest yield (65.59 t/ha) with increased fruits per plant (13.19) and individual fruit weight (497.31 g). Highest fruit yield (66.97 t/ha), fruit number (13.47 per plant), and individual fruit weight (497.20 g) was observed with 3G pruning. Ethephon @ 300 ppm delayed male flowers, but female flowers were observed significantly earlier (34.21 DAT), with a similar effect observed in 3G pruning. Both ethephon @ 300 ppm (39.89) and 3G pruning (41.99) significantly increased the total number of female flowers in comparison with other treatments. Control spray of ethephon resulted in highest fruit length and application of ethephon @ 300 ppm resulted to highest fruit width. Pruning did not significantly influence fruit length but increased fruit width. The study revealed that a spray of 300 ppm ethephon and 3G pruning can enhance femaleness and productivity of cucumber.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the pollination and fertilization biology of black mulberry (Morus nigra L.), with a specific focus on understanding the effects of different pollination treatments on fruit formation and seed formation. Two experiments were designed to evaluate both dioecious and monoecious genotypes. In the first experiment, genotype 25 (dioecious female) was subjected to various artificial pollination treatments using pollen from two male genotypes (genotype 5 and genotype 28), as well as isolation treatments to observe parthenocarpic fruit formation. High fruit formation rates were recorded across all treatments, and no significant differences in fruit size or drupelet number were observed, regardless of the pollen source. The second experiment involved three monoecious genotypes (genotype 1, genotype 30, and genotype 31), where significant variations in fruit formation and size were observed, depending on the pollen source. This study highlights the potential for both fertilized and parthenocarpic fruit formation in black mulberry and underscores the importance of pollen source in determining fruit quality and seed formation.

This study analyzed the drying kinetics of peanut pods employing sun, hot air, and microwave drying techniques, and evaluated their mathematical modeling. The findings demonstrated that sun-drying decreased the moisture content from 26.47% to 8-10% over a duration surpassing 72 hours. Hot air drying at temperatures of 60°C, 80°C, and 100°C, commencing with an initial moisture content of 29.92%, necessitated 810 minutes, 360 minutes, and 660 minutes, respectively. Microwave drying, commencing with an initial moisture content of 23.01%, required 40 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes at belt velocities of 3 mm/s, 4.9 mm/s, and 6.2 mm/s, respectively, at 300 W. At 400 W, the durations were 24 minutes, 30 minutes, and 40 minutes, respectively. All drying kinetics curves exhibited decreasing rates characteristic of agro-food products. Mathematical modeling analysis identified the Midilli model as the most appropriate, succeeded by the Page, Henderson, and Pabis models, for characterizing moisture loss during the sun, hot air, and belt microwave drying of peanut pods.

The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier is predominantly a devasting infested stored grain pest of cereals, whose development proceeds within a single grain of infested cereals. Investigating greener alternatives to widely used chemical control techniques is crucial because synthetic chemicals pose risks to public health and the environment.  This investigation was carried out for developing the ecofriendly control management of the Angoumois grain moth in stored cereals through utilizing four botanical powders and one insecticide, wood ash (1 gm), and a single synthetic insecticide (Carbaryl) (0.25mg), neem (1 gm), Korobi (1 gm), Bishkatali (1 gm) and Datura (1 gm) treatments against untreated control in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). It was revealed that Neem (Azadiracta indica) powder at 1 g/100 g seed performed excellently, resulting in minimization of adult mortality percent, adult emergence, grain weight loss, and number of holes per ten seeds. The maximum percent of germination was noted in bishkathali (Persicaria lapathifolia) powder at 1 g/100 g seed, and moreover, bishkathali powder functions more effectively for limiting infestation percent. Therefore, the botanical neem and bishkathali powder at 2 g/100 g seed rate is the better alternative of carbaryl at 0.5 g/100 g rate, and it could be suggested for Angoumois grain moth management at storage.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a shallow-rooted crop mostly grown for cloves, which are used as a food flavoring condiment. Mulching helps to keep soil moisture by lowering energy loss through evaporation and preventing vapor transfer. A field study investigated how different mulches affect the garlic growth metrics. The experiment was conducted in the Chitwan District of Nepal from December to April 2022 under a randomized complete block design with three replications and five treatments (control, polythene mulch, straw mulch, banana leaf mulch, and sawdust mulch). The results reveal that the type of mulching materials employed substantially impacts on garlic growth and clove yield. Rice straw mulch exhibited the highest plant height (70.69cm) at 120 DAP followed by sawdust (64.44cm) and banana leaves (62.34cm). At 120 days after planting, leaf length was found to be statistically similar under rice straw (43.36) and plastic mulch (41.56 cm). Plastic mulch showed the highest results in number of leaves per plant(7.6), Stem diameter (1.58cm), Bulb weight (44.61gm),Bulb diameter(5.11cm), Root length(8.48cm) and Total yield (15.99t/ha). On the other hand, saw dust had a greater impact on bulb length (6.05cm). Notably, plastic mulch regularly outperformed other treatments in most criteria, with rice straw following closely. Based on these findings, plastic mulch appears to be the best option for garlic production.

Geleneksel yöntemlere kıyasla, makine öğrenimi ile desteklenen sistemlerin, daha hassas sulama kararları verebildiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, veri bilimi alanında sıkça kullanılan veri paylaşım platformu olan Kaggle’dan faydalanılmıştır. Sulama durumu tahmini için “Weather Data” veri kümesi kullanılmıştır, Veri kümesinde eksik ve aykırı veriler düzeltilmiş, bağımlı (sulama durumu) ve bağımsız (hava sıcaklığı, nemi, toprak nem değeri, yağış durumu) parametreler elde edilmiştir. Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki illere (Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa ve Şırnak) odaklanılarak farklı koşullarda algoritmaların doğrulukları test edilmiştir. Her bir il için ayrı ayrı yapılan analizlerde, makine öğrenimi algoritmalarından Karar Ağaçları, Destek Vektör Makineleri, Rastgele Orman, Naive Bayes, Gradyan Artırma, Lojistik Regresyon, K-En Yakın Komşu ve Yapay Sinir Ağı modelleri kullanılarak sulama durumu tahmini gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri kümesi üzerinde yapılan tahminler sonucunda algoritmalar, doğruluk (accuracy) metriği kullanılarak karşılaştırılmış ve en etkili algoritmaların Rastgele Orman (%95) ,Karar Ağacı (%97), Gradyan Artırma (%93) ve Yapay Sinir Ağı (%98) modeli ile tüm şehirlerde %90’ın üzerinde sulama durumu tahmini doğruluğu elde edilmiştir. Diğer algoritmalar da yüksek doğruluk oranları ile (%75 üzeri) dikkate değer performans sergilemişlerdir. Her bir il için yapılan analizlerde, algoritma performans sıralamasının benzer olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma makine öğrenimi algoritmalarının tarımsal sulamada oldukça yüksek bir performansla kullanılabileceğini göstermektedir.

The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus, Rathbun 1896) has become a significant source of raw materials in biotechnology and nanotechnology due to the biomaterials present in its shell. Natural polymers such as chitin and chitosan, derived from the crab's shell, are particularly noteworthy for their environmentally friendly and biologically compatible properties. These biopolymers provide an innovative alternative in the synthesis of quantum dots (QDs). Quantum dots are favored in various applications, including biomedical imaging, environmental sensors, and energy storage, due to their superior optoelectronic properties. Chitosan obtained from blue crab shells acts as both a stabilizer and a coating agent in the green synthesis of quantum dots. This process minimizes the use of toxic chemicals, thus promoting environmental sustainability. Moreover, the antimicrobial and biodegradable properties of chitosan enhance its usability in biomedical applications. For instance, biocompatible carbon-based quantum dots have shown promising results in cancer diagnostics and drug delivery systems. The synthesis of quantum dots using biomaterials is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, utilizing blue crab shells as a waste material contributes to both marine ecosystem preservation and the circular economy. These synthesis methods are reported to create a significant paradigm shift in the field of sustainable technology development. In conclusion, the synthesis of quantum dots using biomaterials derived from blue crabs has the potential to reduce environmental impacts while serving advanced technological applications. This approach significantly contributes to the development of biotechnological innovations and sustainable development goals.

Bu çalışmada, portakal dilimlerinin kalite özellikleri üzerine farklı sıcaklık (60, 70 ve 80°C) ve mutlak basınç (15 ve 30 kPa) kombinasyonlarında gerçekleştirilen vakumlu kurutma (VK) işlemlerinde mikrodalga ön işleminin (90 W, 30 dk) etkileri incelenmiştir. Vakumlu kurutma işlemleri, aynı sıcaklık ve basınç koşullarında mikrodalga ön işlemi uygulanarak (MDVK) ve uygulanmadan (VK) gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında, polifenolik bileşikler (vanilik asit, klorojenik asit, gallik asit, sinapik asit, o-kumarik asit, epikateşin, hesperidin ve naringenin) analiz edilmiştir. Ek olarak, renk parametreleri (L*, a*, b* ve ΔE), esmerleşme indeksi (BI) ve beyazlatma indeksi (WI) gibi görsel kalite özellikleri de değerlendirilmiştir. Taze portakalların başlangıçta sahip olduğu renk özellikleri ve fenolik bileşen seviyelerini kurutma işlemi sonucunda en iyi koruyan vakumlu kurutma koşulları 80°C sıcaklık ve 15 kPa mutlak basınç olmuştur. Temel bileşen analizi (PCA) ve hiyerarşik kümeleme analizi (HCA) kullanılarak, kurutma koşullarının renk ve polifenolik bileşen profilleri üzerindeki etkileri kapsamlı bir şekilde değerlendirilmiştir. Bu analizler, ürün kalitesine ilişkin kimyasal ve polifenolik profillerin ayrıştırılmasına olanak sağlamıştır.

The study aimed to determine the effects of biochar obtained from rice husk and corn harvest residues on the growth, nutritional content and some biochemical properties of basil plants. Both biochars were applied by mixing them into potting soil at 2% and 5% rates. To determine the effect of applications on plant development, the height and weight of plants and leaf weights, and number of side branches were recorded. Additionally, chlorophyll content (SPAD), phenol content, antioxidant content and P, Mg, Ca, K, S, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and B concentrations in the leaves were determined. Compared to the control, significant increases were detected in the leaf weights, height and weights of the plants grown in all pots containing biochar. The highest plants were obtained from 5% rice biochar (RB5) treatment. The highest leaf weight and the highest number of side branches were also observed. in the RB5 treatment. Leaf K contents in RB5 and maize harvest residue biochar (CB) treatments were higher compared to the control. Leaf B, Fe and Mn contents were lower in certain biochar treatments than the control. Biochar applications did not cause a significant change in the antioxidant and chlorophyll content of basil plants. The total phenolic content significantly increased only in RB5 treatment. The effect of biochar application varied depending on the application rate and the properties of the biomass from which the biochar was obtained. Therefore, it is not possible to draw a general conclusion about the effects of biochar applications on plant growth. Contradictory results can be obtained depending on the type of plants and biochars and the characteristics of the growth medium.

The aim of this study was to investigate the growth of C. sporogenes in model white cheese stored under cold conditions (4°C) and in vacuum packaging and its effect on quality parameters. For this purpose, two different cheeses were produced, contaminated (CMBP) and not (MBP) with C. sporogenes 73 and C. sporogenes 97 strains, and physicochemical, microbiological and volatile component analyses were performed every 15 days during the 60-day storage period of the cheeses. No significant difference was detected in dry matter (%), fat in dry matter (%), and protein (%) contents of cheeses during storage. As an important finding, C. sporogenes did not affect the acidity values (pH and % acidity). The pH and % acidity values of the cheeses were found to be 4.79±0.03 – 4.98±0.05 and 2.04±0.06 – 2.16±0.06, respectively. When the microbiological results were examined, the total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB), lactococci and lactobacilli counts of the cheeses decreased during storage, while the yeast-mold counts did not change. There was no change in CMBP cheese with an initial C. sporogenes spore count of 4.62±0.11 during storage. When the color parameters of the cheeses were examined, a difference was detected in the L* value and was lower in CMBP. At the end of storage, there was no change in the a* values of the cheeses, while the b* values decreased. It was determined that there were differences in the aromatic compounds of the cheeses and while the contents of acetic acid, butyric acid and acetoin, which are LBD indicators, were found to be 32.34%, 17.17% and 17.82% in CMBP cheese, butyric acid was not detected in MBP cheese. The results showed that C. sporogenes survived for a long time in white cheeses stored at pH values below 5 and at low temperatures and could cause the LBD on its own.