Pterostilbene (PTE) (3-5 dimethoxy-4-hydroxy-trans-stilbenes) is an analogue of resveratrol. It is extracted and isolated from a natural source of the heartwood of Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb., red grape skin, and blueberries (Vaccinium spp.). Substantial evidence suggested that PTE displayed numerous preventive and therapeutic properties in many metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. Metabolic diseases result in Insulin resistance (IR) which advances to impaired sensitivity to insulin-mediated glucose disposal. The prominent role of SIRT (silent information regulator proteins) is now getting emphasized in metabolic disorders. SIRT1 represses Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expressions which are further responsible for improving synthesis of ATP from glucose. This results in improving glucose utilization and insulin secretion, thus preventing IR. SIRT1 also exhibits prominent role in facilitating fatty acid mobilization thereby inhibiting adiposity. Metabolic disorders are therefore the consequences of SIRT1 downregulation. Pterostilbene, being a SIRT1 activator, increases insulin sensitivity reduces adiposity, therefore can prove to be beneficial in diabetes as well as obesity. The review summarizes therapeutic effects portrayed by Pterostilbene via the SIRT1 pathway in metabolic diseases.

Recently, most genomic research has focused on genome editing methods to develop new technologies that could be easy, reliable, and feasible to edit plant genomes for highly productive agriculture. Genome editing is based on alternating a specific target DNA sequence by adding, replacing, and removing DNA bases. This newest technology called CRISPR/Cas9 seems to be less time-consuming, more effective and used in many research areas of plant genetic research. CRISPR/Cas9 systems have many advantages in comparison with ZFNs and TALENs and has been extensively used for genome editing to many crop plant species. Around 20 crop species are successfully worked out for trait improvements, for example, yield improvement, disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, and biotic and abiotic stress management. This review paper will overview recent advances in CRISPR/Cas genome editing research in detail. The main focus will be on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in plant genome research.

In this study, in which the effects of different applications of vermicompost on the yield and quality of San Andreas strawberry variety were investigated 15, 30, 45, 60 g vermicompost was applied per plant. First flowering, first and last harvest dates, number of fruits per plant, yield per plant (g/plant), fruit weight (g), fruit flavor, macro and micro nutrient content, organic acid amounts were examined. The results showed that the differences between treatments in yield per plant were statistically significant. The highest total yield per plant was obtained from V45 and V30 applications with 972.8 g and 878.9 g respectively and the lowest yield was obtained from the control application with 384.2 g per plant. The largest fruits were obtained from the V60 (19.5 g) application. It was determined that nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, manganese, iron, zinc and boron concentrations in the leaves of strawberry plants fertilized with vermicompost were higher than the control. The highest values in organic acid values were determined in oxalic, propionic, malonic, lactic, fumaric and succinic acids in V60 application (5.62, 11.16, 49.00, 104.98 µg/100 g respectively). It seems that the application of vermicompost fertilizer in strawberry cultivation has a positive effect on yield and quality characteristics.

Since coliform bacteria are common both in the intestine and in nature (soil, plant, etc.), they are considered as a sanitation indicator in the food industry. It is known that the majority of bacteria defined as fecal coliform in the coliform group are Escherichia coli. The presence of E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria in any sample is an indication that the necessary hygienic measures are not taken during production, storage, and sale. That means the sample is directly or indirectly contaminated with faeces, and/or other intestinal pathogens may also exist. In this study, raw milk, freshly squeezed fruit juices, unpackaged ice cream, shaved ice, and ice-cold samples were purchased from the famous touristic destination Fethiye and analyzed for coliform bacteria. For this purpose, the samples were purchased from local marketplaces, buffets, cafes, patisseries, restaurants, and roadsides at Fethiye. In total 60 samples were analyzed using Violet Red Bile (VRB) Agar. The results of coliform bacteria ranged

Covid-19, which affects the whole world and is accepted as a pandemic by the world health organization, caused millions of people to die. The elderly are in the group with the highest risk of losing their lives due to the Covid-19 virus. Stricter restrictive / protective measures have been taken for the elderly in Turkey, as in the whole world. With this research, it is aimed to evaluate the sociological and psychological effects of the "elderly", who are one of the health risk groups of the society, in terms of landscape architecture, during the pandemic days when they had to experience various problems after the outbreak. In the study, face-to-face and online questionnaires were applied to individuals aged 50 and over on a voluntary basis. As a result of the study, it was determined that the implementation of curfews and restrictions for the elderly and the formation of an isolated lifestyle from other age groups caused an increase in loneliness and anxiety levels and negative psychological effects. It has been revealed that the activities that individuals will carry out in the green area, their conversations and socializing with their peers, and walks in the open area have a positive psychological and sociological effect for the elderly. It has been determined that the elderly who become lonely and depressed at home with the restrictions imposed under pandemic conditions want to be in green areas. The sociological and psychological positive effects of being in green areas and spending time, and the changes in the behaviour and emotions of the elderly who have pandemic restrictions paralleled the response of the participants to the questionnaire.

Macrophomina phaseolina is a soil pathogen known as charcoal rot and can cause up to 90% yield loss in sunflower under suitable conditions. The serious damage caused by chemicals used in the control of soil-borne pathogens to the environment and health has become one of the most important concerns in agriculture. Therefore, in our study, it was aimed to determine the in vitro antagonistic effects of various bacterial species against M phaseolina. A total of 38 bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples in the rhizosphere of Malva sylvestris (hibiscus), Vicia sativa (vetch), Cicer arietinum (chickpea), Papaver rhoeas (weasel), Carlina marianum (thistle), Glebionis coronaria (crown daisy) and Vicia faba collected from Urla district of İzmir. All bacterial strains exhibited antibiosis effect under in vitro conditions, but it was determined that 5 bacterial isolates among them showed a high inhibition zone and showed an average inhibition potential ranging between 55% and 74%. The most effective bacteria identified at species and genus level by Maldi biotyping (MALDI-TOF MS) were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Stenotrophomonas sp. and Bacillus cereus (3 isolates), and these species showed that they can be important biocontrol agents in biological control against M. phaseolina.

In this study, some biochemical characteristics (total protein, total RNA, Catalase: CAT enzyme activity and malondialdehyde: MDA level) of Italian bee (A. m. ligustica) and Caucasian bee (A. m. caucasica), and Muğla and Anatolian bees (A. m. anatolica) from local honey bee races were investigated comparatively. Laboratory analyzes of biochemical characteristics were performed on worker bees aged 24 days old with 10 repetitions using appropriate methods informed in the literature. The amounts of total protein of bee races given above were 18.39±1.28, 20.71±0.63, 18.56±1.24 and 20.95±2.15 g/dL, respectively; the amounts of total RNA were 11.46±0.18, 12.10±0.26, 11.87±0.20 and 12.27±0.26 µg/µL, respectively; the CAT activities were 4.59±0.46, 5.12±0.67, 4.88±0.48 and 5.25±0.53 kU/g P, respectively; the levels of MDA were 0.52±0.04, 0.50±0.04, 0.48±0.02 ve 0.43±0.05 mmol/mg, respectively. Variance analysis showed that statistically significant differences among races in terms of the all characteristics examined. The results of CAT activity which is one of the indicators of antioxidant defense system, and levels of MDA which is an indicator of peroxidation of membrane lipids; and similarly total amount of protein also includes various proteins such as antioxidants and enzymes; it can be said that the Anatolian and Caucasian bee races (due to higher total protein, total RNA and CAT activities, and lower MDA level) are more resistant to various negative environmental factors (e.g. climate, flora, pesticide, etc.) than the Muğla and Italian bee races in the conditions of the Central Anatolia Region; there are significant differences between the bee races in terms of amounts of total RNA and this parameter can be also used in the characterization of bee races.

Kuru baza göre başlangıç nemi %83,95 ± 0,01 y.b. (5,24 ± 0,003 kg su kg KM-1) olan 100 ± 0,10 g ağırlığındaki Deveci armudu dilimleri (Pyrus communis L. cv. Deveci) son nemi %11,40 ± 0,06 y.b. (0,13 ± 0,001 kg su kg KM-1) değerine ulaşıncaya dek gölgede kurutma, 60, 80 ve 100°C’de sıcak havayla kurutma yöntemleriyle kurutulmuş ve bu yöntemlerin kurutma süreçleri sırasıyla 11150, 437, 252 ve 148 dakikada tamamlanmıştır. Çalışmada deneysel olarak elde edilen zamana bağlı ayrılabilir nem oranı değerleri yirmi farklı ince tabaka kurutma eşitliği kullanılarak modellenmiştir. Buna göre 60°C ve 100°C için deneysel verilere en yakın sonuçları veren modelin Modified Henderson & Pabis eşitliği olduğu; buna karşın gölgede kurutma ve 80°C’de kurutma yöntemlerinde ise sırasıyla Alibas eşitliğinin ve Jena & Das eşitliğinin en iyi modeller olduğu görülmüştür. Gölgede kurutma yönteminde her hangi bir enerji tüketimi olmamasına karşın bu yöntemin oldukça uzun olması ve ürünün kalite parametreleri üzerinde olumsuz etkilere yol açması gibi nedenler Deveci armudunun kurutulmasında gölgede kurutma yönteminin kullanışlı bir yöntem olmadığını ortaya koymuştur. Bununla birlikte toplam enerji tüketiminin kurutma sıcaklığının artmasıyla yükseldiği görülmüştür. Ayrıca sıcaklık artışının kalite parametrelerini de olumsuz etkilediği tespit edilmiştir. Kurutma süresi ve özgül enerji tüketimi gibi işletim parametrelerinin yanı sıra parlaklık, kırmızılık, sarılık, kroma, hue açısı, toplam renk değişimi ve kahverengileşme indeksi gibi kalite parametrelerinin taze ürüne oldukça yakın olmasından dolayı 60°C’de sıcak havayla kurutma yönteminin Deveci armudunun kurutulması için uygun bir yöntem olduğu görülmüştür.

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli'nin neden olduğu bakteriyel adi yanıklık (CBB), üretim alanlarında tüm fasulye çeşitlerini etkileyen en tahripkâr bakteriyel hastalıktır. Bu çalışmada, farklı iklim özelliklerine sahip Konya ve Afyonkarahisar illerinde yaygın olarak yetiştirilen Alberto çeşidi kuru fasulye üzerinde CBB hastalığına karşı farklı bakırlı preparatların etkililiği araştırılmıştır. Tarla koşullarında 5 haftalık fasulye bitkileri, yüksek virülent Xap k133 izolatının 108 hücre mL-1 konsantrasyonundaki bakteri süspansiyonu ile inokule edilmişler ve inokulasyonlardan sonra 5’er gün arayla 2 kez üretici firmalar tarafından önerilen dozlarda bakır hidroksit, bakır sülfat pentahidrat, bakır oksiklorür + bakır hidroksit ve bakır oksiklorür uygulanmıştır. Hastalık şiddeti (%) ve hastalık skoru, 0-9 skalası kullanılarak değerlendirilmiş ve kimyasalların etkililikleri su püskürtülen kontrol bitkileri ile mukayese edilerek Abbott formülü yardımıyla belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen istatistiki verilere göre, en etkili bakırlı preparat %42,59–47,25 etkililik oranlarıyla bakır oksiklorür uygulaması ile tespit edilmiş, bakır sülfat pentahidrat ise %7,69–12,96 oranları ile en düşük etkiliğe sahip olmuştur. Tarımda aşırı miktarda bakır kullanımının çevre ve insan sağlığı üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerinin yanısıra bakteriyel patojenlerde bakıra dirençli ırklar gelişmektedir. Ülkemizde kuru fasulyede CBB hastalığına karşı en etkili bakırlı preparatın belirlenmesi amacıyla yaygın kullanılan preparatların etkinliği ilk kez araştırılmıştır ve elde edilen bulgular ile daha az bakır kullanılarak organik ve çevre dostu sürdürülebilir bir fasulye üretimi yapılabileceği düşünülmektedir.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the total phenolic and pigment contents of five edible plants collected from Eastern Black Sea region and to test the storage stability of extra virgin olive oils aromatized with traditionally consumed plants. Aromatized extra virgin olive oils were prepared by addition of dry forms of local plants such as mendek (Aegopodium podagraria L.), çalıçilek (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), galdirik (Trachystemon orientalis L.), sakarca (Ornithogalum umbellatum L.) and hırnık (Diospyros lotus L.). Changes in the quality status of extra virgin olive oil were monitored with free fatty acid, peroxide value, total phenol content, pheophtyin a, lutein and beta carotene analyses during 5-month storage period at 24°C. Furthermore, hue and chrome values, total phenolic, chlorophyll and carotene contents were also analysed to determine the characteristic properties of plant samples. The addition of mendek and çalıçilek have remarkable effects on the transfer of phenolic compounds and pigments from plants to oil during all storage. It was determined that the addition of plant materials can improve the oil stability and cause to a lower free fatty acid and peroxide values in aromatized extra virgin olive oils. Obtained findings suggest that the aromatized olive oils with local plants is sensorial and nutritionally acceptable and can be used safely in aromatization and preparation of healthy and tasty foods at non-thermal process.