This study was conducted to determine the associations of some milking traits and milk yield in water buffalo farms located in Bafra district of Samsun province. In total, 37 Anatolian Buffalo farms enrolled to Buffalo Breeders Association (BBA) were evaluated by applying face to face survey on the current milking practices and farm characteristics in February 2020. Number of milking cows (NM), number of workers (NW), age of the milker (AM), experience of the milker (EM), education of the farm owner (EO) and hygiene score of the milking parlor (HM) were evaluated as the farm traits affecting daily milk yield (dMY). Milking type (MT), milking frequency (MF), udder cleaning pre-milking (UC1), udder cleaning post-milking (UC2), giving feed after milking (GF) and milking duration (MD) were selected as the milking practices affecting dMY. It was concluded that dMY was significantly affected by AM, EM, EO and MD.

In this study, the relationships between some husbandry practices and calf losses in dairy farms were investigated. A total of 39 farms enrolled to Alacam Cattle Breeders Association (CBA) of Samsun, Turkey, were evaluated by structural factors (education level of farm owner: EL, personnel number: PN, experience of farm owner: EF and number of cows: NC) and husbandry practices (individual calf housing: ICH, calving pen: CP and weaning period: WP). The questionnaires for interview, observations on farm level and records of CBA belonging to 2018 and 2019 were examined. While no significant difference was found among the all groups, dead calf per farm (0.64±0.25) and mean of calf loss rate (CLR) per farm (3.42±1.07%) were assumed within the acceptable thresholds. Presenting more attention on calf rearing methods was suggested to be diminishing approach to decrease the calf mortality in the farms.

The objective of the present study was to determine the relationships between animal welfare score (AWS) and milk somatic cell count (SCC) in Anatolian buffaloes. The study carried out on 39 buffalo farms of Bafra district of Samsun province of Turkey between January and March 2020. To obtain AWS data, a scale with 1 to 100 points (1-25: poor, 26-50: moderate, 51-75: suitable and ≥76: excellent) was used. Locomotion ability (LA), social interaction (SI), flooring (F), indoor conditions (IC) and effect of stockman (S) were used to be AWS parameters. Milk samples were analyzed by SCC using a portable cell counter. The SCC values were transferred to log10 base before the analyses. To assess the effects of AWS on logSCC, independent sample t-test was performed. The relations of all parameters with each other were calculated by Kendall rank correlation method and the statistical analyses were carried out by SPSS 17.0. The highest and the lowest means were obtained from SI (79.66±1.28) and F (61.79±2.51), respectively. While the highest correlation was estimated between IC and AWS (r=0.724), all AWS parameters had approximately moderate relations with AWS. Positive or negative, but insignificant correlation coefficients were estimated between any traits and logSCC. The means of SCC (136841±15522 cells/ml) and AWS (68.70±1.67) of the present study were found within the suitable thresholds. Routinely keeping the records on AWS and its components, and adding AWS data to the herd management programs was suggested to the buffalo farm owners.

Ecological processes that occur in a lake depend on the physico-chemical (abiotic) and biotic factors of the system and the interrelations between them. It can be concluded that the current nutrient loadings from both point and non-point sources are cause to increase eutrophic case over the years. This study indicate that the sustainable utilization of reservoir in combination with proper wastewater treatment plant and controlled use of pesticides has a potential to reduce the current nutrient loadings into Suat Uğurlu Lake. The estimated nutrient reductions that could be achieved from the management scenario would be enough to revert the lake from mesotrophic situation to trophic state. The reduction of nutrient loadings into Suat Uğurlu Lake could be achieved through the practice of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), through good management. However, as long as pertinent issues of urban poverty, watershed management and public awareness and involvement in water related issues are not addressed, trophic in Suat Uğurlu Lake will remain a problem.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN), (Meloidogyne spp.), are the major biotic factor responsible for the limiting production of Kiwifruit in Nepal including Kiwifruit orchard of Warm Temperate Horticulture Center, Nepal. Hence, there is a pressing demand for nematicides that are both easily accessible and cost-effective while being environmentally friendly. A screenhouse experiment was conducted in the Summer of 2023 with an objective to evaluate the effects of different plant extracts, bio-control agents, and chemical nematicides against RKN on Kiwifruit seedlings. The experiment was set up in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications and eight treatments which include the extracts of Allium sativum and Lantana camara, Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Cartap hydrochloride, Fosthiazate, Inoculated control and Uninoculated control. The results revealed that Trichoderma viride proved to be the most effective in reducing the nematode population, displaying a low root gall index of 3.11, a minimal reproductive factor of 0.24, and a high percentage of nematode control at 91.71%. It was also found to be efficient in promoting the growth parameters of Kiwifruit seedlings. Additionally, regression analysis exhibited a significantly positive interaction between root gall index and reproductive factor, while indicating a negative interaction between reproductive factor and growth parameters. Therefore, T. viride (@ 20 gm per 2000 cm3 of soil) should be soil drenched before the seedlings are transplanted into the main field for effective and sustainable management of RKN. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of T. viride in infested roots of Kiwifruit trees in field condition of Kiwifruit orchard.