Grazing activities of indigenous sheep breed of the Turkish breed Karakaş and Koçeri which were transhumance flocks were investigated in a typical unimproved mountainous pasture in the East of Turkey. Data were collected from two different flocks on main daily activities (grazing, resting, moving or standing) every fifteen minutes. The characteristics of the pastures around the routes were assessed according to CORINE Land Cover classification system. Standing was a residual activity in both study paths. The animals concentrated their activity mostly on grazing while resting and moving occurred in specific times during the whole grazing period. Once the animals were heading back to their main settlement areas to be milked, grazing activity have been increased. Further studies on grazing behavior and changes in land cover will help to adjust the management strategies to the available natural resources.

Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst., known as “Lingzhi” in China or “Reishi” in Japan, is a well-known medicinal mushroom and traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used for the prevention and treatment of bronchitis, allergies, hepatitis, immunological disorders and cancer. G. lucidum is rarely collected from nature and mostly cultivated on wood logs and sawdust in plastic bags or bottles to meet the demands of international markets. Diverse groups of chemical compounds with pharmacological activities, isolated from the mycelia and fruiting bodies of G. lucidum are triterpenoids, polysaccharides (β-D-glucans), proteins, amino acids, nucleosides, alkaloids, steroids, lactones, lectins, fatty acids, and enzymes. The biologically active compounds as primarily triterpenoids and polysaccharides of G. lucidum have been reported to possess hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, antihistaminic effects and antioxidant, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antiangiogenic activities. Several formulations have been developed, patented and used as nutraceuticals, nutriceuticals and pharmaceuticals from G. lucidum’s water or ethanol extracts and rarely purified active compounds. As the result of clinical trials, various products have commercially become available as syrup, injection, tablet, tincture or bolus of powdered medicine and an ingredient or additive in dark chocolate bars and organic fermented medicinal mushroom drink mixes such as green teas, coffees, and hot cacaos. This review has intended to give and discuss recent knowledge on phytochemical and pharmacological compositions, therapeutic and side effects, clinical trials, and commercial products of G. lucidum.

Because of its high nutritional value and pharmaceutical effects, oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) P. Kumm.) is collected from nature and cultivated in large scale. This therapeutic mushroom is consumed as a functional food or food additive in soups, cereal and dairy products, and commercially used in nutraceuticals and dietary supplements. The mycochemicals including polysaccharides (crude fiber and β-glucans), essential amino acids, ergothioneine, peptides, (glyco)proteins, lectins, phenolic compounds, polyketides (lovastatin), (tri)terpenoids, and enzymes are naturally found in the fruiting bodies and mycelial biomass of P. ostreatus. The major bioactive compounds concentration of this mushroom may be increased by modification of the substrate composition and cultivation or postharvest conditions. The goal of this review is to evaluate the results of the studies about the biochemical composition and medicinal properties of edible wild and cultivated P. ostreatus. Furthermore, the advanced novel cultivation techniques, biotechnological processes, and postharvest treatments were given in order to increase its nutritional and nutraceutical values.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different fertilizer doses and drying methods on total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of organic white tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) obtained from Hemşin Valley, region of Rize/Turkey. The determination of phenolic constituents was done by the Folin-Ciocalteau method and the determination of antioxidant activity by the FRAP method. The results showed that the phenolic content of white tea was as follows: 443,7- 506,2 µg GAE/g DW in the drying oven, 421,4- 473,6 µg GAE/g DW in shadow and 434,4- 485,2 µg GAE/g DW in the liofilizator. According to the FRAP method the antioxidant activity was as follows: 1130,1-1176,9 mg FeSO4/gr DW in drying oven, 1141,2-1157,1 mg FeSO4/gr DW in shadow and 1005,3-1183,2 mg FeSO4/gr DW in lyophylizator. The results revealed that different fertilizer doses and drying methods had important effects on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of white tea.

The combinations of organic liquid fertilizer material obtained from sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) and different concentrations of zeolite were applied to the cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plant in six treatments with three replicates each. The combinations of the experimental groups were as follows; control group, G1 group 180 g Z (Zeolite), G2 group 90 g Z + 1140 ml Liquid Fertilizer (LF), G3 group 180 g Z + 620 ml LF, G4 group 270 g Z + 310 ml LF, G5 group 620 ml LF. Except the control group, all zeolites were applied with the first dose of liquid fertilizer, and other liquid fertilizer doses were given in three periods, after germination, flowering and yield. While the lowest germination rate was in control group, the highest rate was in group with 60 g zeolite. While the lowest seedling weight was observed in group with 90 g zeolite + 1140 ml liquid fertilizer, the highest rate was in group with 180 g zeolite + 620 ml liquid fertilizer. While the highest cucumber weight was observed in group with 270 g zeolite + 310 ml liquid fertilizer, the lowest was in group with 620 ml liquid fertilizer. Therefore, it may be said that zeolite has positive effect on germination. On the other hand, liquid fertilizer and zeolite combinations may have positive effects on the weight of the cucumber seedling and yield.

Huge amount of organic wastes including agricultural field wastes, food wastes, municipal solid waste and manures can be converted into a safe and usable product that can be used as a possible substitute for chemical fertilizers. In this regard, the proposed study was designed with the aim to prepare macro and micronutrients rich vermicompost from different bio-wastes that can be used as a possible substitute to chemical fertilizers for improving plant growth. A 90 days vermicomposting experiment was conducted in wooden boxes (1×1 m) containing animal manure and waste material (grasses, brewed black tea leaf and dry leaf) mixed in 3:1 ratio with a 2.5 cm thin layer of soil. The material was at the bottom of the bed and around 10.000 earthworms of Eisenia fetida were settled in the box. The boxes were irrigated by sprinkled water daily and tilled from the top once every week for maintaining aeration and proper decomposition. The vermicompost production was continued for about 90 days in each box under 21-23°C room temperature. The results showed that by using animal manure and waste materials, the physical parameters like moisture content was increased upto50 % on day 90. Likewise, the percent increase recorded for total N, organic N, total P and soluble K content on day 90 was maximum in the vermicompost prepared from animal manure and waste material. It can be concluded from this experiment that with the help of earthworm’s, different field and garden residues, wastes and manures can be converted into a nutrient rich and environment friendly vermicompost that can be used as a possible substitute to chemical fertilizers for improving plant growth.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dough proofing activity of Kluyveromyces lactis (ATCC 8585) in different dough formulations and to compare it with the commercial active dry bakery yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Leaving ability of yeasts was tested in lean and rich dough. For both cultures, lean and rich dough mixtures containing 0.3 g of yeast biomass (on dry weight basis) and wheat flour in 15 ml of water was prepared. Rich dough contained also either 2.0 g of sucrose, 2.0 g of lactose or 2.5 g of whey powder. Dough mixtures were incubated at 29°C and volume increase was recorded every 15 min. We determined that Kluyveromyces lactis had higher volume and leavening rates compared to commercial bakery yeast strain in lactose-rich or whey-rich dough. These results demonstrated the potential of Kluyveromyces lactis yeast strain as a suitable culture for whey fortified bread making.

This study was aimed to determine the molybdenum content of meadow - pasture soil between Kırıkhan and Reyhanlı in Hatay province and to determine the relations of the molybdenum content with some heavy metals in the soil. For this purpose, two different depths (0-20 and 20-40 cm) representing grassland pasture lands and 80 soil samples from 40 different points were taken. Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), and Molybdenum (Mo) contents were determined in the soil samples. The contents of the available Cd, Co, Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni and Mo of the soil were determined by reading the 0.005 M DTPA + 0.01 M CaCl2 + 0.1 M TEA extracts in the ICP instrument. The results of the research shows that the Cd contents of the soils are between 0.01-0.32 ppm; Co contents are from 0.01 to 4.97 ppm; Ni contents 0.00 to 20.00 ppm; Pb contents 3.00-67.00 ppm; Cu contents 0.26-7.48 ppm; The Fe contents are between 4.00 and 61.00 and the Mo contents are between 0.001 and 0.064 ppm. It was determined that there are significant positive relationships between Co, Ni, Pb, Cu and Fe contents of Mo in the soil. It was also determined that there are significant positive significant relationships between Cd and Co; Co with Ni, Pb, Fe and Pb and Cu, Fe and Cu and Fe. No heavy metal pollution was found when the heavy metal contents of the regional soils were compared with the limit values.

Bu çalışmada, köpük kurutma yöntemi kullanılarak incirin sıcak hava (60, 70, 80°C) ve mikrodalga (100, 300, 600 W) ile kurutma işlemi gerçekleştirilmiş, kurutma işlem parametrelerinin ve köpük kalınlığının kurutma kinetiğine etkisi incelenmiştir. Kurutma işlemi yalnızca düşen kurutma periyodunda gerçeklemiş ve sabit kurutma periyodu gözlenmemiştir. Mikrodalga ile kurutma, köpük yüzeylerindeki büyük buharlaşma alanına ek olarak hacimsel ısıtma sağlaması nedeniyle sıcak hava ile kurutmaya kıyasla daha kısa sürede tamamlanmıştır. Sıcaklığın ve mikrodalga gücünün artması kuruma sürelerini kısaltırken, köpük kalınlığının artması ile kuruma süreleri uzamıştır. Kinetik parametreleri belirlemek için, deneysel kurutma verileri Fick’in 2. difüzyon denkleminin yarı deneysel modellerine yerleştirilmiştir. Bunlar arasında, Wang ve Singh modeli mikrodalga kurutma için daha iyi bir uyum sağlarken, Logaritmik model sıcak hava ile kurutma için daha uygun bulunmuştur. Mikrodalga ve sıcak hava kurutma için etkili difüzyon katsayısı değerleri sırasıyla 9,94×10-10-405,69×10-10 ve 13,26×10-10-26,65×10-10 m2·s-1 aralığında değişim göstermiştir. Kurutma sıcaklığı, mikrodalga gücü ve köpük kalınlığının artmasıyla etkili difüzyon katsayısı değerleri artmıştır. Kalınlığın artması yapıdaki boşlukların artmasını ve ısı iletiminin konveksiyonla gerçekleşmesini sağlayarak etkili difüzyon yayılımının desteklenmesini sağlamıştır. Aktivasyon enerjisi Arrhenius denklemi kullanılarak mikrodalga kurutma için 2,195-2,379 W·g-1 aralığında, sıcak hava ile kurutma için ise 12,952-21,426 kJ·mol-1 aralığında bulunmuştur.

Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is used to determine dry and humid periods according to the cumulative probability method at different time scales. . In this study, the rainfall data between the years of 1980-2018 belonging to of Kayseri Meteorology Station was simulated by CLIGEN stochastic climatic data generator. SPI indices calculated by using observed and simulated precipitation were evaluated with the statistical methods at the time scales of 3-, 6-, 9- and 12- months. The SPI values of 3-, 6-, 9- and 12- month which are observed and simulated with CLIGEN are close to each other and the performance of the model is very high in calculating the SPI values of these time series. However, as the time period increased, the model's representative ability decreased.