The present study aimed to determine the heavy metal cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) accumulations in muscle tissues, gills, gonads, liver, and other visceral organs (liver) of whiting fish (Merlanguis merlangus euxinus Nordmann, 1840) samples obtained by hunting from the Sinop (Black Sea) coasts. The mean cadmium value in muscle tissue, which concerns public health, was found to be 1.07±0.02 µg.kg-1, the chromium value was found to be 1.48±0.07 µg.kg-1, the nickel value was found to be 1.77±0.14 µg.kg-1, the lead value was found to be 5.38±0.29 µg.kg-1 while the mercury value was determined only in the gill and could not be determined in organs, and since it was below the limit values declared by international organizations for all metals, it was determined that it would not create adverse effects for human consumption. Also, examining the order of accumulation of heavy metals in tissues and organs from highest to lowest, it was sorted as liver> visceral organ> gill> muscle> gonad for cadmium; visceral organ> gill> muscle> liver> gonad for chromium; visceral organ> gill> liver> muscle> gonad for nickel; gill> visceral organ> liver> muscle> gonad for lead, while the mercury accumulation was detected only in the gill. Also, the data obtained as a result of the analyses made in the gonad is an important determination in terms of the effects of heavy metals on the reproduction of the species, as well as on the continuity of the population. Since the values determined in the other analyzed tissues were below the limit values reported by international organizations, the results showed that they do not pose any threat to human health in terms of workplace and time, type, and determined heavy metals.

Drinking water is the most indispensable substance for humans. Bottled drinking waters are preferred over tap water with the belief that they are more nutritious, better quality, more delicious and safe in terms of health. Therefore, the Turkish bottled (spring and mineral) water market has experienced a continuous growth since 2003, as in the whole world. This study focuses on comparing the common mineral cation calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and sodium (Na+) content of twenty one popular bottled spring and mineral water brands marketed in Turkey by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The average concentrations of Ca, Mg and Na analyzed in bottled spring and mineral water samples were found as 14.9, 24.1 and 8.2 mg/L and 147.9, 44.3 and 117.3 mg/L, respectively. This comparison confirms that bottled natural mineral water has better quality in terms of major nutrient minerals than bottled natural spring waters.

In the present study, totally 49 samples, which showed the symptoms of leaf and shoot blight and cankers with brown discoloration of necrotic tissues on mature branches, were collected from 22 districts and areas of Konya Province between 2017 and 2019. Presence rate of E. amylovora in collected samples, showing symptoms of the disease, from the province was determined to be 40% for blackberry and raspberry and 33% rosehip for rosehip in three years. Bacteria consistently isolated from the diseased tissues were identified on the basis of biochemical, physiological, and molecular tests, comparing with a reference strain of E. amylovora, isolated from blackberry (Kbb 371). Twenty seven representative bacterial strains were gram-negative, rod-shaped, mucoid, fermentative, positive for levan formation and acetoin production, no growth at 36°C, positive for gelatin hydrolysis, and negative for esculin hydrolysis, indole, urease, catalase, oxidase, arginine dehydrolase, reduction of nitrate, acid production from lactose, and inositol. All strains induced a hypersensitive response in tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum cv. White Burley) 24 h after inoculation with a 108 CFU ml-1 bacterial suspension in sterile distilled water. The strains were identified as E. amylovora using the species-specific primers set A/B (1), which amplified a 1-kb DNA fragment in PCR, and the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method. In order to fulfill the Koch postulates, pathogenicity test was confirmed by injecting bacterial suspensions of 108 CFU ml-1 in sterile distilled water into the shoot tips of 3-year-old blackberry R. fruticosus cv. Chester, raspberry R. idaeus cv. Heritage and rosehip R. canina. All tests were repeated three times. The bacterium was re-isolated from inoculated plants and identified as E. amylovora. Phytosanitary measures are needed to prevent any further spread of the bacterium as potential inoculum sources to new blackberry, raspberry and rosehip growing areas.

In this study, a pot study was carried out to reveal the effects of direct and foliar applications of humic acid to the growing medium in addition to basic fertilization on the development and plant quality characteristics of lily plants grown in peat + perlite medium. The experiment was carried out in an unheated greenhouse during the summer, in a greenhouse environment with a shade net on it. In the experiment, in addition to the control, the humic acid doses were 3.5 lt/da from soil, 7.5 lt/da from soil, 1.75 lt/da from leaf, 3.75 lt/da from leaf and soil + 3.5 lt/da from leaf + 1, It was applied 3 times as 75 lt/da. In the pot experiment established in three replications according to the randomized plots trial design, 10 lily bulbs were planted in each pot and humic acid applications were made at two-week intervals following plant emergence. In order to see the effect of the applications when the plant is harvested, the length of the flower stem (mm), the thickness of the flower stem (mm), the fresh weight of the branch (mm), the number of buds (pieces), the bud length (cm), the number of leaves (pieces), Full bloom stem (mm) and vase life (days) were examined. As the doses of humic acid increased, the vegetative weight of the lily plant increased, while the effect of the applications on the investigated properties was different. With the mineral elements, hormones and plant growth regulators in humic acid, it has the feature of promoting the increase of biomass in the plant.