In this research, fresh green peppers were dried in a kitchen microwave oven at 600W, 700W and 800W. The drying curves of the study were compared with 5 different thin layer drying models in the literature. The changes in the moisture values of the samples against time were expressed graphically. R2, χ2 and RMSE values were used to determine the most suitable model for dried green peppers. Color values of fresh and dried peppers were determined. It was found that the L* and b* values of the dried peppers were lower, and the a* value was higher than the fresh green peppers. In addition, the rehydration rate of dried peppers was calculated. It was determined that the rehydration ability of the peppers decreased as the applied microwave power increased. For this reason, it was found that the peppers with the highest rehydration rate were those dried with 600W. Also, it was found that the most suitable model for all microwave powers among the five drying models was the Logarithmic drying model. It was calculated that the R2 values of the drying models ranged between 0.830-0.999, χ2 values between 0.0001- 0.4684 and RMSE values between 0.0014-0.6121. It was determined that the highest R2 (0.997-0.999), the lowest χ2 (0.0001-0.0002) values, and the lowest RMSE (0.0014-0.0035) values for all microwave powers belong to the Logarithmic drying model.

The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical content, in vitro gas and methane production, relative feed value (RFV), relative feed quality (RFQ), in vitro digestibility parameters, and microbial protein production of the Italian ryegrass plants harvested in different periods of the 2020 production season in Erzincan. In this study an ANKOM Daisy Incubator was used to determine the in vitro digestibility parameters. In vitro gas production technique was used todetermine gas production and predicted parameters. It was found that there were significant differences between the Italian ryegrass plants harvested in different periods in terms of composition, RFV, RFQ, and in vitro digestibility and fermentation parameters. The RFV, metabolizable energy (ME), net energy (NE), true NDF digestibility (TNDFD), organic matter digestibility degree (OMDD), total digestible nutrient (TDN), dry matter intake (DMI), and RFQ values of the Italian ryegrass plants were found to be 247.32, 9.13, 5.68, 62.26%, 54.15%, 55.35%, 4.82%, and 215.81, respectively. On the other hand, after 24 hours of incubation it’s in vitro gas (GP), and methane production (ml and %), true dry matter digestibility (TDMD) values, partitioning factor (PF), microbial protein (MP), microbial protein synthesis efficiency (MPSE), and true digestibility (TD) were found to be 105.41, 17.35, 16.42, 281.72, 2.68, 57.68, 20.32, and 59.82, respectively. In conclusion, determining the digestibility of plants via the measurement of RFV, RFQ, digestion parameters, and gas production in different harvest periods provided insights into the potential of Italian ryegrass as a feed material.

The current research was carried out to determine the effect of adding sodium formate at the level of 0, 5, and 10 g/kg to the diets on the performance, egg quality and some serum parameters in layer Japanese quails. In the experiment, a total of 84 female quails at the age of 20 weeks were randomly distributed to 3 treatment groups with 7 replicates. At the end of the experiment, the addition of sodium formate at different levels to the diet did not statistically affect performance and egg quality parameters. Compared with the control group, the supplementation of 10 g/kg sodium formate to the diet considerably decreased the serum glucose concentration, while the serum calcium concentration increased significantly. Furthermore, the administration of sodium formate to diet significantly decreased serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations. According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that the addition of sodium formate to the diet was effective in reducing serum glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations and increasing serum calcium concentration without affecting the performance and egg quality parameters of laying quails, and this effect was more pronounced at 10 g/kg sodium formate level.

Kanser tedavisinde kullanılan ilaçların etkileri yalnızca kanser hücrelerine özgü olmayıp sağlıklı hücreleri de olumsuz etkilemektedir. Bu çalışmada antikanser bir ilaç olan paklitaksel’in (PAX) böbrek dokusundaki olası zararlı etkilerine karşı antioksidan etkileriyle öne çıkan silimarin’in (SLY) olası koruyucu etkilerinin ortaya konulması amaçlandı. Toplam 28 adet Sprague-Dawley cinsi dişi sıçandan rastgele bir seçimle: Kontrol, PAX, SLY ve PAX + SLY olmak üzere dört grup (n=7) oluşturuldu. PAX grubuna 2 mg/kg intraperitoneal yolla PAX, SLY grubuna oral gavaj sonda ile 100 mg/kg SLY, PAX + SLY grubuna ise önceki gruplarla aynı doz ve yolla PAX ve SLY uygulandı. Deneysel işlemlerin sonunda hayvanlardan alınan kan ve böbrek dokularında yapılan biyokimyasal analizlerde PAX’ın, böbrek dokusunda oksidatif stresi, serumda ise kreatinin (Cr) ve kan üre azotu (blood urea nitrogen, BUN) seviyelerini artırdığı tespit edildi. Böbrek dokusunda yapılan histopatolojik incelemelerde PAX’ın renal korpüskül atrofisi, fırçamsı kenarda hasar, vakuolar dejenerasyon ve deskuamasyon gibi patolojik değişikliklere yol açtığı gözlendi. Antienflamatuar, antiapoptotik ve antioksidan etkilere sahip bir farmakolojik ajan olan SLY uygulanması ise, PAX kullanımı sonucu meydana bu gelen patolojik değişiklikleri büyük oranda engelledi. Mevcut çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar PAX ile yapılacak tedavilerde böbrek dokusunda şekillenecek zararlı etkilere karşı koruyucu olarak SLY’nin kullanılabileceğini gösterdi.

The types and densities of honeyed plants vary depending on the altitude. This causes the amount and Physicochemical structure of honey produced in apiaries of different altitudes to change. In this study, honey harvest from the honeybee colonies placed at different altitudes in the same geographical region was carried out in the first week of September. Standard laboratory methods were used to determine some physicochemical properties of the honey samples. Some of the minimum and maximum average values obtained as a result of the analysis of honey samples; moisture 14.70% and 18.60%, free acidity 20.50 meq/kg and 25.30 meq/kg, pH 3.20 and 4.30, EC 0.22 and 0.44 mS/cm, fructose 32% to 45%, glucose 0.10% to 0.18%, sucrose from 0.66% 1.80%, maltose ranged from 0.66% to 1.80%. Also, HMF ranged from 1.80 mg/kg to 3.50 mg/kg, proline 530.00 mg/kg and 710.00 mg/kg, Density from 1.44 g/cm3 to 1.49 g/cm3, Invertase 20.30 U/kg-28.50 U/kg, Diastase activity 13.23-19.07 and Total phenolic content ranged from 76.00-94.00 g. It has been determined that the physicochemical structures of honey produced at different heights are statistically different from each other. This study aims to determine the effect of altitude difference on the quantity and physicochemical structure of honey.

This study analysed the economics of plantain production in Northeast Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to; describe plantain farmers’ socio-economic characteristics in Northeast Nigeria; identify factors affecting plantain production in the study area, and also ascertain farmers’ resource use efficiency in plantain production. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique to collect primary data from 250 plantain farmers selected from 13 communities. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and a stochastic frontier model were used. The finding of the study indicated that most (86.8%) of the respondents were male, having an average age of the respondents was 39.15 years, who are mostly educated (92.8%) and cultivate an average of 2.39 ha of land. The stochastic frontier production function maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters indicated that the production of plantain is determined by farm size, the number of suckers planted, the amount of hired labour used, and family labour. Similarly, the plantain production cost is being influenced by the cost of plantain suckers, labour, and the depreciated cost of land. Furthermore, the study revealed that the farmers were technically and allocatively efficient, although, the maximum technical efficiency was not achieved by farmers. Therefore, it was recommended that agricultural extension agents should be encouraged to reach plantain farmers with the required production technologies to promote production efficiency.

The experiment was conducted under in-vivo condition in a betelvine baroj at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Nineteen isolates of Sclerotium rolfsii collected from different regions of Bangladesh designated as isolate-1 to isolate-19. Soil inoculated with S. rolfsii exhibited mycelial growth on the soil surface and around the base of the betelvine plant within 2-4 days after inoculation. Only 2 days after inoculation were required to manifest cottony colony on soil surface near root zone of inoculated betelvine plants by the isolate-3, 5, 7, 9 and 12. The first disease symptoms were observed within 6 to 16 days after inoculation where minimum days were required by the isolate-9 and maximum by the isolate-2 and 14. The highest lesion length (6.50 cm) was produced by the isolate-9 and isolate-13. All the isolates were found to be pathogenic in some cases, disease delayed due to their degree of pathogenicity. The isolate-9 showed highest disease incidence of 100% which was superior as compared to all other isolates at 15 days after inoculation. The isolate-19 showed least disease incidence of 66.66% even at 30 days after inoculation. Among the isolates, the most pathogenic one was isolate-9 collected from Kaligonj upazilla of Jhenaidah.

The protected areas of Rwanda are facing various challenges resulting from the anthropogenic activities of the surrounding communities, especially in the adjacent area to Cyamudongo isolated rain forest, which results in soil degradation. Therefore, this study aims to broaden current knowledge on the impact of sustainable Agroforestry (AF) on soil-selected chemical and physical properties. To understand this, the permanent sample plots (PSPs) were established mainly in the designed four transects of four km long originating on the boundary of the Cyamudongo isolated rain forest following the slope gradient ranging from 1286 to 2015 m asl. A total number of 73 PSPs were established in the Cyamudongo study area. The Arc Map GIS 10.4 was used to design and map the sampling areas while GPS was used for localization of plots centers. Statistical significance was analyzed through R-software. The recorded soil pH means value across in Cyamudongo study area is 4.2, which is strongly acidic. The tests revealed that the soil pH, C, N, C: N ratio, OM, NH4+, NO3-+NO2-, PO43-, and CEC were significantly different in various soil depths. The pH, N, C: N ratio, CEC, NH4+, PO43-, and Al3+ showed a significant difference across land uses whereas the C and NO3-+NO2- did not show any statistical difference. All tested chemical elements showed a statistical difference as far as altitude ranges are concerned. The only NH4+, PO43-, and CEC showed significant differences with time whereas all other remaining chemical elements did not show any statistical significance. The soil pH was very strongly correlated with CEC, Mg, and Ca in cropland (CL) whereas it was strongly correlated in both AF and natural forest (NF) except for Mg, which was moderately correlated in AF. Furthermore, its correlation with K was strong in CL, and moderate in AF while it was weak in NF. Finally, the pH correlation with Na was weak in both AF and CL whereas it was negligible in NF.

In this study, the effect of P. arvense-H. vulgare mixture and V. pannonica grown in the fallow year on silage yield and quality of subsequent cereals were investigated in the arid condition of Eskişehir, Turkey. The fresh weight of P. arvense-H. vulgare mixture with 2750 kg/da was found two-fold high than V. pannonica. P. arvense-H. vulgare mixture significantly increased the fresh and dry hay weights of cereals except for H. vulgare cv. İnce. In addition, the highest grain yield was obtained by growing Triticosecale cv. Karma in P. arvense-H. vulgare mixture plots. Due to the high pH and low dry matter content of triticale samples, the Fleig scores were very low, which is a quality indicator in silage. ADF and NDF ratios were the highest in A. sativa cv. Checato as a negative quality factor. Top-dressing of nitrogen had a positive effect on the crude protein ratio. It was concluded that production of quality roughage can be sustainably increased by growing P. arvense-H. vulgare mixture in barren areas in the fallow year and followed by sowed cvs. Karma, Müfitbey, and Checato in the cereal growing season.

Wheat, which is one of the most widely cultivated crops in the world, has great importance in terms of economy. Wheat is one of the basic food sources of human beings, is one of the first cultivated plants. In order to meet the nutritional needs in parallel with the increasing human population, agricultural production needs to be increased. Fertilization is the most important factor in increasing the yield. Innovations in fertilizer technology and improvement of use efficiency are of great importance. In this study, different doses of mineral (0, 15, 20, 40 kg/da DAP and 0, 20, 30, 40 kg/da AS) and organomineral fertilizers (0, 15, 20, 40 kg/da 20: 20: 0 and 0, 20, 30, 40 kg/da 25: 0: 0) were applied with or without microbial encapsulation to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants (Rumeli cv.) in pots. Some of macro and micro plant nutrients were analysed in three different harvest periods from seed sowing to compare the fertility of the applied fertilizers. According to the results of the research, all applications showed significant differences in terms of all examined parameters. Organomineral fertilizers were found to be more effective than mineral fertilizers. It has been observed that microbial encapsulation is effective at varying levels according to changing fertilizer type and dosage.