Günümüzde insan ve çevre sağlığını tehdit eden en önemli problemlerin başında hava kirliliği gelmektedir. Hava kirliliğinin pek çok bileşeni bulunmakla birlikte, bunlar arasında ağır metaller ayrı bir öneme sahiptir. Bunun sebebi ağır metallerin bazılarının düşük konsantrasyonlarda bile toksik olmaları, canlılar için besin elementi olan birçok ağır metalin bile yüksek konsantrasyonlarda zararlı olmaları, canlı bünyesinde biyobirikme eğiliminde olmaları, doğada kolay kolay bozulmamaları ve bunlara ek olarak sanayi ve trafik kaynaklı olarak havadaki konsantrasyonlarının sürekli artmasıdır. Bundan dolayı özellikle trafiğin yoğun olduğu, sanayi faaliyetlerinin yürütüldüğü ve nüfusun yoğun olduğu alanlar gibi riskli alanlarda havadaki ağır metal konsantrasyonlarının izlenmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada da, Samsun kent merkezinde yetiştirilen ve peyzaj çalışmalarında sıklıkla kullanılan; Tilia tomentosa, Aesculus hippocastanum, Ligustrum vulgare ve Catalpa bignoides türlerinin, trafiğin yoğun olduğu, az yoğun olduğu ve hemen hemen hiç olmadığı alanlarda yetişen bireylerinde Cr konsatrasyonlarının değişimleri belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında bitkilerden yaprak, kabuk ve odun örnekleri toplanmış, kabuk ve yapraklarda ayrıca yıkama işlemi uygulaması da yapılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, çalışmaya konu türlerde Cr konsantrasyonlarının tür, organ ve trafik yoğunluğu bazında önemli ölçüde değiştiği belirlenmiştir.

Bu çalışma entansif olarak besiye alınan Akkaraman ve İvesi kuzuların besi performans özellikleri üzerine kırkımın etkisi incelenmek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmada 10 baş Akkaraman ve 8 baş İvesi erkek kuzu kullanılmıştır. Besi süresince hayvanlara 150 g kuru yonca otu ve ad-libitum olarak kesif yem verilmiştir. Çalışmada, Akkaraman ve İvesi kuzular deneme hayvanları kırkım yapılan ve kırkım yapılmayan olmak üzere iki deneme grubuna ayrılımştır. Kuzuların kırkım öncesinde ve sonrasındaki toplam canlı ağırlık artışı, günlük canlı ağırlık artışı, yem tüketimi ve yem değerlendirme katsayısı sırasıyla 8,017 kg, 47,14 kg ve 5,945 ve 8,606 kg, 307 g, 42,21 kg ve 5,029 olarak bulunmuştur. Kırkım yapılmayan kuzuların ise toplam canlı ağırlık artışı 7,802 kg, günlük canlı ağırlık artışı 279 g, yem tüketimi 42,06 kg ve yem değerlendirme katsayısı 6,00 olarak bulunmuştur. Çalışma sonucunda besi performansı bakımından kırkım yapılan ve yapılmayan grupların ortalamaları arasındaki fark istatistik olarak önemsiz bulunmuştur.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the important plants in terms of nutrition. The yield and quality studies on chickpea, which has the highest production value among edible grain legumes, continue at full stem in our country. When it comes to quality, certain consumer expectations such as protein content, cooking time and seed coat ratio dominate the quality improvement. This study was conducted according to the experimental designs of randomized blocks under the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Uşak University and the laboratory conditions of Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University. In this study, a total of 30 chickpea genotypes were used, 13 of them have different varieties. Cooking Time (min), Water Absorption Index (%), Seed Coat Rate (%), Protein Rate (%) and Amylose Rate (%) values of the genotypes have been obtained. The statistically significant differences have been detected between the genotypes in terms of all parameters examined in the variance analysis conducted as a result of this study. Similarly, the result of this study has revealed the correlation between the properties. This study was obtained from a part of the master’s thesis.

The study investigated the potentials of date fruit as sweetening agent in bread and determined micronutrient composition, antioxidant properties and inhibition of diabetic related enzymes such as the alpha amylase and glucosidase. The fibre and ash contents of the samples increased with the addition of date fruit. The phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium contents of the bread sweetened with date fruit pulp were higher when compared to the bread samples that contained granulated sugar. Bread samples that contained date fruit exhibited greater DPPH radical scavenging activities, metal chelating activities, FRAP and possessed higher inhibition against α-amylase and glucosidase when compared with bead that contained granulated sugar. The results also showed greater antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities in the bread sweetened with dry date fruits that the wet date fruits. The sensory results showed that bread sweetened with granulated sugar and the date fruits were not significantly different from one another. The overall results showed date fruit has dual potentials in bread, as sweetener and as ingredient in enhancing nutritional qualities of bread.

This study was conducted to collect local Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) genotypes belonging to Malvaceae (Mallow) family in the Northern Cyprus and morphological characterization of this collected material. On the other hand, due to the limited studies on collection and morphological characterization, which are the first step of breeding; the genetic potential of the local okra genotypes of Northern Cyprus has not been determined before. This research was carried out in two stages as the collection and morphological characterization of genotypes. In the first stage of the study, it was aimed to collect local okra genotypes and a total of 58 different locations were reached in line with this target and 24 samples of okra genotypes were collected from these areas. In the second year of the study, morphological characterization studies of 24 okra genotypes from the collected genetic material were carried out according to UPOV and IPGR criteria. As a result of morphological characterization showed that 24 okra genotypes can be categorized under 6 different groups. The regenerated seeds of these 6 different genotypes were preserved. In conclusion, although morphological characterization analyses performed in this study are the methods used to differentiate new species from each other, but it will be insufficient alone. Therefore, it is concluded that this method will be used in coordination with molecular characterization studies to provide more reliable results.

The level of yield among sweet potato farmers is on a decline; low output and yield differences was observed, indicating the existence of inefficiency in production systems and variations in input utilization. Efficiency in resource use must be sustained in order to improve productivity and maximize farm output. This study therefore analyzed the technical efficiency of sweet potato production. Multi-stage sampling techniques were adopted in selecting 94 respondents for this study. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function. The socioeconomic variables of the respondents affected their farm efficiency and level of farm output. The estimated ratio of the L/R test was 0.579; indicating a goodness of fit of the frontier model and thus a rejection of the null hypothesis. The coefficients of sweet potato seeds (vines) (0.362) and labour (0.439) were positive and statistically significant at 5% level of probability, while the coefficients of farm size (-1.333), fertilizer (-0.452) and herbicides (-0.766) were negative but statistically significant at 5% level of probability. The inefficiency model revealed that the coefficient of farm capital (-0.172), education (-2.281), access to credit (-0.472), farming experience (-0.639), extension contact (-0.733) and membership of cooperatives (-0.396) were negative and statistically significant at 5% level of probability. The mean technical efficiency was 0.62 (62%) implying that the sweet potato farmers in the study area were not producing at optimal capacity. The constraints identified significantly affected sweet potato production in the study area. Subsidizing input costs; sensitizing farmers on appropriate farming practices, cooperative formation and efficiency in resource utilization; improving access to agricultural inputs, technology, farm capital, credit and extension services, market linkages, farm labour supply and the development of indigenous technologies in sweet potato production are strongly recommended.

Vinegar is an aqueous food product made by a succession of yeast and acetic acid bacteria activities from fruits that contain high carbohydrates such as apples and grapes. Vinegar has been used as a dietary spice and natural remedy since ancient times due to its therapeutic properties including antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. It has been shown that some bioactive compounds exhibiting antioxidant activity in vinegars lead to anticancer activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate antiproliferative effect of commercial and home-made apple vinegars in native and neutralized form on myeloma cells. In order to neutralize the vinegars, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used. A serial two-fold dilutions of the vinegars (50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25%, 3.12%, 1.56%, 0.78%, 0.39%) prepared with cell medium were treated to the cells. The MTT (3-(4.5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay was used to determine the cellular viability in the cells treated with the vinegars. In this study, while commercial vinegar possessed a stronger antiproliferative activity than home-made vinegar, all native vinegars possessed stronger antiproliferative effect than neutralized vinegars. Interestingly, when home-made vinegar (both native and neutralized) concentrations were from 6.25 to 1.56%, the cell viability increased. Apple vinegar exhibited antiproliferative activity on myeloma cells; however, further studies are required to clarify the mechanisms underlying this activity.

Potato is a high potential food security crop in Ethiopia. Genetic variability is the basis of all crop improvement programs. The study was conducted at Adet in 2018 with the objective of assessing the extent and pattern of genetic variability of potato genotypes for yield and yield related traits. A total of 36 potato genotypes were evaluated for 18 quantitative traits in simple lattice design. The analysis of variance revealed that highly significant difference among the tested potato genotypes for all quantitative traits except stem number per hill. The phenotypic coefficient of variation was ranged from 4.56 to 56.01% (for specific gravity and unmarketable tuber yield ha-1 respectively) and the genotypic coefficient of variation was ranged from 2.32 to 40.66% (specific gravity and late blight severity percentage respectively). Days to attain 50% emergence, leaf area index, number of marketable and total tubers per plant, marketable and total tuber yield ha-1, and late blight severity percentage showed high heritability and high genetic advance as percent of mean. Most of the traits had high phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation; and coupled high heritability with high genetic advance as percent of mean. Traits having high heritability and high genetic advance as percent of means is effective for simple selection.

This experiment was carried out under the study entitled “Ripening regulation of the banana Cv. Malbhog using different ripening inducers” for controlling the ripening of the banana, for improvement of quality attributes and post-harvest life of banana. The experiment was conducted at laboratory of horticulture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal from 14th March to 16th April 2019. These experiments were laid out in completely randomized design in which the first experiment comprised of seven treatments consisting of distilled water spray, ethephon @ 250 ppm, ethephon @ 500 ppm, ethephon @750 ppm, ethephon@1000 ppm, Dhurseli (Colebrookea oppositifolia) leaves and Ripe banana replicated thrice. Different post-harvest parameters were recorded at the interval of two days for the experiment till any one of the treatment attained score 6 in the color chart. In this experiment, the CI-6 stage was reached earlier on the 9th day with the use of ethephon @ 1000 ppm but ethephon @ 500 ppm was found more effective regarding quality parameters with TSS (21˚B), and TSS/TA (34.66). The maximum physiological loss in weight (12.927%) and pulp peel ratio (3.65) was observed with ethephon@1000ppm and the minimum was achieved in banana sprayed with distilled water. The shelf life of banana was seen minimum (13.33 days) in ethephon @ 1000 ppm and maximum (20.33 days) in banana sprayed with distilled water.

Global climate change is defined as a process that affects all living things and ecosystems globally and is claimed as the most critical problem of the current century. Turkey, which is shown as one of the most affected countries by this process, is among the “countries at risk.” It is stated that the temperature will increase throughout the country until 2100, and this increase may reach 6 ºC. In order to determine the possible effects of global climate change, it is necessary to predict how the climate structure and basic parameters may change. From this point of view, this study is aimed to determine the change of temperature and precipitation, climate types (according to De Martonne, Lang, and Emberger climate classification) which are the most critical climate parameters until 2050 and 2070 in Düzce, one of the important cities of our country. The current situation and possible changes in 2050 and 2070 have been compared using RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. As a result of the study, the temperature, precipitation, and related climate types would change significantly throughout the province of Düzce, and this change will show itself as a significant temperature increase and change in precipitation regime. In addition, a shift in climate types towards continental climate types is predicted until 2070. In order to avoid the destructive effects of global climate change, it is recommended to take measures on a sectoral basis.