This research was conducted in 2020 to determine the effects of leonardite-derived humic acids (Humas-15, Liquid Humus and Humico Maximix-K) with different properties, along with reduced nitrogen fertilization, on tuber yield and quality in potatoes (cv. Van Gogh). In the study, chemical fertilizer applications were made as basic fertilization (20 N 10 P 10 K), reduced fertilization I (15 N 10 P 10 K) and reduced fertilization II (10 N 10 P 10 K). Humic acids were applied twice with irrigation water, at the beginning of the flowering period and 15 days later. Humas-15 and Liquid Humus were applied at 1.0 and 2.0 lt/da doses, and Humico Maximix-K was applied at 400 and 800 g/da doses. A total of seven traits (tuber number per plant, tuber yield per plant, marketable tuber yield, total tuber yield, dry matter content, reducing sugar content and total sugar content) were measured. Reducing nitrogen applications with humic acid applications significantly affected all the traits studied. Humic acid applications combined with reduced nitrogen fertilization increased the number of tubers per plant by up to 13%, marketable tuber yield by up to 18% and total tuber yield by up to 16% compared with the control. Total and reducing sugar contents varied between 1.27-1.58% and 159-389 mg/100g fw, respectively depending on the applications. In the study, the highest tuber yield was obtained from 1.0 and 2.0 L/da Humas-15 and 2.0 L/da Liquid Humus applications applied together with reducing nitrogen applications which have close values to the recommended fertilization applications.

Mulching, a widely employed agricultural practice, has been recognized for its influence on soil moisture retention, temperature regulation, and weed suppression, thereby improving growth and yield of crops. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of mulching materials on growth and yield attributes of summer squash under water constraint condition during March to May 2023 in Chitwan, Nepal. The experiment was laid in single factor Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four different mulches (rice straw, wheat straw, rice husk and silver on black plastic mulch 30 microns) and control replicated 4 times. All the Plant growth parameters, including plant height, number of leaves per plant and plant spread, were highest in silver plastic mulch and the poorest in the un-mulched plots. Mulching also significantly influenced floral characters, with plastic mulch demonstrating superiority in traits such as days to flowering, number of flowers per plant, and sex ratio compared to organic mulches and the control. Fruit length, diameter, and weight exhibited the highest values under plastic mulch and the lowest values under the control, while all organic mulches showed similar results. The highest yield of 41.44 Mt ha-1 was achieved with silver plastic mulch, highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing crop productivity, while the lowest yield of 11.77 Mt ha-1 was recorded in the control plots. Despite its higher cost, silver pastic mulch exhibited highest net return and benefit-cost ratio. Rice husk mulch, with the second highest benefit-cost ratio and relatively low cost of production, emerged as promising alternative. Although mulching did not notably affect the soil pH, the varying soil organic matter percentages were observed, with the highest on rice straw mulch and the lowest on silver plastic mulch. The study suggests that while plastic mulch can significantly boost productivity during water scarcity, rice husk mulch offers a cost-effective alternative with substantial economic benefit.

The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a winter crop that can be cultivated as a versatile crop. It’s yield and quality being strongly influenced by environmental and agronomic factors, nutritional content, medicinal properties, and ability to fix nitrogen biologically. Therefore, to maximize advantages of faba bean cultivation, choosing the appropriate varieties, planting times, techniques, plant density, depth of sowing, and ensuring proper crop nutrients and irrigation is essential. For successful faba bean production in subtropical climates, it's important to assess the performance of different varieties under these specific conditions. Planting dates and soil temperature are crucial for germination, growth, and yield. At the same time, the crop's performance is also influenced by sowing methods, plant density, sowing depth, and water and fertilizer management. Integrating faba beans into cropping systems is expected to offer various ecological benefits. This paper reviews the existing literature on the agronomic practices of faba beans.

Weeds pose a significant challenge in maize fields in the Dang district, leading to a substantial 52% reduction in yield. Hence, this study was conducted in Satbariya village of Dang, Nepal, in 2023 to evaluate the impact of various weed management practices on weed dynamics, growth, and yield of spring maize. The experiment included seven treatments: a weedy check, weed-free plot, pre-emergence application of atrazine at 1.25 a.i. kg/ha (AtPrE), post-emergence application of atrazine at 1.25 a.i. kg/ha (AtPoE), manual weeding at 30 DAS, mini-tiller at 30 DAS, and LaPoE (tembotrione 42% SC + atrazine 50% WP) applied as post-emergence. The Subarna variety of maize was chosen for the study. Fifteen weed species from seven different families were identified in the experimental area. Specific morphological and phenological parameters, such as plant height and days to tasseling and silking, were not significantly influenced by the weed control methods. However, significantly lower weed density and biomass were observed in the weed-free plot and LaPoE. Similarly, weed-free plots and LaPoE exhibited significantly higher weed control efficiency (WCE) and weed control index at both 45 and 60 DAS, leading to a lower weed index (0.00–16.71%) and more effective weed control. Concerning the yield parameters, cob length, number of kernels per row, and 1000-grain weight were significantly higher in weed-free plots, followed by LaPOE, and the highest grain and biological yield were observed in weed-free plot (6.14–15.18 tons/ha) and LaPoE (5.12–13.32 tons/ha). Moreover, the benefit-cost ratio and net return were observed to be highest with LaPoE. This study suggests that LaPoE can be an effective and economical weed management strategy for increasing maize yield and profitability. Further research could explore the long-term effects of using LaPoE on weed control and crop productivity.

This research was carried out to evaluate the field performance of some mung bean accessions and their nutritional composition for inclusion in household diet. Twenty-one (21) accessions of mung bean were evaluated in the early and late season of 2022 at Ile-Ife, and in the early season at Kishi out-station of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. The experiment was established according to randomized complete block design with three replications. Agronomic and yield data were collected. Six of the mung bean accessions were randomly selected and analyzed for proximate, mineral composition and sensory properties along with two cowpea varieties as standard checks. MB-3, 6, 14 and 15 produced the highest seed yield across the locations (Ile-Ife early season, Ile-Ife late season, and Kishi early season). However, the performance was generally better in the early season than in the late season. The mung bean samples had slightly lower protein values than the standard checks. The mung bean samples had considerably higher mineral levels (p ≤ 0.05) than the control samples. Moin-moin (processed bean cake) made from some of the mung bean samples compared favorably with that from Ife brown cowpea (standard check). This work revealed good adaptability of the mung bean accession to southwest agro-ecology of Nigeria. It also revealed better nutritional quality of mung bean relative to cowpea for inclusion in household meals.

Bu çalışma, moringa tohum çimlenmesi ve fidan gelişimi olmak üzere iki aşamadan oluşmaktadır. Öncelikle moringa tohumlarına kontrol dışında, dört farklı uygulama (a: 35°C’deki ılık suda 24 saat bekletme; b: 1000 ppm GA3 çözeltisinde 24 saat bekletme; c: -1MPa polietilen glikol (PEG) çözeltisinde 24 saat bekletme; d: 2500 ppm mikrobiyal gübre çözeltisinde 24 saat bekletme) yapılmıştır. Kontrollü koşullarda gerçekleştirilen çimlendirme denemelerinde sıcaklık, 25°C ve oransal nemi ise %80’in üzerinde olacak şekilde ayarlanmıştır. Tohum ekiminden sonra, çimlenme oranı, süresi ve çimlenme enerjisi her bir uygulama için belirlenmiştir. Çimlenmeden sonra fidanlar 1:1 oranında torf ve perlit içeren yetiştirme ortamına aktarılmıştır. Daha sonra fidanlara 15 gün ara ile altı defa NPK, NPK + 2500 ppm mikrobiyal gübre ve NPK + 5000 ppm mikrobiyal gübre uygulamaları yapılmıştır. Yetişen bitkilerde 90 gün sonra, bitki boyu, gövde çapı, klorofil miktarı, gövde, kök yaş ve kuru ağırlıkları belirlenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, tohum çimlenme oranı, süresi ve enerjisi açısından en iyi sonucun, tohumların viyollere ekimden önce 35°C’deki ılık suda 24 saat bekletme uygulamasının verdiğini göstermiş ve bu uygulamayı 1000 ppm GA3 çözeltisinde 24 saat bekletme uygulaması izlemiştir. Fidan büyüme ve gelişmesi açısından incelenen parametreler göz önüne alındığında, standart NPK’nın mikrobiyal gübre ile birlikte kullanımı, standart NPK’ya göre daha iyi sonuç vermiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, tohum çimlenmesi açısından 35 oC’deki ılık suda 24 saat bekletme ve fidan gelişimi açısında ise standart NPK’nın mikrobiyal gübre ile birlikte kullanımı tavsiye edilmiştir.

The purpose of this study was to assess the anti-genotoxic potential of thymoquinone (TQ) against DNA damage in NRK-52E cells treated with high glucose using the comet assay technique single cell gel electrophoresis method. Cells were propagated by regular passages in in vitro conditions. TQ proliferative concentration (10μM) and IC25 (3rd-hour: 550 mM, 12th-hour: 240 mM, 24th-hour: 200 mM) and IC50 (3rd-hour: 760 mM, 12th-hour: 400 mM, 24th-hour: 280 mM) values for each hour of high glucose and were determined separately with MTT method. At these concentrations, the cells were divided into control(C), Thymoquinone (TQ), high glucose(G) and high glucose plus thymoquinone (GT) groups; It was incubated with the indicated substances for 3, 12, 24 hours. DNA damage was evaluated by applying the comet assay protocol and the results were calculated as DNA damage index (DDI). While DDI levels were observed to be significantly higher (p<0.05) in all groups administered high glucose compared to the control, a significant decrease was determined in all groups in which TQ was added along with high glucose. It was determined that high concentrations of glucose had genotoxic effects on kidney cells, and TQ administration together with high glucose, depending on concentration and time, had a significant effect on reducing DNA damage. However, it was concluded that the application of only thymoquinone significantly increased the DDI value compared to the control, and this was a data worth investigating in future studies. Additionally, TQ inhibited DNA damage. These results demonstrated the importance of TQ against nephrotic syndrome with its high antioxidant properties.

This study evaluates the effects of rabbit compost tea and NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer on the growth parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Each replicate consisted of four (4) treatments. Total land area measured 88 m2 (11 m by 8 m) with 12 plots, and each plot size measured 3 m by 2 m (6 m2) with 1 m alleyways between plots and replicates. The treatments and application rate were the control, rabbit compost tea at 400 l ha-1, a combination of NPK at 100 kg ha-1 and rabbit compost tea at 200 l ha-1, and the application of NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer at the rate of 200 kg ha-1, which was incorporated as the experiment's standard treatment. In the experiment, growth parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) were monitored and evaluated. Findings showed that the application of rabbit compost tea and NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) increased the plant height, stem girth, number of leaves, and leaf area when compared with the control, especially when combined. According to this study, rabbit compost tea is an effective and sustainable organic amendment that smallholder maize farmers should consider using to improve growth and output.

Denizlerin sürdürülebilirliği, iklim değişikliği, kirlilik ve aşırı avlanma gibi nedenlerle ciddi tehdit altındadır. Bu durum balık popülasyonlarının hızla tükenerek ekosistemin tahribatına neden olmaktadır. Çalışmanın amacı, deniz ekosistemini olumsuz etkileyen avcılık yöntemlerini ve yetiştiricilik faaliyetlerini ortaya koyarak sürdürülebilirliğe olan etkilerini tespit etmektir. Çalışma sonucunda balıkçılık sektörünün doğaya birçok zararı olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bunların başlıcaları açık sularda avcılığın neden olduğu aşırı avlanma ve denizlerde meydana gelen kirlenmedir. İç sularda ve kıyılarda yapılan yetiştiricilikten kaynaklı sorunların başlıcaları girdi artıklarından kaynaklı kirlilik, dip kısımlarda oksijen tüketiminin neden olduğu tahribat, ölü balık artıkları ve görsel kirliliktir. Günümüzde insan faktörünün yer aldığı faaliyetlerde, özellikle ticari kaygının ön planda olduğu yapılanmalar, doğayı ve ekosistemi tahribatta cömert olabilmektedir. Dolayısıyla politika yapıcıların, tüm dünya insanlarının ortak mirası olan denizlerin korunmasında sert ve ciddi önlemler almasında yarar görülmektedir.

Nearly all of the apricot varieties grown in Malatya are dried apricots and the plantation areas in this region are expanding daily. Due to the impact of climate change, producers are growing apricots mostly under limited irrigation or even dry conditions. Therefore, it is essential to determine the drought resistance characteristics of the varieties commonly cultivated in this region. In this study, different irrigation levels of 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% of available water were applied to Hacıhalioğlu, Kabaaşı, Çataloğlu, Hasanbey and Soğancı apricot varieties. To evaluate the resistance of the varieties to drought stress and its relationship with physiological changes, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, total sugar, total starch and abscisic acid contents in the leaves were analyzed. A decrease in chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, total starch values and an increase in total sugar and ABA values were determined due to the decrease in irrigation rates. In Kabaasi and Hasanbey varieties, which were observed as the most resistant to water shortage, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, total starch values were higher and total sugar content was lower at decreased irrigation levels. No difference was detected between varieties in ABA values. As a result of the observations in the drought resistance tests and physiological analyses, it was concluded that the most resistant varieties were Kabaasi and Hasanbey. Unfortunately, the most sensitive variety was the most widespread Hacihaliloglu. In addition, analyzing and evaluating the physiological changes occurring in apricot under drought stress will be useful in developing the most appropriate irrigation strategies for each variety and increasing water use efficiency. It may also be useful in cross-breeding studies to develop new drought-resistant varieties.