Two experiments were conducted in the Savelugu-Nanton Municipality of the Northern Region of Ghana in 2012 and 2013 to assess the effect of N fertilizer on growth, N remobilization and grain yield of three local varieties of soybean (Glycine max [L] Merill). The experiments were a 3 x 4 factorial laid in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Factor A was soybean varieties (Jenguma, Quarshie, Ahotor); Factor B was 0, 15, 30 and 45 kg N ha-1. The experimental fields were planted manually on the flat by drilling and later thinned to 2 plants hill-1 at 0.50 m × 0.10 m with a population of about 400 000 plants ha-1. Growth and yield parameters measured were plant height, nodule number plant-1, nodule dry weight plant-1, percent nodule effectiveness, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, 100 seed weight, harvest index and grain yield. The results showed that the control recorded lower figures in all growth parameters. Nitrogen remobilization was also observed in all plots, which indicate that soybean needs greater levels of N during grain filling. Again, N remobilization and soybean yield were highest in the 45 kg N ha-1 treatment compared to the other treatments. However, considering the overall yields, farmers in the study area should be advised to adopt starter N fertilization of soybean for higher yields as the soils are highly degraded in soil fertility.

Bu çalışmada Rosaceae familyasında yer alan Cotoneaster transcaucasicus Pojark meyvelerinin hekzan ve metanol ekstraklarının toplam fenolik madde ve flavonoid madde içerikleri ile antioksidan aktiviteleri araştırılmıştır. Folin-Ciocaltaeu metodu kullanılarak fenolik madde miktarları metanol ekstraktında 50,34±2,70 mg GAE/g ve hekzan ekstraktında 38,06±1,32 mg GAE/g olarak belirlendi. Toplam flavonoid madde miktarı ise alüminyum nitrat yöntemi kullanılarak metanol ekstraktında 52,01±3,78 mg KE/g ve hekzan ekstraktında ise 60,54±6,82 mg KE/g olarak hesaplandı. C. transcaucasicus hekzan ve metanol ekstraklarının antioksidan aktiviteleri, DPPH ve FRAP yöntemleri ile değerlendirildi. Ekstrakların IC50 değerleri hekzan ekstraktı için 0,411mg/mL, metanol ekstraktı için 0,237 mg/ mL olarak hesaplandı. Ayrıca Fe3+-Fe2+ indirgeyici antioksidan gücünün hekzan ekstraktında daha fazla olduğu belirlendi. Sonuç olarak C. transcaucasicus meyvelerinin fenolik ve flavonoid madde miktarlarının ve antioksidan aktivitelerinin yüksek olduğu görülmüştür. Bu çalışma C. transcaucasicus türünde yapılan ilk çalışma niteliğinde olup bundan sonra yapılacak olan çalışmalara öncülük edeceği düşünülmektedir.

Natural products play an important role in medicine. They have been used extensively in folk medicine to treat various illnesses. In this work, quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds in methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane extracts of Rosa canina L. waste seeds were investigated by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) LC-MS/MS. Mineral analysis of R. canina seeds was determined by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Fe, Mn, K and Zn were found as chief elements. Quantitative analysis revealed that catechin was the major flavonoid in all extracts. This work offers a viewpoint for recycling the R. canina waste seeds into the economy due to their bioactive content.

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of olive cake meal (0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5%) on the fattening performance and slaughter and carcass traits of quails. For this purpose, 400 one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly assigned to 4 groups, each with 5 replicates. The quails were fed on either a basal diet alone (Control Group) or a basal diet supplemented with olive cake meal at rates of 2.5% (Group I), 5% (Group II) and 7.5% (Group III) for a period of 42 days. At the end of the fattening period, dietary olive cake meal was observed not to have caused any adverse effect on body weight, feed intake and feed conversion rate. Eviscerated hot carcass weight, eviscerated cold carcass weight, wing weight, breast weight, thigh weight and edible visceral organ weights were determined to have improved in the treatment groups that received dietary olive cake meal, when compared to the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with olive cake meal, a waste product of the olive oil industry, at a level of 5%, was observed to produce the closest and most similar results to those of feeding on the basal diet. Thus, it is suggested that olive cake meal could be used as an alternative feedstuff for poultry. Furthermore, the use of olive cake meal as an alternative feedstuff would contribute to reducing both feed costs and environmental pollution.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of lactic acid bacteria+ enzyme (LAB+E) inoculants on the fermentation characteristics and feed values of silages prepared from alfalfa harvested at three maturity stages. Alfalfa was harvested at the early, middle and late flowering stages. Sil-All (Alltech, UK) were used as LAB+E inoculants. Inoculants were applied to the silages at the rates of 1×105, 5×105 and 1×106 cfu/g levels in 1 liter capacity plastic bags. The bags were stored at 20±2°C under the laboratory conditions. Three bags from each group were sampled for chemical and microbiological analyses on the 45th day after ensiling. The results showed that LAB+E inoculants reduced pH values and ammonia-nitrogen content, whereas increased lactic acid contents and lactobacillus count of alfalfa silages. High doses LAB+E inoculant decreased neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber content, increased in vitro organic matter digestibility and metabolic energy of alfalfa silages. It has been demonstrated that the most effective application dose of LAB+E inoculant to improve fermentation and feed value of alfalfa silage was 1×106 cfu/g, but 1x105 and 5×105 cfu/g level can also be considered as effective dose.

Fig vinegar is a special product which has a long history and is handed down from generation to generation. In the current study, characteristics of homemade fig vinegars supplied from different cities of Turkey were compared in terms of their physicochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Physicochemical properties of the samples were very diverse. Total phenolic and flavonoid content, and ABTS+ and DPPH radical scavenging activities of the samples were ranged from 313.5 to 594.25 mg GAE/L and 42.52-132.42 mg catechin/L, and 0.44-3.98 µg TE/mL and 1.25-7.51 µg TE/mL, respectively. The antioxidant activity of vinegars is highly correlated with their phenolic and flavonoid contents. Furthermore, vinegar samples exhibited inhibitive effect on all test microorganisms and the minimum inhibition concentration values were ranged between 0.39 and 25% (v/v). These results indicated the distinct properties of homemade fig vinegars and the potential of them as antimicrobial and antioxidant substances.

Phosphorus (P) fertilizers contain cadmium (Cd) as a contaminant at levels varying from trace amounts to high levels and therefore, can be a major source of Cd to agricultural systems. This study was designed to assess the impact on application of Eppawala rock phosphate (ERP) and triple super phosphate (TSP) as P fertilizers and different soil amendments on P and Cd uptake in maize (Zea mays L.). The field trial was carried out at Field Crop Research and Development Institute at Mahailluppallama, Sri Lanka. A randomized complete block design was employed with three replicates as ERP and TSP separately applied with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and three types of amendments (biochar, compost and dolomite) and the control without adding P fertilizers. Phosphorus content and Cd content of soil, maize roots and seeds were quantified. Results revealed that available soil Cd and total accumulated root and seed Cd amounts were significantly higher in TSP added treatments with and without amendments compared with ERP added soil. Considering soil available P, root and seed P, there was no significant difference observed in different treatments of TSP and ERP added treatments. A similar phenomenon was also observed in growth and yield parameters with both fertilizers added and with the added amendments. There was no colonization of AMF in maize roots in TSP applied soil while 25-60% of colonization was recorded with ERP. Synthetic fertilizer (TSP) must have inhibited the AMF colonization and thereby increasing the Cd content in maize seeds. AMF colonization increased with comparatively low soil available P in ERP added treatments. The results revealed that TSP could be effectively substituted by ERP as a source of P for maize soils. The addition of AMF, compost and biochar further increased the effect.

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.

In this study, roots of Turkish origin wild chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) genotypes were investigated for total flavonoid and phenolic contents, radical cation scavenging activity (ABTS), Free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), and radical, mineral content. These characteristics were also compared with other coffee varieties. The total flavonoid and phenolic contents ranged between 0.290-4.350 mg QE/g dry weight (DW) and 0.943-13.860 mg GAE/g DW. The DPPH was listed here from high to low value: raw coffee beans = roasted coffee beans > roasted fruits of turpentine tree > instant coffee = roots of chicory. The content of P, Ca, Mg, Zn, B, Cr, Co and Mo ranged between 0.71-2.78%, 0.25-0.46%, 7.29-20.66, 4.44-11.07, 0.40-1.67, 0.49-5.48 and 5.69-14.46 ppm, respectively. As a result, chicory roots exhibited low antioxidant activity, but higher mineral content compared to the other tested coffee varieties which indicates that chicory could be used a coffee additive.