Global warming, which has been increasing in recent years, is due to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The agricultural sector, which has a 25% share in greenhouse gas formation, plays an important role in global warming. CO2, which has a share of 82% among greenhouse gases, is shown as the most important greenhouse gas. It is estimated that 10% of the CO2 in the atmosphere is missioned from the soil. When soil organic carbon, which is an indicator of soil fertility, is released into the atmosphere as CO2, N and S compound gases return to the earth and it causes inefficient soil as well as global warming. Organic carbon is a source of CO2 emissions when the soil is mismanaged. The organic carbon in the soil is transformed into CO2 with loosening of the soil and accumulates in the atmosphere, after it exposure to temperature and oxygen. Unconscious tillage and irrigations increase the physical and biological activity of the soil and cause CO2 emissions from the soil. CO2 emission, which is the main cause of drought, needs to be reduced with low cost, easy and practical applications. At the beginning of these applications, can be listed reduced tillage, deficit irrigation, reduction of fertilizer usage, reuse of agricultural wastes and agricultural management of wastewater. In this review, it is aimed to investigate CO2 emission effect of soil tillage depth and tools, exhaust gases of the vehicles used in soil tillage, the amount of irrigation water and irrigation methods, deficit irrigation, irrigation with wastewater, precipitation, plant factor, fertilization, properties and temperature of soil. In addition, approaches that can be applied to reduce CO2 emission are mentioned.

Valuation of postharvest loss and identification of its causes enables to develop proper measures required to reduce losses. The study was conducted at “Fogera” District, South Gondar, Ethiopia between 2017 and 2018 years to assess the extent of postharvest loss of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and to identify major causes with respective handling system. In this study, a total of 125 farmers and 40 traders (10 wholesalers and 30 retailers) were involved as main respondents. Data collection was done using semi structured interview schedule, key informant interview, focus group discussion and observation. Besides respondents estimation, a sample analysis was conducted to estimate the extent of postharvest loss as per the FAO minimum quality standards. Descriptive statistics such as average, percentage, frequency and standard deviation were used to analyse data and tables, graphs and charts were used to present result. Result revealed that almost half of tomato produced is damaged and puts out of normal use with highest loss at producer level due to different causes which are complex and interrelated across tomato market chain. Marketing situation, insect pest and disease, lack of awareness, low economic status of producers, late harvesting, mechanical damage during harvesting and transportation, poor quality of produce and price fall were some of the reasons identified as major cause of post-harvest loss of tomato. For solving the postharvest loss problems, actors in supply chain has to develop cooperation and effective communication among all the research, extension, and industry personnel involved.

Strawberry is one of the most preferred fruits all over the world due to its characteristic properties. Due to the morphological structure of fresh strawberries after harvesting, quality losses are observed during cold storage. Therefore, industrial washing of fresh strawberries is especially important for reducing microbial load and increasing shelf life. Demand for the new methods as an alternative to the chemicals used in industrial washing of fruits and vegetables is increasing due to consumer-related health concerns. Ultrasonic washing is a preferred innovative method in terms of reducing the microbial load and maintaining quality properties compared to chemical washing processes. In this study, fresh strawberries were washed with ultrasound (550 W/35 kHz) and peroxyacetic acid (40 ppm) after harvesting. The pH, total acidity, water soluble dry matter (brix), vitamin C, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, total viable, mold and yeast count analyses were performed in every two days during 14 days of cold storage of washed strawberries. Ultrasonic washing was found to be more effective in reducing microbial load and preserving bioactive properties of strawberries compared to other method due to its cavitation effect.

In this study, seasonal changes in the lipid and fatty acid profiles of S. lessepsianus caught from the Mersin Bay were investigated. The total lipid levels of S. lessepsianus were found to be 2.94%, 7.19%, 2.45%, 0.83%, in spring, summer, autumn and winter season, respectively. Major fatty acids in S. lessepsianus were palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in all seasons. The highest values of palmitic, palmitoleic and EPA were determined as 22.97%, 3.80% and 4.22% in spring, respectively. The highest values of stearic and oleic acid were determined as 15.93% and 7.84% in autumn, respectively. The highest value of DHA were also determined as 31.91% in winter season. The EPA level from polyunsaturated fatty acids was found in the range of 2.54-4.22% (23.09-195.62 mg/100g). The highest level of DHA were observed in the winter season and its levels changed in the range of 19.83-31.81% and was calculated as 201.29-1301.73 mg/100g. In addition, the highest level of the Σn3, Σn6, and Σn9 were calculated in the summer season as 1516.39, 114.88, 399.77 mg/100g, respectively. This report showed that fat and fatty acid profiles of S. lessepsianus are quite influenced by seasonal factors.

In this study, the effects of the extracts obtained from flower, stem, leaf, branch and their mixture of Nerium oleander L. on the seed germination and seedling growth of four Pistacia species (Pistacia terebinthus L., P. vera L., P. khinjuk Stocks., P. atlantica Desf. and P. terebinthus L.) were investigated. Five hundred grams of N. oleander was taken from the plant parts and the extracts were mixed with distilled water (1.5 L). The extracts were applied to Pistacia species for 24 and 48 hours. The results showed that the extract had positive effects on their germination and growths of the species mentioned above. The highest germination rate for all the Pistacia species was obtained from the extracts of flower, while the lowest germination rate was recorded in the mixture of all parts of N. oleander mentioned above. Moreover, the treatment time was found to reduce the germination ratio. It was also found that the extracts from the stem of N. oleander were the most effective on the stem height of the Pistacia species studied. It was followed by the extracts from branches, leaves and flower, respectively. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the extracts from the stem of N. oleander had pronounced effect on the stem diameter of the Pistacia species studied. It was followed by the extracts from flower, leaves, and branches, respectively. In general, the effects of the extracts from several parts of N. oleander on the germination and other growing parameters were found to be almost comparable to those of synthetic promoter, Gibberellic Acid (GA3).

Oregano, which grows widely in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North Africa, has been known as a medicinal plant since ancient times. Thyme used in the spice industry and in the pharmaceutical industry due to its anti-fungal and antiseptic properties because it has an aromatic smell, also contains some vitamins and minerals that humans and animals need. The use of oregano, which comes to the forefront in the feeding of small ruminants during the times when animal feeds are scarce in our country, is becoming more and more important in small head and poultry production and good agriculture and organic farming applications due to some secondary metabolites it contains.

The study was aimed to improve the nutritional composition of nettle (Utrica dioica L.) having positive effects on animals by solid-state fermentation. Aspergillus niger was used as a inoculant in fermentation of nettle. Before and after fermentation, crude protein (CP), ash, ether extract (EE), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), crude fiber (CF), hemicellulose (HC), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents of nettle were determined. The ash, NFE and HC content of nettle were increased by fermentation. However, A. niger decreased the CF and EE in nettle. The results showed that solid-state fermentation with A. niger can be used to improve the nutritional composition of nettle.

The combinations of organic liquid fertilizer material obtained from sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) and different concentrations of zeolite were applied to the cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plant in six treatments with three replicates each. The combinations of the experimental groups were as follows; control group, G1 group 180 g Z (Zeolite), G2 group 90 g Z + 1140 ml Liquid Fertilizer (LF), G3 group 180 g Z + 620 ml LF, G4 group 270 g Z + 310 ml LF, G5 group 620 ml LF. Except the control group, all zeolites were applied with the first dose of liquid fertilizer, and other liquid fertilizer doses were given in three periods, after germination, flowering and yield. While the lowest germination rate was in control group, the highest rate was in group with 60 g zeolite. While the lowest seedling weight was observed in group with 90 g zeolite + 1140 ml liquid fertilizer, the highest rate was in group with 180 g zeolite + 620 ml liquid fertilizer. While the highest cucumber weight was observed in group with 270 g zeolite + 310 ml liquid fertilizer, the lowest was in group with 620 ml liquid fertilizer. Therefore, it may be said that zeolite has positive effect on germination. On the other hand, liquid fertilizer and zeolite combinations may have positive effects on the weight of the cucumber seedling and yield.

Bu çalışmada, köpük kurutma yöntemi kullanılarak incirin sıcak hava (60, 70, 80°C) ve mikrodalga (100, 300, 600 W) ile kurutma işlemi gerçekleştirilmiş, kurutma işlem parametrelerinin ve köpük kalınlığının kurutma kinetiğine etkisi incelenmiştir. Kurutma işlemi yalnızca düşen kurutma periyodunda gerçeklemiş ve sabit kurutma periyodu gözlenmemiştir. Mikrodalga ile kurutma, köpük yüzeylerindeki büyük buharlaşma alanına ek olarak hacimsel ısıtma sağlaması nedeniyle sıcak hava ile kurutmaya kıyasla daha kısa sürede tamamlanmıştır. Sıcaklığın ve mikrodalga gücünün artması kuruma sürelerini kısaltırken, köpük kalınlığının artması ile kuruma süreleri uzamıştır. Kinetik parametreleri belirlemek için, deneysel kurutma verileri Fick’in 2. difüzyon denkleminin yarı deneysel modellerine yerleştirilmiştir. Bunlar arasında, Wang ve Singh modeli mikrodalga kurutma için daha iyi bir uyum sağlarken, Logaritmik model sıcak hava ile kurutma için daha uygun bulunmuştur. Mikrodalga ve sıcak hava kurutma için etkili difüzyon katsayısı değerleri sırasıyla 9,94×10-10-405,69×10-10 ve 13,26×10-10-26,65×10-10 m2·s-1 aralığında değişim göstermiştir. Kurutma sıcaklığı, mikrodalga gücü ve köpük kalınlığının artmasıyla etkili difüzyon katsayısı değerleri artmıştır. Kalınlığın artması yapıdaki boşlukların artmasını ve ısı iletiminin konveksiyonla gerçekleşmesini sağlayarak etkili difüzyon yayılımının desteklenmesini sağlamıştır. Aktivasyon enerjisi Arrhenius denklemi kullanılarak mikrodalga kurutma için 2,195-2,379 W·g-1 aralığında, sıcak hava ile kurutma için ise 12,952-21,426 kJ·mol-1 aralığında bulunmuştur.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a relevant disease in public health worldwide. The genus Listeria spp., corresponds to cosmopolitan bacteria and capable of surviving different adverse conditions, which increases the risk for the food to be contaminated at any stage of the food chain. Fish and fish products are foods of high production level and, due to their chemical or nutritional composition, are highly susceptible to deterioration and contamination by pathogens in their productive chain relating to cases of listeriosis. Derived from the incidence and human mortality due to causative agents of listeriosis, along with their resistance to antimicrobials, they have acquired a greater emphasis on human health, animal health and food industry, resulting in the implementation of safety systems such as good hygiene practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, analytical methods and microbiological criteria, as some of the actions to contribute to the food safety and public health protection. The purpose of this review document is to provide, in a general way, aspects involved in foodborne illnesses, specifically listeriosis and its association with fish as a transmitting food, considering the prevention and control measures of this disease through food. It also includes aspects related to antimicrobial resistance by bacterial isolates obtained from fish, their implications and health risks.