The effect of different organic and inorganic fertilizers had a significant effect on the yield of spring rice. A field experiment was carried out to determine the effects of different organic and inorganic fertilizers on the yield of spring rice var Hardinath-1 at Siranchowk rural municipality-4, Gorkha during the spring season of 2021 with four replications and five treatments: T1[Recommended inorganic fertilizer Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (@100:30:30 kg/ha)], T2[75% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 25% recommended organic fertilizer: i.e. (Farm Yard Manure (6 ton /ha)], T3(50% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 50% recommended organic fertilizer), T4(25% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 75% recommended organic fertilizer ), and T5 (Recommended organic fertilizer) using simple Randomized Complete Block Design with 3*3 m of individual plot size. A biometrical observation like plant height (95.33 cm), and the number of tillers (340.75/ m2) were found significantly highest on T2. Similarly, yield attributing characteristics like the number of effective tillers (315.75/m2), several filled grains per panicle (150.25), and highest panicle length (25.06 cm) were also significantly highest on T2. The highest grain yield (8.27 ton/ha), straw yield (12.14 ton/ha), and harvest index (0.40) were also observed on T2. Total net return was found highest on T2: 287330 Nepalese Rupees(NPR) incurring the cost of fertilizer Rs NPR 18940 per hectare returning the gross return of NPR 268390 per hectare. In conclusion, T2 was the best combination of other biofertilizer combinations. So, the spring rice productivity can be enhanced via the adoption of 75% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 25% recommended organic fertilizer in fertilizer management practice at Chorkate, Gorkha.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), poses a significant threat to agriculture worldwide. This study examines the potential insecticidal effects of essential oils from Mentha arvensis and Cinnamomum zeylanicum on controlling C. capitata under laboratory conditions. Even at low concentrations, toxicity assays indicated that both essential oils significantly increased the mortality of adult Medflies. The concentration-dependent effect of these oils on C. capitata mortality is demonstrated, with Mentha arvensis achieving 100% mortality within 48 hours at 1% concentration and Cinnamomum zeylanicum exhibiting rapid efficacy, reaching a low LC50 value after only 1 hour of application. The concentration and application time of essential oils were found to have a significant impact on their effectivness. This study highlights the potential of essential oils for controlling C. capitata populations. Essential oils offer a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative for managing C. capitata but further studies are necessary for their successful incorporation into integrated pest management programs.

This study investigates the reactions of four summer pumpkin cultivars (cvs. Çağlayan, Mert Bey, Sena Hanım, TG38) to root and crown rot caused by Fusarium proliferatum by taking into account criteria such as disease severity, plant growth (number of leaves, height, dry and fresh weight of shoot) and the accumulation of phenolic compounds in the roots. Seeds of each cultivar were inoculated with the pathogen and left to develop for 1 month at 25oC in a controlled climate room. The content of phenolic compounds in ethanolic root extracts was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cv. Sena Hanım had the lowest disease severity (4.40%) among the cultivars, followed by cvs. Çağlayan (10.62%) and Mert Bey (11.07%). Plants developed from inoculated seeds of cvs. Çağlayan and Sena Hanım had no decrease in the number of leaves and in length, fresh and dry weight of shoots in comparison to the control (plants from non-inoculated seeds), while cv. Mert Bey demonstrated a decrease at very low rates in shoot fresh and dry weight (2.24% and 0.77%, respectively). The phenolic compound that exhibited the highest increase in root extracts of cv. Sena Hanım compared to the control among the cultivars was p-coumaric acid (6.57-fold). This study demonstrates that p-coumaric acid can play an important role in the resistance of pumpkin to seed infestation by F. proliferatum.

Microorganisms have various stress response systems to maintain their viability when exposed to different stress conditions. In this study, Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 strains, used in probiotic yoghurt production, were subjected to acid (lactic and hydrochloric acid) stress to induce acid tolerance response (ATR). Yoghurts produced with both acid-adapted and non-adapted strains were stored at +4°C for 21 days. During the storage period, the pH and titratable acidity values of the yoghurts were measured, and the viability levels of the probiotic strains in the yoghurts were determined. In all yoghurt groups, a decrease in pH values and an increase in titratable acidity were observed during storage. The highest viability levels of the probiotic strains were detected on the first day of storage. Lactic acid-adapted Lb. acidophilus ATCC 4356 and B. bifidum ATCC 11863 in yoghurt showed growth at a level of 8.08 ± 0.12 and 8.08 ± 0.09 log10 Cfu/g at the first day of storage, respectively. Additionally, hydrochloric acid-adapted Lb. acidophilus ATCC 4356 and B. bifidum ATCC 11863 in yoghurt exhibited growth at levels of 7.90 ± 0.08 and 5.99 ± 0.03 log10 Cfu/g, respectively. The viability of acid-adapted Lb. acidophilus ATCC 4356 and B. bifidum ATCC 11863 showed a decrease similar way to that of the control group (non-acid adapted) during the storage period.

This study was conducted to evaluate the quality features, antioxidant capabilities, microbiological and sensory aspects of yogurt fortified with 2%, 5%, and 7% red dragon (RD) peel powder. The yogurt was formulated using the classical technology adapted to laboratory conditions. The results of the physicochemical properties showed significant differences in pH (4.73–4.36), acidity (0.18–0.16 g lactic acid/100 g), and ascorbic acid (1.17-1.34 mg/100 g) among different yogurt formulations (P<0.05). In addition, RD peel powder fortification showed increasing trends in crude fiber (1.53-3.34 g/100 g), ash (5.19-5.29 g/100 g), and moisture (76.70-80.19 g/100 g) content, respectively; while the reversed trend was observed for fat (3.48-2.36 g/100 g), and crude protein (4.49-4.07 g/100 g) contents, respectively. Furthermore, gradual progression of RD peel powder in fortified yogurt manifested an improvement of the overall antioxidant activity (1.30-1.57 µmol TE/mL). The analyses of the sensory properties demonstrated that yogurt with RD peel powder in proportions of 2% received the highest hedonic score for consumer approval. Moreover, no coliform was reported in any of the control and fortified yogurts. Therefore, it could be concluded that RD peel powder can be employed as a functional food constituent in yogurt with improved quality attributes and sensory properties compared to plain yogurt.

Cucurbitaceae family fruits, especially melons, offers significant quantities of minerals carotenoids and phenolic compounds, contributing to their antioxidant activity. However, seeds of these fruits are usually discarded as waste by products. In current study, seeds of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and muskmelon (Cucumis melo) were separated, dried, grounded and extracted, with 70% ethanol, to investigate total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (TFC), carotenoid content (TC) content, and total antioxidant activity (TAA). Further, antimicrobial activities of these extracts were tested against selected bacterial and fungus strains. Results showed that extracts of both cucurbits presented significant amounts of phytochemicals, with higher quantities presented by watermelon seeds. In watermelon seeds, TPC were found 156.50 mg/GAE 100 g, TFC 56.78 mg CE/100 g, TC 36.65 mg/100 g, and TAA 71%, and these amounts were significantly higher than those found in muskmelon seeds. Antimicrobial study results showed that extracts of both seeds exhibited significant zone of inhibitions against three bacterial and three fungal species, and these values were very comparable to the reference antimicrobial drug used, Ciprofloxacin. Findings of current research work provided significant grounds for presence of phytochemical bioactives in two melon fruits seeds, providing the basis for extraction and utilization of these bioactives, through processing and fortification different pharma foods.

Safe meat production is an important aspect to avoid human health hazards. The use of probiotics in poultry is an important tool to produce safe meat among several established biotechnological approaches. In this experiment, we studied the effects of probiotics for producing safe Japanese quail meat. 150 Japanese quail chicks were reared for a period of six weeks using various doses of probiotics (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2g per litre of water). The chicks were randomly distributed into five treatment groups with three replications each. The number of birds in each replication was 10. After rearing six weeks, significantly high body weight was found at probiotic concentrations of 1, 1.5, and 2g per litre of water. The feed intake in various treatments did not differ significantly, but comparatively better feed conversion ratios were observed at probiotic treatments. Water quality was not significantly differed as a result of addition of probiotics to the water. The reason for this better growth performance is probably due to the multiple benefits of probiotics in poultry. Probiotics could have maintained gut health with better nutrient utilization and availability that might have been led to higher body weight gain in the quail. In future experiments, challenging the birds with diseases or comparing probiotics with antibiotic growth promoters is required to ensure the efficiency of probiotics.

Traditional milk desserts are one of the most essential dessert groups that Turkish society consumes. Due to foaming activity, it was aimed to investigate the feasibility of the ohmic heating system to produce a semolina dessert with milk. Hence, an ohmic heating treatment was used to heat the milk, semolina, and sugar mix from 20°C to 100°C using three different voltage gradients (15, 17.5, and 20 V/cm) and then boil for two minutes. It was found that the current value escalated from 20°C to approximately 86°C but decreased after 86°C due to foaming. Since the total consumed energy during the ohmic cooking treatment was inversely proportional to the treatment time, the total consumed energy values decreased based on the rising voltage gradient. As a result, the feasibility of the ohmic heating treatment for making a traditional semolina dessert with milk was determined in this study.

Quercetin (QU) is a flavonoid found in different fruits and vegetables. Studies report that QU may have positive effects on neurological diseases. However, the effect of QU on 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-induced neurodegeneration in neuronal cells is still not fully elucidated. In this study, the effects of QU on 4-AP-induced hippocampal neuron damage in vitro and the possible role of oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in this effect were investigated. The study was carried out using the HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cell line. The effect of pre-treatment with QU on cell viability after 4-AP-induced neuronal damage was determined by the XTT test. Cells were evaluated histopathologically for apoptotic nuclear change (ANC) using DAPI staining. The effects of QU on oxidative stress (total oxidant state (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS)) occurring after neuronal damage were evaluated with colorimetric commercial kits and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (activating transcription factor 4 (ATF-4) and C/EBP homologous protein). (CHOP) was measured with the ELISA kits. While the cell viability rate decreased in the cells treated with 4-AP, it was determined that pre-treatment with QU reversed this situation. In terms of histopathology, treatment with 4-AP increased the number of ANC, while QU pre-treatment reduced it. In addition, in terms of biochemical evaluations, TOS, ATF-4, and CHOP increased in neuronal cells after 4-AP, and QU was determined to suppress this increase. In addition, QU normalized the decreased TAS levels following the 4-AP application. As a result, in the HT-22 cell line, it was found that QU treatment had a neuroprotective effect by suppressing oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in 4-AP-induced neuronal damage.

Lipoxygenases (LOX) gene family is a type of nonheme iron-containing dioxygenases, which has a very important aspect in plant development and fruit quality. LOX gene, which is responsible for lipid oxidation, the main role for the biosynthesis pathway of unsaturated fatty acids. Although some studies have investigated the LOX gene family in several species including arabidopsis, soybean, peanut and apple, there is no information from Pistachio; and the phylogeny of this gene family in the Pistacia genus is still not determined. In this study, Arabidopsis thaliana LOX1 gene (NCBI Reference Sequence: NM_104376.3) was selected and used as a query sequence for performing a BLASTN search. Among all sequence query which was found by NCBI platform, 9 sequences were selected for further analysis. Phylogenetic tree of full-length LOX gene sequences from the Pistacia genus was constructed using the Maximum Likelihood method with MEGA software. By using phylogenic analysis, we identified variations in gene structure and revealed the phylogenetic evolutionary relationship of this gene family. Additionally, this may serve as a reference value for assessing the genetic relationships among various LOX genes in Pistacia genus species. This variations provides us the possibility the design the primer to achieve us to find the exact LOX gene in Pistacia genus and future research on the evolutionary history and transgenic research on LOX genes.