This study was carried out to determine the effects of Bacillus subtilis addition to growing Japanese quail diets on growth performance, some serum parameters and carcass parameters. In the study, a total of 200 mixed-sex Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks were fed for 35 days with diets formed with the addition of different levels of control and Bacillus subtilis (250, 500, 750 mg/kg). The study was carried out in 4 treatment groups with 5 replications. At the end of the experiment, Bacillus subtilis levels did not affect the feed intake and feed conversation ratio, which are performance parameters, but affected the body weight and body weight gain statistically significantly. The addition of Bacillus subtilis to the diets of growing Japanese quails showed that glucose and creatinine concentrations were significantly affected, and urea, triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, phosphorus and calcium values were not affected by the treatment levels. Among the carcass parameters, carcass yield, liver weight, pancreas weight, heart weight, gizzard weight and intestinal length did not statistically differ between the treatment groups. According to the results of the present study, it can be said that the addition of Bacillus subtilis at the level of 500 mg/kg to growing quail diets may be beneficial in terms of improving performance.

Port Harcourt cosmopolis grappled with a continual rise in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. The increase is a consequence of an advance in population rise and consumption pattern. The paper reports an approximate valuation and depiction of municipal solid waste with emphasis from questionnaire survey on socio-economic status of the inhabitants in the zones that make up the cosmopolis. The methodology and procedure for this investigation obtained using vehicle selection approach centered on ASTM D5321 standard test method for ascertaining the constituents of municipal solid waste. Specimens were sorted into fourteen waste classifications of paper; 6.22%, pasteboard; 2%, plastic film; 9.05%, dense plastic; 2.73%, glass; 2.3%, iron-based metal; 3.03%, non-iron based metal; 1.13%, putrescibles; 56.3%, textiles; 1.85%, misc-ignitable; 2.83%, non-misc ignitable; 3.35%, E-waste; 2.33%, household waste; 4.88% and fine elements; 2.03%. The outcome shows an average 56.3% of municipal solid waste specimens discovered to be biodegradable. This is suitable for composting activities. Aside biodegradables, there exist, paper glass, dense plastics, and iron-based metals, which are recyclables. This is significant for providing gainful employments to the inhabitants of the cosmopolis. On the contrary, there were about 2.83% of misc-ignitable. This is suitable for energy recovery. There was a variation in specimens of MSW in all the zones that make up the cosmopolis, attributing it to changes in disparity in incomes. It is necessary for government to legalize, recycling and composting activities, which based on the waste management hierarchy process in a manner that ensures environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and global acceptance.

Truffles are a highly valued fungi group because of their gastronomic and economic importance. Even though the demands for truffles, particularly Tuber melanosporum and T. aestivum, has been increased year by year, the natural production of these valued fungi has decreased. So, truffle cultivation is becoming an agricultural alternative in Europe, and the rural economy was supported by cultivating truffle. In Turkey, truffle cultivation was becoming popular in recent years. However, there is not enough literature for understanding the basics of truffle cultivation in Turkey. Hence, it is aimed to discuss the selection of suitable truffle land. Because land selection can be considered as the first step of truffle cultivation and unsuitable land can be limited truffle cultivation success. So, the ecological features of economically important truffles, T. aestivum, T. borchii, T. magnatum, and T. melanosporum, are given in this study based on current literature and field experience.

The effect of antifreeze protein type III (AFPIII) and human heat shock protein 70 (HHSP70), added to the vitrification medium of mouse embryos, on post-freeze/thaw in vitro embryonic growth rates and cell numbers were investigated. In total 20 female mice were synchronized. After synchronization, 2 females and 1 male were mated in the same cage. Twenty-four h after mating, the embryos were collected at the pronuclear stage. In total 8 groups were established, including a positive control group (C+), a negative control group (C-), and treatment groups that were vitrified in a medium added with 200, 400 and 800 ng/ml of AFPIII (AFPIII200, AFPIII400, AFPIII800), and 1, 2 and 4 µg/ml of HHSP70 (HHSP70-1, HHSP70-2, HHSP70-4). Solid surface vitrification (SSV) medium was prepared for the vitrification of the embryos. Once thawed, in vitro development rates of embryos were followed at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Four embryos, which progressed to the full blastocyst stage, were taken from each group and stained with the Hoeschst 33258 and propidium iodine (PI) dyes to determine the inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TE) and total cell numbers. The groups showed statistically significant difference for in vitro embryonic development rates at 48, 72 and 96 h (p

The current study presents a Turkish Truffle Checklist based on literature and a newly discovered species. Within the two divisions, the list includes 104 species belonging to 35 genera and 20 families, as well as their range and Turkish names. Tuber oligospermum was one of them, and it was recorded for the first time in Turkey. A brief description of newly reported species was provided, along with images of their macro and micro-morphology.

Foeniculum vulgare Mill, known as fennel, is a medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family, widely used in traditional Algerian medicine. The aim of this study was to estimate the polyphenols and flavonoids content and to evaluate the antioxidant, the analgesic and the antiulcer activities of aqueous extract of F. vulgare seeds. Quantitative determination of total polyphenols and flavonoids revealed that this extract contained 551.45±0.010 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry extract and 284.83±0.008 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dry extract respectively. The study of the gastroprotective effect showed that this extract is able to protect the stomach against lesions induced by 70% ethanol. The percentages of protection were 55.54±6.99 and 71±3.09% for the 200 and 400 mg/kg doses respectively. The study of the analgesic activity indicated that the aqueous extract of F. vulgare reduced the pain induced by acetic acid (0.6%) with an inhibition rate of 47.89% and 68.65% for doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. Free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and iron chelation tests were applied to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity. The free radical scavenging activity of F. vulgare extract against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals revealed an IC50 value of IC50=30.91±0.49 mg/mL in comparison with gallic acid (0.038±0.0002 mg/mL). The iron chelating test showed that the extract had a high capacity for iron chelating, which was estimated at 0.346±0.003 mg/mL in comparison with the chelating reference agent, ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid.

The genus Achillea (Yarrow)is one of the most important medicinal plants. Nowadays, different medicinal functions of yarrow such as spasmolytic, choleretic, treatment of wounds and anti-inflammatory activities, make it as an important medicinal plant. The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of aqueous (AAE) and methanol (AME) extracts from the plant Achillea santolinoides L. (A. santolinoides L.) aerial parts in vitro. Quantitative evaluation of polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and Bate Smith methods, respectively. Antioxidant activity was carried out using ABTS radical scavenging, alkaline DMSO superoxide radical scavenging and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). The obtained results showed that the highest content in total phenolic, flavonoids and tannins was found in the AME with values of 210.78±0.001 µg GAE/mg Dw, 21.18±0.025 µg QE/mg DW and198.73±0.014µg TAE/mg DW, respectively. For the in vitro antioxidant activity, AME had the strongest ABTS and DMSO alkaline radical scavenging activity (IC50= 6.74±0.16 µg/mL and 15.13±0.92 µg/mL, respectively) and the CUPRAC reducing with A0.50 of 76.56±2.35 µg/mL. The results of the present study confirm the use of the genus Achillea in the treatment of various diseases as a powerful antioxidant.

The storage of spermatozoa and keeping alive for years in the spermatheca by the honey bee queen is a phenomenon allowing her to fertilize eggs throughout her life. In this study, the queens that were 2-week, 1-year, and 2-year-old were analyzed to determine the viability of spermatozoa in their spermathecae. The sister queens reared by the grafting method were instrumentally inseminated with 8 μl fresh semen when they became 6 days old. One week after instrumental insemination, one batch of queens (2-week-old) was dissected for spermatozoa viability test. Another set of queens was introduced into production colonies in Langstroth hives after the onset of oviposition in the mating nuclei. The queens were maintained in production colonies for one year and two years until the dissection process for spermatozoa viability test. The viability of spermatozoa was measured by the dual staining method. We determined that the mean viability of spermatozoa in 2-week, 1-year and 2-year-old queens were 97.3%, 91.1% and 88.1%, respectively. The viability of spermatozoa in queens decreased with age, and the differences between the viability means were significant. However, we did not detect a steep decline in the viability of spermatozoa in queens (6% in one year and 9% in two years) in a wide range of timescale in contrast to previous reports. Furthermore, we found high viability of spermatozoa in the spermathecae of queens at the start of their lives and one- and two-years of age.

In this context, it is necessary to select and develop salt-tolerant genotypes that can grow in salty soils and have high yields, and formulate strategies which may enhance the plant survival under salinity stress. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an important biological hormone that provides resistance to abiotic stress conditions and can be secreted by plants. Melatonin concentration in plants varies depending on genotype, temperature and growth period. Increase in melatonin concentration is associated with increased SNAT and HIOMAT/ASMT enzyme activity. It plays an important role in gibberellic acid and abscisic acid biosynthesis during the germination and provides plant growth and development. Exogenous application of melatonin significantly alleviates chlorophyll degradation and stomatal closure caused by salt stress, improves photosynthesis and enhances plants' salt tolerance. Besides it significantly reduces the harmful effects of salinity by regulating plant physiology, improving plant morphology, photosynthesis and activities of antioxidant enzymes. The present review discusses the recent studies on the effect of melatonin on plant growth and physiology against salt stress that have important impacts on plant growth and development have been given according to the findings of various researches. It also highlights the mechanim/s of melatonin-induced salinity stress tolerance in plants.

Proper scheduling gave water to the crop at the right time in the right quantity to optimize production and minimize adverse environmental impact. Therefore, the objective of this study is to quantify the effects of irrigation regimes on yield and yield components of Maize in the Lake Tana basin during 2016-2018. CROPWAT 8.0 model was used to determine the crop water requirement. Almost all parameters were adopted the default value of CROPWAT 8.0. Field data including; field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP), initial soil moisture depletion (%), available water holding capacity (mm/meter), infiltration rates (mm/day), and local climate data were determined in the study area. The treatments were arranged in factorial combinations with five irrigation depths (50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of ETc) and two irrigation intervals (14 and 21 days) laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The result was analyzed using SAS 9 software and significant treatment means separated using least significant difference at 5%. The result showed that the interaction of irrigation depth and irrigation frequency has no significant effect on the average grain yield and water use efficiency of maize. At koga, the highest grain yield (7.3 t ha-1) and water use efficiency (0.9 kg m-3) obtained from 100% ETc. while, at Ribb the highest grain yield (10.97 t ha-1) and water use efficiency (1.9 kg m-3) obtained from 21 days irrigation interval. Therefore, for Koga and similar agro ecologies maize can irrigated with 562 mm net irrigation depth and 21-day irrigation interval and at Rib and similar agro ecologies maize can irrigated with 446.8 mm net irrigation depth and 21- days irrigation interval.