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In this study, ploidy levels were determined by stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis of plants polyploidised by the application of 0.05% colchicine to seedlings at the first true leaf stage. In the study of developing polyploid watermelon rootstocks, the survival rate of the plants was 77%, and the polyploidisation rates were 11% and 3% according to stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. According to the results of flow cytometry, 22 polyploid genotypes were determined. Auto- (12) and allotetraploids (10) of Citrullus genotypes were developed, and their plant growth performance was determined in hydroponic culture in comparison with diploids, commercial rootstocks (RS841, ‘Argentario’) and watermelon cultivar (‘Crimson Tide’). Putative tetraploids and their diploid controls were grown in hydroponic culture for 21 days, and their vegetative growth performances were determined. The results showed that the increases in plant biomass depending on polyploidisation were 100% in autotetraploids and 156% in allotetraploids as compared to diploid controls.

Excessive and unconscious use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in crop production causes deterioration of soil health, environmental pollution, and an increase in the population of pathogens and pests in the soil. There are many toxic and dangerous chemicals in agricultural ecosystems, and they get into plants, soil, groundwater, and food. As an alternative way to solve this problem, it is very important to use beneficial microorganisms, to use biological agents instead of chemicals in agriculture, and to promote the resistance to biotic and abiotic stress conditions and to increase the yield of plants. Microbial fertilizers, which are becoming increasingly widespread in plant production, are produced from formulations containing Bacillus megaterium, especially from Bacillus group bacteria. In this study, Bacillus megaterium, E-U2-1 (OL673801 EU. U21-NCBI accession code) strain carrying phytase, phosphatase, siderophore, and indole acetic acid encoding genes was used for the trials. A field trial was carried out with some vegetable species (pepper, eggplant, cucumber, watermelon, melon, and snake cucumber) with high economic value. In the study, 5 ml, 10 ml, and 15 ml of bacterial suspensions with 3x107 cfu were applied per plant from the soil. It was determined that it increased vegetative growth and shortened the flowering period in all species. The effect of the bacterial application on the important agronomic properties of vegetables was investigated, and it was determined that especially 10 ml and 15 ml applications had a positive effect on yield and quality parameters. A significant increase was recorded vegetatively, and while flowering was observed in the earlier period, it was determined that the number of flowers increased considerably. Accordingly, the fruit setting rate increased.

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to assess whether grafting with citroides rootstocks could improve the salt tolerance of cucumber. One cucumber cultivar (Mercur F1) was grafted onto six diploid and tetraploid (auto and allo) citroides genotypes and the commercial rootstocks Argentario and RS841. Plants were grown in hydroponic culture at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dS m−1 and salt at 6.0 dS m−1). Hydroponic salt stress led to a significant reduction in biomass growth of both grafted and nongrafted cucumbers. However, the plants least affected by salt stress were those grafted onto tetraploid citroides rootstocks. The leaf nutrient uptake of cucumber plants was significantly (p < 0.001) affected by salt, graft combination, and the salt × graft interaction. Ion leakage was significantly increased by salt application, and rootstock genotypic variation was significant. While the highest amount of proline was measured in plants grafted onto RS841 and N7T, the lowest amount of proline was determined in nongrafted control plants. Antioxidative enzyme activities were significantly affected by rootstocks under both control and salt-stress conditions. In this study, all graft combinations showed increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities with salt application, which differed according to rootstock genotypes. Tetraploid citroides cultivars have high rootstock potential for cucumber and their significant contribution to salt tolerance was closely associated with inducing physiological and biochemical responses of scions. These traits could be useful for the selection and breeding of salt-tolerant rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland, part of Springer Nature.

In this study, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) inbred lines were grafted onto different rootstock genotypes and tested under saline conditions. A hydroponic experiment was conducted in nutrient solution growth system in a growth chamber of Erciyes University, Agricultural Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. The experiment was conducted in spring 2017 growth season. Two pepper inbred lines (ERu-462 and ERu-1227) were grafted onto three different pepper rootstocks/genotypes (Scarface F1, 11B14, and Yaocali F1) and grown in 8 L pots filled with continuously aerated nutrient solution under saline conditions (8 dS m(-1)) with three replications. The growth chamber experiment was carried out to determine the effects of salt stress on plant growth, shoot and root dry weights, leaf area, photosynthesis, leaf total chlorophyll (a + b) and carotenoid content, proline content, glycine betaine content, leaf electrolyte leakage, leaf and root macro element concentration in grafted and non-grafted pepper plants. The results indicated that ERu-462 grafted on to Scarface and 11B14 rootstock genotypes were more tolerant to salinity than ERu-1227 in term of leaf chlorophyll (a + b) content and leaf carotenoid content, photosynthesis, and proline content. Though, higher shoot and root biomass, leaf area formation, root K+, Na+, Cl- contents were observed when ERu-1227 grafted on to Scarface and 11B14 rootstock genotypes. Strong rootstock promoted plant growth in pepper plant both under control and saline conditions and significant depression of plant biomass production under saline conditions was observed in both grafted and non-grafted plants. However, grafting onto vigorous rootstocks alleviated negative effects of salinity stress on pepper plants. Scarface and 11B14 were found more tolerant to salinity than non-grafted pepper plants and the other genotypes used as regard to investigated parameters.

To assess whether grafting could improve the nitrogen (N) efficiency of potato cultivars and to determine which physiological and morphological characteristics are predominantly contributing to N efficiency, a hydroponic experiment was conducted. Two contrasting potato cultivars (Agria: N-efficient and Van Gogh: N-inefficient) were grafted reciprocally onto each other. Grafted and non-grafted control plants were grown in a growth chamber for 42 days in 8 L pots filled with continuously aerated nutrient solution under two N rates (Low-N : 0.5 mM N and High-N : 3.0 mM N) by using a deep water culture (DWC) technique. The shoot and root fresh (FW) and dry (DW) weights, main stem length, number of leaves, total leaf area, photosynthetic activity of leaves, shoot and root N concentration, total N uptake, total root length and root volume of potato plants were significantly increased with increased N rate. The grafted plants produced significantly higher above ground biomass than non-grafted ones, indicating that N efficiency was significantly improved by the reciprocally grafting under low and high N rates. Non-grafted cv. Agria showed higher numbers of shoot and root FW and DW, total leaf area, intensity of photosynthesis net measurements, compared to non-grafted cv. Van Gogh under both N rates. In reciprocal grafting, the growth performance of cv. Agria slightly increased when it was grafted onto cv. Van Gogh, whereas a significant increase in crop growth performance was recorded when cv. Van Gogh was grafted onto cv. Agria. The N efficiency of non-grafted cv. Agria was closely associated with its vigorous root growth and active root system under both N conditions. Same root morphological characteristic could not be exhibited by the N-inefficient cv. Van Gogh. Our study suggested that root morphological characteristics are contributing more than shoot characteristics to N efficiency of potatoes. These traits could be useful characters to breed/select N-efficient potato rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

The pepper genetic resources, which is a widely produced and consumed vegetable in Turkey and the world, are faced with some threats arising from the environmental conditions and agricultural activities. Therefore, it is very important to protect pepper genetic resources and include them in breeding programs. During the production adventure of pepper in Turkey, pepper genotypes known by the name of the regions were developed in different regions such as Demre, Uşak, Karaisalı, and Arapkir pepper. One of them, Besni Pepper, is grown in and around Besni district of Adıyaman province and makes significant contributions to the regional economy. In this study, 26 pepper genotypes collected from the villages of Besni and Gölbaşı districts, and three control varieties were characterized according to 42 morphological traits. Pepper genotypes showed significant variation in terms of the characteristics considered. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to the investigated traits. The PCA analysis yielded 10 principal components explaining 86% of the total variation. The eigen values of 10 PC’s varied from 10,50 to 1,10. The first three PC’s explain 51,20% of the total variance. The variation between genotypes is mostly due to fruit characteristics such as fruit shape, fruit size, and blossom end shape. While the genotypes were divided into 4 groups in the cluster analysis, the pepper varieties used as control were separated from all genotypes and formed a separate group.

The aim of the study is to evaluate effectiveness of a rainwater harvesting technique with polyethylene film covered ridges (RHCR) on pumpkin seed production under rainfed conditions in Kayseri/Turkey. For this purpose, a two-year experiment, of which were consisted three covered ridge widths (R 1 = 0.5, R 2 = 0.7, and R 3 = 0.9 m) and a control treatment, was conducted. The experimental design was completely randomized plots in blocks with three replications. Significantly higher seed yields were obtained from R 2 and R 3 (202 and 208 kg ha -1 ) in first year and from R 2 (660 kg ha -1 ) in second year. Although excessive drought conditions were experienced during pumpkin growing period in those years, especially R 2 treatment resulted significantly higher yield. Higher plant density in R 1 and lower density in R 3 negatively affected seed yield especially in water scarce second year. In second year, leaf area, mean fruit weight, fruit yield, seed yield and 1000-seed weight were found higher than ones in first year because of application of nitrogen a whole at sowing. We concluded that RHCR with optimum plant density and proper covered ridge wide, and application whole nitrogen at sowing under rainfed conditions are effective ways to obtain higher pumpkin production in semiarid regions.

The goal of the present study was to determine whether grafting of watermelon on gourd rootstocks could improve alkalinity tolerance and to investigate the physiological and morphological response mechanisms of the grafted plants under different pH levels. The experiment was carried out in a climate chamber to investigate growth, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), leaf area, stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root length, electrolyte leakage, leaf mineral composition, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. Two watermelon cultivars (Crimson tide, CT, and Crisby) were grafted onto three commercial Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks under climate-chamber conditions (Strong tosa, ST, Ercole and Nun 9075). The grafted seedlings were transplanted onto 8 L continuously aerated pots containing nutrient solution with two different pH levels (8.5 and 6.5) and replicated three times. The results showed that in both grafted and non-grafted plants, there was a substantial reduction in shoot and root biomass production at high pH levels. At high pH level, the significantly highest leaf area, stem length, SPAD, concentration of P, Ca, S and Mn in leaf tissues were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Ercole’, whereas the significantly highest concentration of Fe in leaf tissues, shoot dry weight were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Nun 9075’. Moreover, at high pH, the significantly highest concentration of Mg and Cu in shoot under high pH levels was significantly found in graft combination of ‘CT/ST’. These results suggest that the use of interspecific Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks can improve crop performance in watermelon plants under alkaline conditions.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the rootstock effects on the fruit and seed yield and leaf nutrient contents of pepper, four pepper inbred lines (ER? 1227 and ER? 462: Long fruited green pepper type; 21 H-1-2 and 33 H-3-1: Bell shaped pepper type) were grafted onto two pepper rootstock genotypes (46 KB F1 and Scarface F1). The non-grafted scion genotypes were used as control plants. Between grafted and non-grafted plants significant (p

Bu çalışmada, Türk sukabakları genetik kaynaklarından örnek bir grubun bazı tohum ve meyveözelikleri ile tohum verimi belirlenmiştir. Her genotipten 10 fide 3,0 *0,5 maralıklar açık atarla koşullarına dikilmiştir. Toprak hazırlığı döneminde 10 kgN da-1, 10 kg P2O5 da-1 ve 10 kg K2Oda-1 olacak şekilde gübre verilmiştir. Meyve çapı, meyve uzunluğu,meyve tohum verimi, 100 tohum ağırlığı, tohum genişliği , tohum uzunluğu ve tohum kalınlığı üç tekerrürlü olarak 5 meyvedebelirlenmiştir. Meyve uzunluğu 1.15 ile 134.2 cm arasında değişirken, meyveçapı 2 ile 6 cm arasında değişmiştir. En yüksektohum verimi 153.85 g meyve-1 ile LS31-09 genotipinden alınırken, endüşük tohum verimi 2.53 g meyve-1 ile LS01-18 genotipindebelirlenmiştir. Genotipik varyasyonun önemli olduğu 100 tohum ağırlığı 3.7 gile 28.1 g arasında değişimi ve ortalama 100 tohum ağırlığı 20.1 golmuştur. Meyve çapı meyve başına tohumverimi, 100 tohum ağırlığı ve tohum uzunluğu ile pozitif korelasyongöstermiştir. 100 tohumağırlığı meyve tohum verimi, tohum eni ve tohum indexi ile pozitif korelasyongösteriken, tohum uzunluğu ve 100 tohum ağırlığı arasında güçlü pozitifkorelasyon tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışma, Türk su kabağı genetik kaynaklarının yüksektohum verimli genotiplere sahip olduğunu göstermiştir., In this study, some fruitand seed characteristics and seed yield of a 22 genotypes of Turkish Lagenaria siceraria germplasm weredetermined. Ten seedlings from each genotype were transplanted with 3.0 m*0.5 mspacing to open field. 10 kg N da-1, 10 kg P2O5da-1 and 10 kg K2O da-1 fertilizers were addedto the soil during soil preparation. Fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit seedyield, 100 seed weight, seed width, seed length and seed thickness were determined in three replication with fivefruits. While the fruit length was between 134.2 and 1.15 cm, the fruitdiameter varied between 2.34 and 9.42 cm. LS31-09 produced the highest seed yield with 153.85 g fruit-1,and the lowest seed yield was obtained from LS01-18 with 2.53 g fruit-1.Genotypic variation was significant in 100 seed weight, and the 100 seedsweight with a mean of 20.1 g ranged from 3.7 g to 28.1 g. The fruit diameter was positively correlated with theseed yield per fruit, seed length and 100 seed weight. Overall, 100 seed weightwas positively correlated with fruit seed yield, seed width and seed index, anda strong positive correlation between 100 seed weight and seed length. This studyshowed that Turkish bottle germplasmhave high seed yield genotypes..

A hydroponic experiment was conducted between April and May in 2018 by using an aerated Deep Water Culture (DWC) technique in a controlled growth chamber of Erciyes University, Agricultural Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. To evaluate contribution of roots for growth and physiology a commercial watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] cultivar (Crimson Tide F1) was grafted onto two different bottle gourd (Lageneria siceraria) genotypes (39-01 and 47-02) and one commercial rootstock genotype (Argenterio) by using two propagation techniques (unrooted or rooted seedlings). Plants were grown in 8 L pots filled continuously aerated nutrient solution, in Randomized Block Design with 4 replications for 6 weeks. Results indicated that shoot and root fresh (FW) and dry (DW) weights, main stem length, total leaf area, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD), photosynthetic activity of leaves of watermelon were significantly (P

Bu calismada, su kabagi anaclarinin karpuzun bitki besin elementi alimina ve azot kullanim etkinligine etkileri arastirilmistir. Kalem olarak kullanilan Crimson Tide karpuz [C itrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Mats. & Nak.] cesidi birisi koy cesidi (Birecik) ve dordu su kabagi ( Lagenaria siceraria ) melezi (Skopje, Emphasis, 216 and FRGold) olan anaclar uzerine asilanmistir. Asisiz Crimson Tide karpuz cesidi kontrol olarak kullanilmistir. Bitkiler dis kosullar uygun oluncaya kadar alcak plastik tunel altinda yetistirilmistir. Bitkiler 18 kg N da -1 , 20 kg P 2 O 5 da -1 ve 18 kg K 2 O da -1 olacak sekilde gubrelenmis, mikro element gubrelemesi yapilmamistir. Fosforun tamami taban gubresi olarak verilirken, N ve K uc esit parcaya bolunmustur. N ve K’ un ilk kismi taban gubresi olarak verilmis, ikinci kismi dikimden 20 sonra, ucuncu kisim ise dikimden 40 gun sonra verilmistir. Deneme tesaduf bloklari deneme desenine gore dort yinelemeli ve her yinelemede 15 bitki olacak sekilde kurulmustur. Bitkiler 200 x 50 cm mesafelerle dikilmis ve damla sulama yontemiyle sulanmistir. Bitki besin elementi analizleri surgun ucundan sonra tam gelismis yedi ve sekizinci yapraklarda yapilmistir. Asili ve asisiz bitkilerin yapraklarindaki N, P, K ve Ca acisindan bir fark bulunmazken, Mg icerikleri onemli farkliliklar gostermistir. Butun asili bitkiler asisiz bitkilerden daha fazla Fe icerigine sahip olurken, Cu ve Zn konsantrasyonlari anaca bagli olarak farklilik gostermistir. Asili bitkiler daha yuksek azot kullanim etkinligi ve verim degerlerine sahip olmuslardir. Bu calismada kullanilan anaclarin bitki besin elementi alimini tesvik ettigi, bitkisel gelisimi ve verimi artirdigi tespit edilmistir.

This study was conducted to determine the response of Salvia tomentosa Mill. and Salvia officinalis L. to different salinity levels. The salvia plants were grown in 8 L pots filled with the continuously aerated nutrient solution under different salt levels 1 (control), 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 dS m-1 in fully automated climate chambers. The fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, stem length, leaf area, SPAD, CO2 fixation, root length, root diameter, root volume, leaf Na+, K+, Ca++ Cl- content, and amount of essential oil were determined. The increasing salt level decreased significantly plant growth of both Salvia species. However, highly significant differences were found between two Salvia species in terms of shoot and root biomass. Generally, S. tomentosa showed better plant growth performance in plant growth compared to S. officinalis. The Na+ and Cl- content of the leaves significantly increased with increasing salt concentration and the increase was higher in S. tomentosa. The amount of K+ in the leaves decreased due to the increasing salt concentration, while the amount of Ca++ varied depending on the dose. The study showed that the essential oil contents of the sage leaves could be increased with the moderate salt application. The increase in essential oil due to salt stress was higher in S. officinalis. The results showed that Salvia species can be cultivated in low and medium saline soils, second class waters can be used for irrigation of sages and essential oil yield of sages can be increased by using salt stress., Bu çalışmada, Salvia officinalis L. ve S. tomentosa Mill. türlerinin farklı tuz seviyelerine tepkisi belirlenmiştir. Ada çayı bitkileri iklim odasında, su kültüründe altı farklı tuz stresinde [1 (kontrol), 2, 3, 4, 5 ve 6 dS m-1] yetiştirilmişlerdir. Bitki organları taze ve kuru ağırlıkları, gövde uzunluğu, yaprak alanı, SPAD, CO2 asimilasyonu, kök uzunluğu, kök hacmi, kök kalınlığı, yaprak Na+, K+, Ca++ Cl- içerikleri ve esansiyel yağ asidi miktarı belirlenmiştir. Aratan tuz seviyesi iki adaçayı türünü de bitki gelişimi açısından önemli derecede etkilemiştir. Ancak, türler arasında biyomas gelişimi açısından önemli farklılıklar olmuştur. Genellikle, S. tomentosa türü S. officinalis’e göre daha iyi performans göstermiştir. Artan tuz stresi ile birlikte yaprakların Na+ ve Cl- içeriği artmış ve artış S. tometosa’da daha yüksek olmuştur. Yaprakların K+ içeriği tuz stresi ile birlikte sürekli azalırken, Ca+ içeriği tuz dozlarına karşı farklı tepkiler vermiştir. Çalışma, tuz stresi ile esansiyel yağ asitlerinin miktarının arttırılabileceğini göstermiştir. Yağ miktarındaki oransal artış S. officinalis’te daha yüksek olmuştur. Sonuçlar, Salvia türlerinin düşük ve orta tuzlu topraklarda yetiştirilebileceğini, adaçayını sulamak için ikinci sınıf suların kullanılabileceğini ve adaçayı esansiyel yağ veriminin tuz stresi kullanılarak arttırılabileceğini göstermiştir.

In this study, 36 different ornamental pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. var. ovifera (L.) Alef.) genotypes were analyzed in terms of detailed morphological parameters, molecular properties, and some nutritional features. In this regard, high morphological diversity among the genotypes was observed in terms of plant, leaf and fruit characteristics. Molecular results showed that the genotype which is farthest from the other genotypes of 55% of the difference was determined and fourteen ISSR primers produced, on average, 121 bands in the accessions examined, of which 88 (73%) were polymorphic and Jaccard's similarity coefficient ranged from 0.45 to 0.96. Nutritional analysis showed that C. pepo var. ovifera seeds are rich in potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) with the concentrations of 8490-21,798 mg/kg and 13,902-28,686 mg/kg, respectively. It was also determined that the pumpkin seed oils had alpha and gamma tocopherols and no beta-tocopherols. All samples had beta-carotene with the range of 19.63-150.88 mg/kg oil.

Bitter melon or bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) of the Cucurbitaceae family is valuable plant for their nutritive and medicinal properties. In this study, molecular, morphological and some biochemical properties of 12 bitter gourd genotypes from different parts of Turkey were determined. Considerable morphological variation among the genotypes was observed for fruit properties such as fruit length (9.33 to 14.33 cm) and time for maturity (late June to late September). For molecular caharacterization fifteen ISSR primers were produced, on average, 113 bands in the accessions were examined and 59 (52%) of them were detected as to be polymorphic, which resulted in a Jaccard’s similarity range from 0.80 to 0.98. According to biocehmical analyses, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and eleostearic acids were detected as the major fatty acids in the studied bitter gourd seeds. Eleostearic acid had the highest proportion among the fatty acids (42.66-61.99%). The bitter gourd genotypes showed different fractions of vitamin E. G1 contained alpha, gamma and delta tocopherol, while G2, G18, G19 and G24 contained only gamma and delta tocopherols. Beta carotene was also present in all genotypes and the ratio was between 56.57 and 116.75 mg/kg. In addition, the genotypes were evaluated for their mineral composition and phosphorus was the major mineral for the genotypes and only sodium was not observed in all genotypes among the studied minerals. This study provided useful information for nutritional perspective of bitter melon and also breeding studies.

Bu çalışmada, Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) bitkisinin ülkemizin farklı yerlerinden toplanmış 13 farklı genotipine ait ham ve olgun meyveler kullanılmıştır. Genotipler, saflaştırmak için iki yıl süreyle arazide kendileme çalışmalarına devam edilerek F3 kademesine getirilmiştir. Farklı genotiplerin ham ve olgun meyvelerinin pulp kısımları ayrılarak, bu kısımlardan Sokslet ekstraksiyonu ile %70’lik metanol ekstreleri hazırlanmıştır. Ekstrelerin 2,2-difenil-1-pikrihidrazil (DPPH•) radikali süpürücü etkileri ve toplam fenolik madde içerikleri tespit edilmiştir. Sonuçta M. charantia meyveleri için 3, 8 ve 9 nolu genotiplerin ümitvar oldukları tespit edilmiştir.

Forty-four V. dahliae isolates were collected from symptomatic vascular tissues of okra plants each from a different field in eight provinces located in the eastern Mediterranean and western Anatolia regions of Turkey during 20062009. Nitrate-nonutilizing (nit) mutants of V. dahliae from okra were used to determine heterokaryosis and genetic relatedness among isolates. All isolates from okra plants were grouped into two vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) (1 and 2) and three subgroups as 1A (13.6%, 6/44), 2A (20.5%, 9/44) and 2B (65.9%, 29/44) according to international criteria. Pathogenicity tests were performed on a susceptible local okra (A. esculentus) landrace in greenhouse conditions. All isolates from VCG1A and VCG2B induced defoliation (D) and partial defoliation (PD) symptoms, respectively. Other isolates from VCG2A gave rise to typical leaf chlorosis symptoms without defoliation. The obtained data showed that the virulence level of V. dahliae isolates from okra was related to their VCG belongings. Eighteen okra landraces from diverse geographical origins were screened for resistance to VCG2B and VCG1A of V. dahliae. The results indicated that all landraces were more susceptible to highly virulent VCG1A-D pathotype displaying D or PD symptoms depending on their susceptibility levels with a mean disease severity index of 3.52 than to less virulent VCG2B-PD pathotype of V dahliae displaying PD and ND symptoms with a mean disease severity index of 2.52. Significant differences were observed among the landraces; however, none of them exhibited a level of resistance. Okra landraces; corum, Hatay Has and Sanhurfa displayed the lowest level of susceptibility or little tolerance to both D and PD pathotypes. VCG2B of PD was prevailing in the surveyed areas and VCG1A of D was the most virulent of the VCGs identified. Introduction of resistant genotypes to Turkish okra germplasm from different sources and breeding new resistant okra cultivars are critical for the sustainability of okra production.

In this study, two hydroponic experiments were conducted in nutrient solution growth system. Experiments were conducted in growth chamber of Erciyes University, Agricultural Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. In the first experiment, 10 local Turkish bottle gourd genotypes and two commercial watermelon cultivars were screened under 2 N doses (0.3 mM and 3.0 mM N) in RBD design with three replications for six weeks. In the second experiment, four genotypes (N-efficient: 70-07 and 07-45, N-inefficient: 35-10 and 45-07) were selected and used as rootstock for grafting with N-inefficient watermelon cultivar (Crimson Sweet) under 2 N doses. The grafted N-efficient gourd genotypes (07-45 and 70-07) significantly contributed to growth and biomass production of the N-inefficient watermelon plants as compared to non-grafted control plants and thus showed a higher rootstock potential for watermelon. The N-efficiency of some gourd genotypes was associated with vigor root growth and active root system particularly at low N conditions. These traits could be useful characters to select &lsquo, N-efficient&rsquo, bottle gourd rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

In this study,rootstock effects of bottle gourds on nutrient uptake and nitrogen useefficiency of watermelon were investigated. Watermelon seedlings were graftedonto Birecik, Skopje, Emphasis, 216 and FRGold. Non-grafted plants were used ascontrol. The seedlings were transplanted and kept under plastic tunnel untilclimatic conditions were suitable for watermelon cultivation. Experimental areawas amended with doses of 18 kg N da-1,20 kg P2O5da-1 and 18 kg K2O da-1based on soil analysis. No micro-nutrientfertilizer was applied. While total P and 1/3 of N and K were applied as basefertilizer before transplanting, the second and third portions of the N and Kwere applied 20 and 40 days after transplanting, respectively. The experimentplanned as a completely randomized block design and repeated four times, eachreplication has 15 plants. The seedlings were transplanted with 200 x 50 cm spacing. Macro andmicro-nutrient contents were analyzed in fully grown seventh and eighth leavesfrom soot tips. While N, P, K and Ca contents of the leaves did not showsignificant differences between graft combinations and control plants, Mg concentrationwas significantly affected by rootstocks. All graft combinations had higher Feconcentration in the leaf than non-grafted plants. Cu and Zn concentrationsshowed significant variation based on rootstock. Higher nitrogen use efficiency(ton yield kg N-1) was recorded in all graft combinations ascompared to controls. Bottle gourd rootstocks used in this study enhanced thenutrient uptake, plant growth and total fruit yield., Bu çalışmada, su kabağı anaçlarının karpuzunbitki besin elementi alımına ve azot kullanım etkinliğine etkileriaraştırılmıştır. Kalem olarak kullanılan Crimson Tide karpuz [Citrulluslanatus (Thunb.) Mats. & Nak.] çeşidi birisi köy çeşidi (Birecik) vedördü su kabağı (Lagenaria siceraria) melezi (Skopje, Emphasis, 216 and FRGold) olan anaçlar üzerineaşılanmıştır. Aşısız Crimson Tide karpuz çeşidi kontrol olarak kullanılmıştır.Bitkiler dış koşullar uygun oluncaya kadar alçak plastik tünel altındayetiştirilmiştir. Bitkiler 18 kg N da-1, 20 kg P2O5da-1 ve 18 kgK2O da-1 olacak şekilde gübrelenmiş, mikro elementgübrelemesi yapılmamıştır. Fosforun tamamı taban gübresi olarak verilirken, Nve K üç eşit parçaya bölünmüştür. N ve K’ un ilk kısmı taban gübresi olarakverilmiş, ikinci kısmı dikimden 20 sonra, üçüncü kısım ise dikimden 40 günsonra verilmiştir. Deneme tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre dört yinelemelive her yinelemede 15 bitki olacak şekilde kurulmuştur. Bitkiler 200 x 50 cmmesafelerle dikilmiş ve damla sulama yöntemiyle sulanmıştır. Bitki besinelementi analizleri sürgün ucundan sonra tam gelişmiş yedi ve sekizinciyapraklarda yapılmıştır. Aşılı ve aşısız bitkilerin yapraklarındaki N, P, K veCa açısından bir fark bulunmazken, Mg içerikleri önemli farklılıklargöstermiştir. Bütün aşılı bitkiler aşısız bitkilerden daha fazla Fe içeriğinesahip olurken, Cu ve Zn konsantrasyonları anaca bağlı olarak farklılıkgöstermiştir. Aşılı bitkiler daha yüksek azot kullanım etkinliği ve verimdeğerlerine sahip olmuşlardır. Bu çalışmada kullanılan anaçların bitki besinelementi alımını teşvik ettiği, bitkisel gelişimi ve verimi artırdığı tespitedilmiştir.

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to assess whether grafting with Cucurbita rootstocks could improve the salt tolerance of melon scions and to determine the physiological, biochemical, and nutritional responses induced by the rootstocks under salt stress. Two melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars (Citirex and Altinbas) were grafted onto two commercial Cucurbita rootstocks (Kardosa and Nun9075). Plants were grown in aerated nutrient solution under deep water culture (DWC) at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dS m&minus, 1 and salt at 8.0 dS m&minus, 1). Hydroponic salt stress led to a significant reduction in shoot and root growths, leaf area, photosynthetic activity, and leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of both grafted and nongrafted melons. Susceptible plants responded to salt stress by increasing leaf proline and malondialdehyde (MDA), ion leakage, and leaf Na+ and Cl&minus, contents. Statistically significant negative correlations existed between shoot dry biomass production and leaf proline (r = &minus, 0.89), leaf MDA (r = &minus, 0.85), leaf Na+ (r = &minus, 0.90), and leaf (r = 0.63) and root (r = &minus, 0.90) ion leakages under salt stress. Nongrafted Citirex tended to be more sensitive to salt stress than Altinbas. The Cucurbita rootstocks (Nun9075 and Kardosa) significantly improved growth and biomass production of grafted melons (scions) by inducing physiological (high leaf area and photosynthesis), biochemical (low leaf proline and MDA), and nutritional (low leaf Na+ and ion leakage and high K+ and Ca++ contents) responses under salt stress. The highest growth performance was exhibited by the Citirex/Nun9075 and Citirex/Kardosa graft combinations. Both Cucurbita cultivars have high rootstock potential for melon, and their significant contributions to salt tolerance were closely associated with inducing physiological and biochemical responses of scions. These traits could be useful for the selection and breeding of salt-tolerant rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

The aim of the present study was to find out whether grafting could improve salinity tolerance of melon plants, and whether possible induction of tolerance to salinity was linked with the defense of the photosynthetic apparatus. The climate chamber experiment was carried out to determine main stem length, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD), fresh weight of shoot and root, and root length. Under climate chamber conditions, two melon cultivars [galia type Citirex F1) and standard type (Kirkagac Manisa Altinbas)] were grafted onto two different commercial Cucurbita maxima x C. moschata hybrid rootstocks (Kardosa and Nun 9075) and grown in 8 L pots filled continuously with aerated nutrient solution under two different salt levels (1 and 8 dS/m) with three replications. The results indicated that grafted and un-grafted plants were significantly (P, The aim of the present study was to find out whether grafting could improve salinity tolerance ofmelon plants, and whether possible induction of tolerance to salinity was linked with the defense ofthe photosynthetic apparatus. The climate chamber experiment was carried out to determine mainstem length, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD), fresh weight of shoot and root, and root length. Underclimate chamber conditions, two melon cultivars [galia type Citirex F1) and standard type (KirkagacManisa Altinbas)] were grafted onto two different commercial Cucurbita maxima x C. moschatahybrid rootstocks (Kardosa and Nun 9075) and grown in 8 L pots filled continuously with aeratednutrient solution under two different salt levels (1 and 8 dS/m) with three replications. The resultsindicated that grafted and un-grafted plants were significantly (Plevels. Grafted plants had better growth performance than un-grafted plants under both control andsaline conditions. The SPAD value of the un-grafted plants significantly decreased as salinity stressincreased, while root fresh weight of the grafted plants significantly increased under salinity stress.Under saline conditions the highest shoot fresh weight, and SPAD value were recorded in graftcombination Nun 9075/ Citirex. These results suggest that the use of salt tolerant Cucurbita maximax C. moschata hybrid rootstocks can improve crop performance in melon under salt stress, whereasthe appropriate scion/ rootstock combinations under saline conditions will be investigated for fruityield and quality parameters in further studies.

Genetic studies of watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] sampled from Turkey, the second leading producer, may provide valuable information for breeding and research programs. The objectives of this study were to estimate the level of genetic diversity, population structure, and optimum genome sampling size among the Turkish and several introduced watermelons. From the collection, 256 watermelon lines representing all watermelon-growing areas of Turkey along with two accessions of a related genus (Praecitrullus fistulosus (Stocks) Pangalo) and a few popular cultivars were genotyped using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Twenty-seven primers generated 210 molecular markers for genetic analyses. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average analysis produced no clear-cut pattern, while principal component analysis indicated three subgroups among the lines studied. They had a narrow genetic base within C. lanatus var. lanatus and were mostly distinguished from each other. Model-based structure analysis indicated that the number of subpopulations in watermelons was four. Among the 258 lines, only 20% (51 lines) had 0.80 or greater membership coefficients to one subpopulation, and therefore were not admixed. The remaining 207 were admixed by at least two subpopulations. The similarity matrix of genome sampling size of 40 randomly selected markers was highly correlated (r = 0.915) with the matrix of simple matching coefficients based on 100 markers, implying that 40 markers were detected to be sufficient for this species. Overall, this study concluded that the majority of the Turkish watermelons were distinguished from each other, difficult to classify, and admixed, with narrow genetic variation.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L) is an important cut flower and cover plant grown worldwide because of their attractive flowers and long flowering duration. In this context, morphological and molecular characterization was carried out among 20 different accessions (17 local genotypes and 3 commercial cultivars) sampled from Kayseri region, where it is naturally found. The genotypes were evaluated for 15 different morphological characteristics such as leaf blade, flower, plant and time of flowering. Despite the commercial type has higher value (40 mm) than local genotypes for flower length, some local genotypes in terms have wider (11 mm) flower than commercial cultivar. Some local genotypes had higher plant heights than the commercial variety. The minimum value of the leaf length was measured at the number 19 (28 mm), while the maximum value was found at the number 4 (77 mm) in local genotypes. Inter-simple sequence repeat marker analysis (ISSR) indicated that the similarity coefficients were between 0.55 and 0.95. The cluster analysis divided the samples into two main branches. All local genotypes were clustered together in the first subgroup, while the second subgroup included the commercial variety alone. In conclusion, the local snapdragon genotypes were significantly different from the popular commercial cultivar, meaning that they can be used for broadening genetic background of the commercial varieties.

Ornamental pumpkin is affiliated to Cucurbitaceae family and included within Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera botanical class. They are commonly grown for ornamental uses and known as a group of hard-shelled, colorful, and odd shaped fruits. In this study, some morphological properties of 38 ornamental pumpkin seeds from different cities in Turkey were determined. And also, oil content and fatty acid composition of the seeds were characterized. Oil contents of seeds were determined in the range of 19-41% and palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids were detected as the major fatty acids in the samples. Linoleic acid had the highest level among the determined fatty acids (similar to 42-66%). Besides, principal component analysis was performed to characterize and classify the pumpkin seeds depending on the fatty acid composition and fruit morphological properties. Two principal components were obtained from the chemometric analysis and they were found to be explanatory of more than 87.02% of the total variability in the data set for fatty acids. In addition, significant correlations were found between some morphological properties and oil content (P < 0.05). This study is the first report on the oil content and fatty acid composition of ornamental pumpkin seeds belonging to the different genotypes.

Plant peroxidases are a family of stress-related proteins possessing highly conserved domains, which previously allowed to develop peroxidase gene polymorphism (POGP) markers. Diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) based on POGP markers among 256 watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] genotypes along with two outgroups were evaluated by using 14 peroxidase gene-specific primers and several statistical procedures. Ratio of polymorphism of POGP markers was high (98%). The unweighted pair-group method arithmetic average (UPGMA), neighbor-joining (NJ) and principle component analysis (PCA) indicated low level of genetic diversity and few geography-based clustering among the watermelon accessions. Substructuring Bayesian analysis revealed that there were three subpopulations among 258 watermelons. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 54% of the molecular variation resided within subpopulations, 39% within geographic origins and 7% among subpopulations. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis indicated presence of LD among POGP loci. Overall, this study concluded that LD existed despite that it was variable among subpopulations, association studies were possible among watermelons, and substructuring analysis was efficient in analyzing population structure among watermelons. This study also indicated that the POGP markers would be useful for clarifying genetic parameters such as population structure and relationships among watermelons. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Black watermelon bug, Coridius viduatus (F.) (Heteroptera: Dinidoridae) is one of the most important pest of watermelon in many of African countries. This species is known to be present in Turkey. Although several studies on this species have been done in countries where it is present, it was not sufficiently studied in Turkey. This pest was observed first time on squirting cucumber [Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Richard (Cucurbitaceae)] in Hatay province in 2004. This plant species is the natural host of several viruses creates significant problems in cucurbit plants in the Mediterranean basin. The studies were conducted in both laboratoryand natural conditions in 2007 and 2008. Biological stages of the pest was investigated and determined. Furthermore, damage of the pest on four different cucurbit species [watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Matsum. and Nakai), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), squirting cucumber (E. elaterium) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Stadl.)] was investigated. In these studies, it was observed that the pest was able to complete its life cycle when only squirting cucumber and watermelon were used as food sources.

The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the peel and flesh of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivar 'Cengelkoy' grafted onto different bottle gourd rootstocks, as VOCs play an essential role in fruit quality. Three genotypes of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria; '33-35', '33-41' and '46-03') were chosen as being representative of Turkish bottle gourd germplasm. The VOCs in each rootstock-scion combination were analysed using carboxen-divinylbenzene-polydimethylsiloxane fibres for solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs (Z)-6-nonenol (21.4 - 28.6%), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienol (3.2 - 13.0%), (E,Z)-3,6-nonadienol (1.9 - 7.1%), 1-nonanol (4.9 - 7.2%), (E)-2-nonenal (3.9 - 6.6%), (E,Z)-2,4-heptadienal (5.7 - 6.9%), (Z)-6-nonenal (3.6 - 5.4%), (E)-2-hexenal (0.9 - 4.4%), (E,E)-3,5-octadien-2-one (3.2 - 3.5%), and hexanal (1.9 - 3.6%) were the most abundant compounds found in cucumber peel. Grafting had a significant (P, The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the peel and flesh of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivar ‘Çengelköy’ grafted onto different bottle gourd rootstocks, as VOCs play an essential role in fruit quality. Three genotypes of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria; ‘33-35’, ‘33-41’ and ‘46-03’) were chosen as being representative of Turkish bottle gourd germplasm. The VOCs in each rootstock-scion combination were analysed using carboxen-divinylbenzene-polydimethylsiloxane fibres for solid-phase microextraction(SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The VOCs (Z)-6-nonenol (21.4 – 28.6%), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienol (3.2 – 13.0%), (E,Z)-3,6-nonadienol (1.9 – 7.1%), 1-nonanol (4.9 – 7.2%), (E)-2-nonenal (3.9 –6.6%), (E,Z)-2,4-heptadienal (5.7 – 6.9%), (Z)-6-nonenal (3.6 – 5.4%), (E)-2-hexenal (0.9 – 4.4%), (E,E)-3,5-octadien- 2-one (3.2 – 3.5%), and hexanal (1.9 – 3.6%) were the most abundant compounds found in cucumber peel. Graftinghad a significant (P ? 0.05) effect on the percentage composition of the major VOCs in peel. (E,Z)-2,6-Nonadienal (34.3 – 41.5%), (E)-2-nonenal (15.5 – 19.9%), (Z)-6-nonenal (5.9 - 8.0%), (Z,Z)-3,6-nonadienol (2.6 – 8.4%), (Z)-6- nonenol (2.7 – 7.9%), 3-decyne (2.1 – 3.4%), and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienol (1.9 – 5.7%) were the most significant volatilesin cucumber flesh. Of these compounds, (E,Z)-2,4-heptadienal, (E,E)-3,5-octadien-2-one, and 3-decyne were identified as cucumber VOCs for the first time. The results showed that the percentage composition of VOCs in the peel and flesh of cucumbers grafted onto bottle gourd ‘33-41’ were closest to those in ungrafted control cucumber,‘Çengelköy’.Therefore,Turkish bottle gourd genotype ‘33-41’ has high potential as a rootstock for cucumer grafting

Developing more efficient tools for watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) breeding programs may greatly contribute to genetic improvement. The aims of this study were to investigate genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), and to develop regression models for some important watermelon traits such as yield, fruit weight, flesh color, total soluble solid, seed coat color, seed length and flowering time using 96 lines selected from 258 pure lines. An initial analysis was conducted to reduce sample size to 96 in order to avoid identical, highly similar and distant relatives causing low level of polymorphism and rare alleles. These 96 lines were morphologically and genetically characterized for several morphological characters under the eastern Mediterranean conditions, Adana, Turkey and PCR-based molecular markers. Associated markers were estimated by TASSEL program based on general linear model and a regression model because each trait was established through backward regression procedure nested in the SAS program. Levels of variation explained by regression models were 41% with 6 markers for flesh color, 22% with 2 markers for fruit weight, 48% with 5 markers for total soluble solids, 21% with 6 markers for seed size, 9% with 4 markers for fruit flesh firmness, 39% with 6 markers for 50% flowering time. This first report of GWAS for the selected characteristics of watermelon indicated a great potential to increase the efficiency of breeding programs. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. Erciyes Üniversitesi: FBY-12-3838 110O104 This study was financially supported by the section of Scientific Research Unit of Erciyes University [ FBY-12-3838 ], and Turkish Scientific Council [ 110O104 ]. Some of the plant materials were kindly provided by Aegean Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), USDA-USA, INRA-France and Dr. Csaba ZSAMOSI, Budapest Corvinus University.

Bitkisel üretimde aşılama yeni bir teknoloji olmayıp, tarihçesi çok eskiye dayanmaktadır. Aşılamanın tarihsel yazıtlarda M.Ö. 1500`lü yıllarda uzakdoğuda ağaçlar üzerinde yapıldığı ve bunu sanatsal anlamda kullandıkları bilinmektedir. Sebzelerde ilk olarak aşılama Kore ve Japonya`da 1920`li yıllarda karpuzun (Citrullus lanatus) su kabağı (Lagenaria siceraria) anacı üzerine Fusarium solgunluğuna karşı yapılmasıyla başlamış ve başarılı sonuçlar elde edilmistir. Ayrıca monokültürün yapıldığı, sürekli üretim yapmak zorunda olan Kore ve Japonya gibi uzakdoğu ülkelerinde yaygın olarak kullanılmıştır. Bu ve bunun gibi birçok avantajdan dolayı aşılı fide kullanımı dünyada birçok ülkede sebzecilikte yaygın hale gelmiştir. Bu derlemede; sebzelerde aşılamanın tarihçesi, tarihsel gelişim süreçlerinin dünyada ve ükemizdeki durumu ile aşılı fide üretimindeki gelişmeler, aşılamanın avantaj ve dezavantajları, sebzelerde aşılama masraflarını azaltabilmek için aşılamada kullanılan robotların tarihçesi, tarihsel gelişim süreçleri ve aşı robotları üzerinde yapılan çalışmalar ayrıntılı olarak ortaya konulmuştur., Since grafting is not a new technology, the origins of grafting do not known. It is a unique horticultural technology and practiced during the earlier years in many parts of the world. It has been stated in many historical book that grafting was done on trees during B.C. 1500 in Asian countries. Growing grafted vegetables was first launched in Japan and Korea in the late 1920s by grafting watermelons to gourd rootstock to overcome Fusarium wilt. It is used in Japan and Korea to overcome issues associated with intensive cultivation using limited arable land. With many advantages of grafting, it is spread all over the world and used in vegetable propagation. In this paper, history of grafting, historical development and current status of vegetable grafting in the world and in Turkey, use of vegetable grafted seedlings, advantage and disadvantage of grafting, history of vegetable grafting robots and the development of vegetable grafting robots were deeply studied.Keywords: Grafting, rootstock, scion, vegetable grafting robot.* e

The aim of the present study was to determine alkalinity tolerance of gourd rootstocks grafted with melon and to examine physiological and morphological response of the grafted plants under different pH levels. The climate chamber experiment was carried out to determine main stem length, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), branching number, shoot and root fresh mass, as well as root length. Under climate chamber conditions, two melon cultivars [Galia type (citirex F-1) and Kirkagac Manisa Altmbas type (PI-169303 open pollinated)] were grafted onto two different commercial Cucurbita maxima x C. moschata hybrid rootstocks (Kardosa and Nun 9075) and grown in 8L pots filled continuously with aerated nutrient solution under two different pH levels (7 and 9) with three replications. The results indicated that grafted and ungrafted plants were significantly (P

The watermelon cultivar ‘Crimson Tide’ was grafted onto three different rootstocks and grown under saline conditions to investigate effects of salinity on grafted and non-grafted watermelon. One Cucurbita maxima and 2 Lagenarai siceraria landraces (Skp and Brecik) were used as rootstock. Plants were irrigated with two different saline solutions [0.5 (control) and 8.0 dS m−1] by two days interval at the first 15 days of experiment and one day interval at the last 15 days of experiment. The experimental design was randomized block. Each treatment was replicated three times with three plants. Grafted plants had higher plant growth parameter than non-grafted plant under saline conditions. Reduction in shoot dry weight was 41% in non-grafted plants while it was varied from 22% to 0.8% in grafted plants under saline conditions. Accumulation of sodium (Na+) was higher in non-grafted plants than grafted one. Calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++) concentration were higher in all grafted plants than non-grafted plant...

The uptake of phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N) and some growth parameters of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai] cultivar 'Crimson Tide', grafted on gourd rootstock (Lagenaria siceraria) landraces and Cucurbita maxima, grown under five different saline conditions for 30 days were investigated. Salinity stress was induced by continuous irrigation with saline water having electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.5, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dS/m. Grafted watermelons showed better growth performance than non-grafted ones. Nutrient uptake was significantly affected by rootstocks and salinity levels. Salinity stress has resulted in an increase in P content of shoots as much as two fold. Total N uptake by shoots of both non-grafted and grafted watermelon on gourds gradually decreased above 8 dS/m salinity. This investigation showed that grafted plants had a better performance than the non-grafted watermelon cultivar. Therefore, gourds, especially those of Lagenaria type, may be used as a rootstock for watermelon under saline conditions.

Systematic surveys for Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum (Fon) were conducted in a total of 141 fields in the watermelon-growing areas of the Mediterranean and southeastern Anatolia regions of Turkey in 2004 and 2005. The mean incidence and prevalence of the disease were higher in the southeastern Anatolia region than in the Mediterranean region. Maximum disease incidence during the 2-year survey was 46.3%. However, mean disease prevalence ranged from 27.3% to 63.6% in southern Turkey. Of the 33 isolates of Fon recovered, 19 were recovered from Adana, two from Mersin, one from Gaziantep, four from Sanhurfa, five from Adiyaman, one from Batman, one from Diyarbalur. The physiological race of each isolate was determined by the disease reaction in five differential watermelon cultivars (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai). Of the isolates recovered from the Mediterranean region, 47.6% were identified as race 0, 38.1% as race 1, and 14.3% as race 2. Among the 12 isolates recovered from the southeastern Anatolia region, four isolates were identified as race 0, and eight isolates as race 1. Race 2 was not detected in this region. This is the first report of Fon races 0 and 1 in southeastern Anatolia. The population density of Fon in both the Mediterranean and southeastern Anatolia regions ranged from 116.1 to 4444.7 CFU g(-1) of soil. The mean inoculum density was much higher in watermelon-growing areas in the southeastern Anatolia region in comparison with the Mediterranean region, with a mean inoculum density of 1547.2 CFU g(-1). Race 0 and race 1 were the most prevalent races in the fields with the mean highest and lowest inoculum density, respectively.

Bitter gourd, bottle gourd, wax gourd, snake gourd, sponge gourd, and ridge gourd are cultivated and marketed by smallholder farmers, and are important crops in home gardens throughout southern and southeastern Asia. These vegetables provide significant dietary nutrients such as vitamin A and C, iron and calcium. Public sector breeders and germplasm curators release open-pollinated varieties of these cucurbits developed through selection from landraces. Private sector breeders develop F1 hybrid cultivars of these gourds that are popular with growers because of their uniformity, early and total marketable yield, and, in some cases, disease resistance. This chapter reviews the status of germplasm resources for sustained genetic improvement of these cucurbit species. Susceptibility to viruses is currently the major production constraint for these gourds, and systematic evaluation of their germplasm against viruses will be helpful for breeding improved cucurbit lines. The germplasm resources of these gourd species are held in an array of genebanks in several countries and may not be readily available for scientific research or to commercial breeders outside of their respective country. Many accessions of these gourd species listed by the World Vegetable Center and the U.S. Germplasm Resources Information Network are either not available or inactive. More accessions of these gourd species and their relatives need, therefore, to be collected from various regions of the tropics, conserved, and evaluated to ensure continuous genetic gains in breeding programs.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as sugar and acid contents affect carrot flavour. This study compared VOCs in 11 carrot cultivars. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using static headspace technique was applied to analyse the VOCs. The number of VOCs per sample ranged from 17 to 31. The primarily VOCs identified in raw carrots with the exception of “Yellow Stone” were terpenes, ranging from 65 to 95%. The monoterpenes with values ranging from 31 to 89% were higher than those (from 2 to 15%) of sesquiterpenes. Monoterpene α-terpinolene (with ranging from 23 to 63%) and (-)-α-pinene (26%), and alcohol ethanol (35%) was the main VOC in extracts from the nine carrot cultivars, “Purple” and “Yellow Stone”, respectively. As a result, among 16 identified monoterpenes, 7 monoterpenes (-)-α-pinene, (-)-β-pinene, β-myrcene, d-limonene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinolene and p-cymene constituted more than 60% of total VOCs identified in carrots including “Atomic Red”, “Nantes”, “Cosmic Purple”, “Red Samurai”, “Eregli Black”, “White Satin”, “Parmex” and “Baby Carrot”. Thus, these cultivars may advise to carrot breeders due to the beneficial effects of terpenes, especially monoterpenes on health.

Bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] is one of the oldest cultivated plants, native to Africa and it distributed to over the World. Its dispersal route from Africa to America and Asia is still subject of studies. Similarly, when and how bottle gourd entered into Turkey is not known. In previous studies, bottle gourd germplasm collecting activities were undertaken in the country and the germplasm were analyzed morphologically. Here we report molecular analysis of 60 Turkish bottle gourds along with 31 diverse exotic accessions. Eighth Simple Sequence Repeats and two chloroplast loci of 91 accessions were analyzed. Capillary electrophoresis was used for DNA size fragman separation. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 13, with a mean of 7. Mean values for expected heterozygosity, observed heterozgosity, and polymorphism information averaged 0.5, 0.13 and 0.50, respectively, thereby sugguesting very low (0.13) genetic diversity in a very diverse population. An unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram was constructed, Indian accessions clearly separated from the rest. Among the remaining samples, neither Turkish landraces grouped together based on their georgraphic origin, nor clear speration occurred according to origin continent. Interestingly, this co-dominant marker analysis shows close molecular allelic profile among bottle gourds originated from far different countries.

4th International Conference on Agriculture and Horticulture (AGRI) -- FEB 15-17, 2015 -- Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS WOS: 000380953000147 Melon is one of the important species of the Cucurbitaceae family. However the salinity sensitivity of the melon is the significant limitation in melon production areas. Grafting can be an alternative solution for saline conditions however the rootstock affinity of melons with the other species of the Cucurbitaceae family, mainly different squashes, is still economically uncertain. Therefore may be the melon itself can be good rootstock for the melon scions. In this research, the melon rootstock for melon scion was studied for salinity tolerance. Melon cultivars that are sensitive and tolerant to salinity were reciprocally grafted and plants were grown under salt stress with control plants. Growing culture was vermiculite and plants were irrigated by the complete nutrient solution. Thirty days old melon plants, grafted and un-grafted were subjected to salinity stress during 25 days with 100mM NaCI. Some physiological parameters were investigated. Grafting on the tolerant melon increased the responses of the sensitive melon to salinity in comparison to the un-grafted one. The shoot fresh weight and leaf area both were increased by 27%, leaf water potential was increased by 65%. Leaf membrane injury was decreased by 13 and stomatal conductance was increased by 18%. Grafting technique and salt tolerant-melon-rootstock can be good solution for melon production under the saline conditions. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

In this study, the effect of flooding on plant growth and photosynthetic activity of grafted watermelon were investigated. The watermelon [C itrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai] cv. ‘Crimson Tide’ was grafted onto Lagenaria siceraria SKP (Landrace). Grafted and ungrafted watermelon plants were flooded at the soil surface for 20 days. For every 5 days, three plants were sampled to determine plant fresh and dry weight, leaf number and main stem length. Leaf colour, single leaf CO 2 exchange rate (CER), stomatal conductance (SC) and transpiration rate (Ts) were determined at 3 days interval. Flooding caused chlorosis on both grafted and ungrafted plants but such effect was more pronounced on ungrafted watermelon plants. CER, SC and Ts began to decrease from the 4th day of the flooding in both grafted and ungrafted plants as compared with non-flooded controls. However, grafted plants showed higher tolerance to flooding and had two-folds more CER, SC and Ts. Plant growth rate was also significantly lower in flooded plants than when compared to unflooded controls. Ungrafted plants had lower dry weight than grafted plants under flooding conditions. At the end of the experiment, decrease in fresh weight of plants was about 180% in ungrafted and 50% in grafted watermelons. Dry weight also decreased about 230% in ungrafted and 80% in grafted watermelons. Similar results were found in leaf number and main stem length. Adventitious roots and aerenchyma formation were observed in grafted watermelon but not in ungrafted watermelon under flooding. Adventitious root formation began from 3rd or 4th day of flooding and adventitious roots grew towards the soil surface. Flooding tolerance of watermelon could be improved by grafting onto L. siceraria .