Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

There is a lack of information about the nutritional requirements of European catfish ( Silurus glanis ) for aquaculture. This study aimed to fill this gap using a bioenergetic factorial model. To develop the model, a series of sub-studies were carried out. Accordingly, the growth potential of fish was determined using the data collected in this study and from the literature. The whole-body moisture, protein, lipid, ash, and energy content changes were analyzed to reveal how they vary as size increased up to 4000 g. An experiment was conducted to determine the maintenance requirements and utilization efficiencies for digestible protein (DP) and digestible energy (DE). The maintenance requirements of DP and DE were estimated as 0.163 g/kg 0.7 /day and 16.44 kJ/kg 0.8 /day and their utilization efficiencies were 51.72% and 52.52% respectively. Another sub-model for estimating digestible essential amino acid requirements was also run based on the ideal protein concept (IPC) of the European catfish fillet amino acid profile. Each sub-model was then combined to estimate the daily requirements of DP, DE, DP:DE ratio, and amino acids across different sizes of fish. The estimations of DP:DE ratio requirements were converted to dietary specifications for different stages of fish growing from 10 g to 4000 g using a sequential application of two-breakpoint models, which yielded 5 different diets during the farming period of European catfish. The whole model suggested that European catfish require high dietary protein during the early stages, which can be reduced over the culture period by increasing DE. Based on the IPC, dietary digestible essential amino acid requirements were estimated depending on the sizes and diet specifications. This study provides valuable information about dietary DP, DE, DP/DE ratio, and digestible amino acid requirements of European catfish, which requires future validation through controlled feeding trials.

• We applied the Life Framework in combination with PPGIS data on landscape values. • We identified three life frames: living with/in , living from , and living as nature. • Living in/with related to mapping intrinsic values in protected areas. • The spatial distribution of the life frames showed high variability and overlaps. • Using life frames with PPGIS revealed protected areas heterogeneous meanings.

Tetranychus urticae Koch, 1836 (red form) (Acari: Tetranychidae), is a major global pest known for its broad host range and rapid development of resistance to synthetic acaricides. This necessitates the urgent exploration of effective and environmentally friendly alternative control strategies, such as botanical pesticides. This study evaluated the toxicity of ethanol extracts from Salvia officinalis L. (Sage), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary), Achillea millefolium L. (Yarrow) and Cuminum cyminum L. (Cumin) against T. urticae eggs (after 7 days), nymphs, and adults (after 24, 48, and 72 hours), as well as their repellent effects on adults (after 24, 48, and 72 hours) using leaf disc bioassays. All tested extracts demonstrated significant toxic and repellent activities, although with varying degrees of efficacy depending on the plant species, concentration, exposure time, and mite life stage. In terms of egg toxicity, C. cyminum exhibited the highest potency (LC₅₀ = 0.139%), while S. officinalis showed significant effectiveness (LC₅₀ = 0.268%). R. officinalis was consistently the least effective extract tested. Against nymphs and adults, the toxicity profiles varied over time, with S. officinalis generally showing high efficacy, particularly at 72 hours against adults (LC₅₀=3.344%) and nymphs (LC₅₀=1.466%). C. cyminum also exhibited high toxicity against nymphs, with comparable LC₅₀ values to S. officinalis at 24 and 48 hours, and was the most repellent extract against adults, causing 100% repellency at 2.5% after 48 and 72 hours. These findings highlight the potential of S. officinalis and C. cyminum extracts as promising botanical acaricides for integrated T. urticae management, offering potential alternatives to synthetic pesticides due to their effectiveness against different life stages and repellent properties. Further research is needed to identify the specific bioactive compounds and evaluate their efficacy under field conditions.

Climate change is expected to alter the distribution limits of woody species in Mediterranean and semi-arid regions, especially near forest-steppe transition zones. In this study, ecological niche modeling (ENM) was applied to examine the current and future habitat suitability of prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus L.) in Türkiye under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) for the periods 2011-2040, 2041-2070, and 2071-2100. Species-environment relationships were quantified using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm. From 48 candidate MaxEnt models, the optimal model was selected based on statistical performance and showed a high mean training AUC (AUC = 0.869, SD = 0.017). Null model testing confirmed that predictive performance exceeded random expectations (AUCnull = 0.593, SD = 0.011; Z = 28.294, p < 0.00001). Among all predictors, precipitation of the driest month (bio14) and slope showed the highest contributions, accounting for 24.9% and 24.3%, respectively. Present-day suitability reveals that J. oxycedrus has a wide distribution in the interior Anatolian and Mediterranean uplands. Future projections indicate limited habitat loss during the early projection period, followed by substantial reductions toward the end of the century, particularly under high-emission scenarios. Late-century projections suggest that suitable habitats become increasingly restricted to mountainous areas, including the Taurus range and selected highland regions of Central and northern Türkiye. Overall, the findings underline that climate adaptation is closely linked to how biome boundaries are managed in relation to ecological thresholds. Expanding forest cover beyond natural environmental limits may not represent an effective adaptation strategy.

The Hirota–Maccari (HM) system is a fundamental model in wave propagation that has been widely utilized to investigate complex nonlinear phenomena in nonlinear optics, optical communications, and mathematical physics. The HM system sheds light on critical insights into soliton dynamics, wave interactions, and other nonlinear effects. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to compile new soliton structures to the HM system in hyperbolic, trigonometric, exponential, and rational forms, both single and combined version, by using three robust analytical approaches: the new extended rational sinh‐Gordon equation expansion method (ShGEEM), the ( G ′ / G , 1/ G )‐expansion method, and the new extended hyperbolic function method (EHFM). The solutions thus obtained are also tested for their validity and accuracy using Mathematica. In order to exhibit the physical properties of the soliton pulses, we depict 2D, 3D, and contour graphs by using suitable values of the parameters. These methods play a major role compared with other methods in the literature because new and more general solutions are obtained with additional free parameters. Remarkably, all the known solutions are special cases of our generalized solutions. An important feature of the proposed methods is their simplicity, robustness, and computational efficiency that can be widely extended to nonlinear partial differential equations in all scientific disciplines. The efficiency of this framework thus indicates at its application in addressing complicated problems in the future.

Heat stress (HS) has a significant effect on poultry husbandry, especially laying breed, which lowers productivity and egg quality. In this study, grape seed powder (GSP) and black mulberry leaf powder (BMLP) were evaluated as natural antioxidants against HS effects on laying quails. The trial involved 288 8-week-old laying quails in a 2 × 3 factorial design with (six replicates and eight quails in each) two temperatures (thermoneutral and HS) and three diets (Control, 3%GSP, 4%BMLP). Feed intake was shown to be negatively impacted by HS, however its effects were mitigated by GSP and BMLP (P < 0.05). Despite HS-induced reductions in egg and shell weight, BMLP significantly prevented egg weight loss (P < 0.05). A positive impact of GSP and BMLP could be seen on egg weight, albumen quality, and yolk color (P < 0.05). Serum biochemistry analysis indicated that GSP and BMLP reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while BMLP showed superiority in decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress marker (P < 0.05). Furthermore, both additives improved albumen quality and reduced oxidative stress. These findings emphasize the potential of natural antioxidants, particularly BMLP, for enhancing quail resilience to HS and maintaining overall health. Therefore, incorporating GSP and BMLP into quail diets is recommended to mitigate the detrimental effects of HS on productivity and egg quality.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of different mixing ratios of Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), an annual legume forage crop, and tef (Eragrostis tef), an annual wheat forage crop, on herbage yield and quality. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of Sivas Science and Technology University Agricultural R&amp;D Centre in the 2023 growing season according to the coincidence blocks experimental design with three replications. In the study, the proportion of clover in green herbage (%), the proportion of clover in dry herbage (%), clover plant height (cm), tef plant height (cm), green herbage yield (kg/ha), dry herbage yield (kg/ha), crude protein ratio (%), crude protein yield (kg/ha), acid detergent fiber (ADF) ratio (%), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ratio (%), digestible dry matter (DDM) ratio (%), dry matter intake (DMI) ratio (%) and relative feed value (RFV) were analyzed. According to the results of the research, the average green herbage to clover ratio was 48.89%, the dry herbage to clover ratio was 61.64%, the berseem clover plant height was 67.50 cm, the tef plant height was 51.38 cm, the green herbage yield was 1944 kg/ha and the dry herbage yield was 544 kg/ha for pure and mixtures at different rates. In addition, averages of crude protein rate, crude protein yield, ADF ratio, NDF ratio, DDM rate, DMI rate and RFV of pure and mixtures were 16.62%, 90.59 kg/da, 26.61%, 45.43%, 68.17%, 2.69% and 141.92, respectively. When the results obtained were evaluated as a whole, it was determined that 50% Berseem clover + 50% Tef mixture was the most suitable mixture for high herbage yield, while 40% Berseem clover + 60% Tef and 20% Berseem clover + 80% Tef mixtures were the most suitable mixtures in terms of quality in Sivas climatic conditions.

Fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is one of the few fermented food products listed in the EFSA novel food Catalogue. It is derived from wheat germ, a by-product of wheat processing, through fermentation with Sacchoromyces cerevisiae. The most widely studied and patented form of FWGE is marketed as Avemar (also referred to as MSC), standardized to contain methoxy-substituted benzoquinones. Given its predominant use in research, this systematic narrative review focused primarily on FWGE use within the medical application. The objective of this review was to systematically evaluate the functionality and potential health benefits of FWGE, following the Study Protocol-S8 developed under COST Action CA20128 – PIMENTO and registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/fq53j/). A systematic literature search of human studies was conducted through PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. Studies involving adult participants who received FWGE interventions were included, with primary clinical endpoints selected according to the main indications for FWGE. Additional outcomes were reported when available. Out of the 51 records identified by the literature search, six studies met the inclusion criteria. Data from these studies were extracted and synthesized in summary tables. Supplementary information on the functionality of FWGE was retrieved through a non-systematic search of animal and in vitro studies. Furthermore, this review highlights the potential bioactive constituents of FWGE, particularly benzoquinones, peptides, and phenolic compounds, as mediators of its anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Among its proposed mechanisms, FWGE may suppress cancer cell proliferation by disrupting the glucose-related metabolic pathways. While the findings suggest that FWGE may possess therapeutic potential, especially in oncology, the strength of evidence remains limited. Of the six included human studies, only four employed proper control groups and only two demonstrated high methodological quality. As such, the current evidence base is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions, and well-designed clinical trials are needed to strengthen this evidence. Moreover, future research should also explore the development of novel FWGE formulations with enhanced bioactive profiles, optimized by modulating fermentation conditions, including such as microbial strain, pH, temperature, and duration.