Amylase is an industrially important enzyme that can be utilised in various industrial processes, including those in the food, animal feed, pharmaceutical, detergent, textile, and paper industries. In this study, the isolate SHB17_28, which exhibited the highest α-amylase production among the isolates obtained through garden soil screening, was identified as Bacillus licheniformis based on its phenotypic characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Six agro-industrial wastes, namely beet molasses, brewer’s malt, grape waste, corncob, wheat straw, and wheat bran, were evaluated as substrates for α-amylase production. Optimal conditions for α-amylase production by the strain were pH 8, 35°C, 48 h of incubation, and a shaking speed of 120 rpm. Of the agro-industrial waste material, grape waste (1.5% w v-1) and beet molasses (2% w v-1) yield the greatest α-amylase as carbon sources. Amylase was stable at 50°C, pH 8, and in a medium containing 5 mM of various metal ions. Overall, it was concluded that α-amylase from a new strain of Bacillus licheniformis could be produced at a low cost using agro-industrial waste materials, thereby eliminating the need for expensive growth factors.
Ensuring traceability and comparability of process conditions in compost tea production remains a significant engineering challenge in practical applications. Although many studies in the literature primarily focus on the biological and agronomic effects of compost tea, the dynamic behavior of the production process and the time-dependent evolution of key process parameters are often addressed in a limited manner. Rather than aiming to optimize a specific compost tea recipe, this study adopts a process-oriented perspective and proposes the development of a traceable, repeatable, and comparable production infrastructure capable of distinguishing process behaviors under different operating regimes. In this context, a system architecture integrating a PLC-based control layer with a PC-based supervisory monitoring and data acquisition platform was designed and experimentally implemented. Key process parameters, including dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and temperature, were continuously monitored and recorded in a time-stamped manner throughout the production process. The system was evaluated under three experimental scenarios characterized by different aeration and recirculation strategies, while nutrient dosing was kept constant. Time-series analyses of DO, pH, EC, and temperature demonstrated that the proposed PLC–PC based monitoring infrastructure can clearly resolve scenario-dependent process behaviors. The observed differences among experimental scenarios indicate that variations in process dynamics are primarily attributable to operational and control strategies rather than changes in nutrient input. Overall, this study presents an engineering-based framework for process-oriented monitoring of compost tea production, providing a robust data-driven basis for future optimization, advanced control, and scale-up studies.
Figs are an important agricultural commodity in Türkiye and are expected to experience substantial changes in both yield and quality under climate change. These changes are driven by climate-related stressors that increasingly constrain fig cultivation and are expected to affect both current and future production. Perhaps the most important of these stress factors is high temperature stress combined with drought, which has become increasingly evident in recent years. This research aims to determine the critical temperature at which high temperature stress begins in figs. Accordingly, the physiological responses to high temperature stress have been examined comprehensively. The study was conducted in 2020 in the climate chamber at the Fig Research Institute using 2-year-old potted fig seedlings of the Sarılop fig variety. In this research, physiological parameters such as leaf water potential, leaf relative water content (%), electrolyte leakage (%), chlorophyll density, and leaf temperature (°C) were analyzed before and after the application of different degrees of high temperature stress conditions. The findings showed that significant physiological changes occur in fig leaves in response to heat stress, particularly a decrease in chlorophyll density, a decrease in leaf relative water content, an increase in electrolyte leakage, and a gradual decrease in leaf water potential. In conclusion, the data revealed that 55°C is the critical temperature value at which physiological responses to high heat stress become pronounced in figs. This finding can be used as a reference value in future heat stress research.
The development of efficient propagation techniques is essential for sustainable fig cultivation, particularly for the widely cultivated ‘Bursa Siyahı’ cultivar. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rootstock genotype and grafting method on the success of grafted rooted plant production under simultaneous rooting conditions. One-year-old cuttings of Taşlık (male fig) and Yeşil Güz (female fig) were used as rootstocks, and one-year-old shoots of ‘Bursa Siyahı’ were grafted using whip-and-tongue and approach grafting methods. In addition, cuttings of ‘Bursa Siyahı’ were directly rooted to compare propagation techniques. Rooting percentage, graft success rate, survival rate, shoot length, and shoot diameter were evaluated. The rootstock genotype had no significant effect on rooting percentage and shoot growth (P>0.05). However, the grafting method significantly affected rooting percentage and graft success rate (P
In recent years, research on reducing salinity stress in plants using potassium silicate (K2SiO3) has been increasing. However, there is no scientific research which shows the positive or negative impacts of this molecule on dry beans in decreasing salinity stress. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the possible effects of foliar K2SiO3 application on dry beans growth and yield in attenuating the adverse effects of salinity. Four different salinity levels of irrigation water (control-0.6 dS m-1, low-1.6 dS m-1, medium-3.0 dS m-1 and high-4.8 dS m-1) and three different foliar K2SiO3 application doses (0, 2 and 4 mM) were tested simultaneously as two different factors. In general, the results showed that the salinity of irrigation water significantly raised soil salinity and drainage water salinity, however it decreased consumption of plant water, efficiency of water use and growth and yield parameters of dry beans. In addition, a foliar K2SiO3 application had a slightly positive effect on the efficiency of water use, plant height, pod number and dry biological, pod and seed yields. The salinity threshold value was slightly and moderately increased by the 2 and 4 mM K2SiO3 applications, respectively. Overall, the results suggest that foliar K2SiO3 application at the applied concentrations has an insignificant effect in ameliorating the salinity stress tolerance on dry beans.
