Predicting hybrid performance for complex silage traits remains a major challenge in maize breeding due to strong genotype-by-environment interaction (G×E), high polygenicity, and the cost of multi-location testing. We evaluated genomic prediction using additive, dominance, and epistatic kernels across two breeding-relevant scenarios: (i) predicting untested hybrids within a known environment and (ii) forecasting known hybrids in unobserved target environments. Using genomic data from a diverse hybrid panel, we assessed prediction for six agronomic and silage-yield traits across multiple environments in Adana, İzmir, Balıkesir, and Sakarya. Prediction accuracy differed markedly by trait and scenario. Within-environment prediction achieved moderate accuracy for dry forage yield ( 0.40) and high accuracy for structural traits such as plant height and ear height (> 0.75). Across-environment prediction typically improved silage-trait performance, with DFY in the İzmir prediction group showing the only meaningful benefit from kernel complexity: accuracy increased modestly from 0.77 to 0.80. This indicates that dominance and epistatic components contributed detectably—but only in this specific environment. For all other traits and prediction groups, additive models with additive × environment interaction matched or exceeded the performance of dominance- or epistasis-enriched models. Variance partitioning revealed strong additive control for height traits (43–64

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different seed sowing rates (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of the recommended pure stand of the species) and harvesting stages (early harvest, late harvest) of annual ryegrass, barley, and berseem clover used as companion crops on the forage quality in the sowing year of standard perennial pasture mixture [alfalfa (15%) + white clover (15%) + perennial ryegrass (20%) + orchard grass (20%) + tall fescue (30%)]. The experiments (Experiment I:2019, Experiment II:2020) were conducted in randomised complete blocks with a split-plot arrangement in three replications. The treatments with berseem clover as a companion crop had higher herbage quality than the treatments with barley and annual ryegrass as companion crops and gave forage quality equivalent to the control treatment without companion crop. Although a significant decrease was observed in the forage quality of the mixture with the advancement of the harvesting stage of the companion crop, the sowing ratio of the companion crop did not significantly affect the forage quality of the mixture. It was concluded that berseem clover can be used as companion crop in the establishment of the pasture under conditions of the Mediterranean climate in terms of forage quality and that the harvesting stage should not be delayed.

Bu araştırma, Adana ili Sarıçam ilçesinde yer alan Çukurova Üniversitesi Kampüsü içindeki doğal bir meranın üç farklı yöneyindeki bitki ile kaplı alan oranı ve botanik kompozisyonunun belirlenmesi amacıyla 2014 yılında yürütülmüştür. Vejetasyon etüdü lup yöntemi kullanılarak yapılmış ve mera yöneylerinin bitki ile kaplı alan oranları, alana göre botanik kompozisyon oranları, bitkilerin tür, cins ve familyaları, ömür uzunlukları, otlatmaya karşı gösterdikleri tepki grupları (azalıcı, çoğalıcı, istilacı) ve türlerin frekans değerleri saptanmıştır. Mera yöneylerinin bitki ile kaplı alan oranı ortalaması %50 olurken, bitki ile kaplı alanda buğdaygillerin oranının %45.1-%75.3, baklagillerin %0.0-%12.9, diğer familya türleri oranının %22.1-%42.1 arasında değiştiği tespit edilmiştir. Vejetasyon etüdünde 23 familyadan 44 cinse ait 44 türe rastlanmıştır. Vejetasyon etüdü yapılan meranın batı yöneyinde en sık rastlanan türün kırmızı yulaf (Themeda triandra Forssk.), doğu yöneyinde en sık rastlanan türün tüylü sakal otu (Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf), taban kesimde ise en sık rastlanan türün yumrulu arpa (Hordeum bulbosum L.) olduğu saptanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, istilacı türlerin yoğun olduğu bu meranın ıslah edilebilmesi ve uygun ıslah yönteminin belirlenmesi amacıyla yeni araştırmaların yürütülmesi gerektiği sonucuna varılmıştır.

This study aimed to determine the effects of the Roughage Production Project on forage crop agriculture, which was carried out to introduce and extend forage crops to the region's producers and show how to produce cheap and high-quality roughage. In the research, a mixture of 70% Hungarian vetch and 30% triticale was grown on the lands of farmers selected from the region's producers, especially those engaged in animal production, during growing seasons between 2018 and 2024. Because forage crop agriculture is not sufficiently developed in the region, in the production carried out within the project's scope, one-on-one application was made to the producers in the field in all processes from planting to harvest. During the project, 1363 tons of quality roughage was produced on the areas of 6270 decares with 67 producers in seven production seasons. The Roughage Production Project practices have contributed not only to seed and fertilizer support for the producer but also to a change of habits through technical support provided at every stage of production, to producers' willingness to cultivate forage crops, and to the development of forage crop culture with mixtures created with species and varieties suitable for the ecology of the region. As a result, the Roughage Production Project has made a significant contribution to raising regional producers' awareness of producing their own quality roughage and establishing forage crop culture.

Bu araştırma, Çukurova Bölgesi ikinci ürün koşullarında yetiştirilebilecek bazı inci darı (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) çeşitlerinin ot verimleri ve bazı agromorfolojik özelliklerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada 5 adet inci darı çeşidi (Ashana, Heveahri, White, Yellow, Tifleaf3) test edilmiştir. Araştırmada, bitki boyu, yeşil ot verimi, kuru ot verimi, yaprak oranı, sap çapı ve kardeş sayısı bakımından inci darı çeşitleri arasında önemli farklılıklar tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, bitki boyu ile yeşil ot verimi (0.9773**) arasında çok önemli ve olumlu, bitki boyu ile kuru ot verimi (0.9562*) arasında önemli ve olumlu, bitki boyu ile yaprak oranı (-0.9417*) arasında önemli ve olumsuz, yeşil ot verimi ile kuru ot verimi (0.9932**) arasında çok önemli ve olumlu, yeşil ot verimi ile yaprak oranı (-0.9889**) arasında çok önemli ve olumsuz, kuru ot verimi ile yaprak oranı (-0.9916**) arasında çok önemli ve negatif ilişki olduğu saptanmıştır. Mevcut bulgular doğrultusunda, inci darı çeşitlerinin ikinci ürün koşullarında mısır ve sorguma alternatif olabileceği, ot verimi bakımından White ve Heveahri çeşitlerinin diğer çeşitlere göre daha üstün olduğu, incelenen çeşitlerin ot kaliteleri ve silaj verimlerinin belirlenerek yeni araştırmaların yapılması gerektiği sonucuna varılmıştır.

This research was carried out under rainfall conditions of the Mediterranean climate to study the effects of BC40-AR60, BC20-AR80) on forage yield and quality characteristics of mixture. The experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications during the growing season of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Annual ryegrass sown as pure produced higher green forage yield than berseem clover sown as pure and the mixtures. In the mixture of berseem clover at 20% seed rate and pure annual ryegrass, higher hay yields were determined compared to the other mixtures. In terms of total LER, BC80-AR20 and BC20-AR80 mixtures were the two most advantageous mixtures, while the aggressivity value of annual ryegrass showed a positive value and became the dominant species. Pure sown berseem clover had lower ADF, NDF and higher crude protein content than pure sown annual ryegrass and other mixtures tested. According to these results, it can be said that berseem clover can be included in the mixture at low seed rates for high forage yield under rainfall conditions, while berseem clover can be grown as pure for high forage quality.

This study was conducted to determine the herbage yield and some geomorphological characteristics of some pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) cultivars that can be grown under second-crop conditions in the Cukurova Region. The experiment was established according to a randomized block design with 3 replications in the research area of the Field Crops Department of the Agricultural Faculty, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. Five pearl millet cultivars (Ashana, Heveahri, White, Yellow, and Tifleaf 3) were tested in the study. In the study, significant differences were found among pearl millet cultivars in terms of plant height, green forage yield, hay yield, leaf ratio, stem diameter, and number of tillers. In addition, there were significant and positive correlations between plant height and green herb yield (0.9773**), significant and positive correlations between green forage yield (0.9562*), significant and negative correlations between leaf ratio (0.9417*), significant and positive correlations between green forage yield and hay yield (0.9932**), significant and negative correlations between leaf ratio (-0.9889**), and significant and negative correlations between hay yield and leaf ratio (-0.9916**). In light of the present findings, it was concluded that pearl millet can be an alternative to corn and sorghum in second-crop conditions. White and Heveahri cultivars were superior to other cultivars in terms of hay yield, and new research should be carried out to determine the hay quality and silage yield of the cultivars examined.

This research was carried out as two separate trials established in two different years to determine the effects of different seed ratios and harvest stages of different annual companion crop species on the hay yield and botanical composition of a pasture mixture under Mediterranean climate conditions. The field trials were established in a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement in three replications. The research results showed that barley, annual ryegrass, and berseem clover can be utilized as companion crops in artificial pasture systems. The inclusion of these companion crop species in the pasture mixture resulted in an increase in forage yield and a significant decrease in weed infestation. While delaying the harvest stage of the companion crop does not have a notable effect on the proportion of legumes and weeds in the total biomass, it significantly enhances the dry forage yield and the proportion of grasses in the overall biomass of the mixture.

This research was carried out as two separate trials established in two different years to determine the effects of different seed ratios and harvest times of different annual companion crop species on the hay yield and botanical composition of a pasture mixture under Mediterranean climate conditions. The field trials were established in a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement in three replications. The research results showed that barley, annual ryegrass, and berseem clover can be utilized as companion crops in artificial pasture systems. The inclusion of these companion crop species in the pasture mixture resulted in an increase in forage yield and a significant decrease in weed infestation. While delaying the harvest time of the companion crop does not have a notable effect on the proportion of legumes and weeds in the total biomass, it significantly enhances the dry forage yield and the proportion of grasses in the overall biomass of the mixture.

Sorghum is emerging as a model crop for functional genetics and genomics of tropical grasses with abundant uses, including food, feed, and fuel, among others. It is currently the fifth most significant primary cereal crop. Crops are subjected to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which negatively impact on agricultural production. Developing high-yielding, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient cultivars can be achieved through marker-assisted breeding. Such selection has considerably reduced the time to market new crop varieties adapted to challenging conditions. In the recent years, extensive knowledge was gained about genetic markers. We are providing an overview of current advances in sorghum breeding initiatives, with a special focus on early breeders who may not be familiar with DNA markers. Advancements in molecular plant breeding, genetics, genomics selection, and genome editing have contributed to a thorough understanding of DNA markers, provided various proofs of the genetic variety accessible in crop plants, and have substantially enhanced plant breeding technologies. Marker-assisted selection has accelerated and precised the plant breeding process, empowering plant breeders all around the world.

This research was carried out as two separate trials established in two different years to determine the effects of different seed ratios and harvest stages of different annual companion crop species on the hay yield and botanical composition of a pasture mixture under Mediterranean climate conditions. The field trials were established in a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement in three replications. The research results showed that barley, annual ryegrass, and berseem clover can be utilized as companion crops in artificial pasture systems. The inclusion of these companion crop species in the pasture mixture resulted in an increase in forage yield and a significant decrease in weed infestation. While delaying the harvest stage of the companion crop does not have a notable effect on the proportion of legumes and weeds in the total biomass, it significantly enhances the dry forage yield and the proportion of grasses in the overall biomass of the mixture.

Bu araştırmada farklı tütün çeşitlerinde çimlenme performansı üzerine farklı ışıklanma sürelerinin etkileri araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada Ege bölgesi tütünlerinden Akhisar 97, İzmir Özbaş, Birlik 124 ve Birlik 128 olmak üzere 4 çeşit test edilmiştir. Tütün tohumları in vitro koşullarda 24 saat aydınlık, 16 saat aydınlık ve 24 saat karanlık koşullarında tutulmuştur. Çimlenme hızı, çimlenme gücü ve ortalama çimlenme süresi parametreleri incelenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlara göre, en yüksek çimlenme hızı 24 saat aydınlık uygulamasında %81.6 ile Akhisar 97 çeşidinde, en düşük oran ise 24 saat karanlık uygulamasında %0 ile Birlik 124 çeşidinde elde edilmiştir. Çimlenme gücü parametresinde en yüksek oran 24 saat aydınlık uygulamasında %88.8 ile Birlik 128 çeşidinde, en düşük oran ise 24 saat karanlık uygulamasında Özbaş çeşidinde %51.2 olarak gerçekleşmiştir. Ortalama çimlenme süresi açısından 24 saat aydınlık uygulamasında 5.2 gün ile Akhisar 97 çeşidinde en kısa ve 24 saat karanlık uygulamasında 11.7 gün ile Birlik 124çeşidinde en uzun çimlenme süreleri elde edilmiştir. Genel olarak 24 saat aydınlık uygulamasında tüm çeşitlerde daha iyi sonuçlar alınmıştır.

Citrus viroid infection is emerging as a serious threat because of its efficient systemic movement within the host plant and its quick spread due to contaminated pruning tools. A survey was conducted to investigate the primary distribution and molecular characterization of Citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd) and its variants in different citrus cultivars. A total of 154 symptomatic citrus samples were collected and detected by RT‒PCR with newly designed specific primers with the incidence of 36.33%. During biological indexing study on Etrog citron, expressions of reduced leaf size, yellowing with a light green pattern, and bending were observed. Amplified products were sequenced and analyzed using a nucleotide BLAST search, which showed 98% homology with other CBLVd isolates. The results of the phylogenetic tree analysis showed the presence of two main groups (A and B), with the predominant variants of CBLVd, i.e., CVd-I-LSS (Citrus viroid Low Sequence Similarity) sequences, clustering in subgroup A1 along with newly detected CVd-I-LSS from Palestinian sweet lime (Citrus limettioides), which has been identified as a new host of CVd-I-LSS in Pakistan. Further analysis of the sequences in subgroup A1 showed that the variant of CVd-I-LSS infecting citrus cultivars had a close relationship with isolates reported from China, Japan, and Iran, which may have resulted from the exchange of planting material. This study also unveiled the variability in nucleotide sequences of CBLVd, which made it unable to be detected by old primers. The results of this study indicate that the widespread presence of divergent variants of CBLVd is a major concern for the citrus industry in Pakistan and other countries where virulent isolates of CBLVd are prevalent. These findings suggest the need for future research on effective management and quarantine measures to stop the spread of CBLVd.

The maize breeding programs focuses on the development of homozygous parental lines for hybrid breeding to obtain heterosis. The Improvement of homozygous lines in a effective time is crucial for hybrid maize breeding. Objectives of this research were to obtain homozygous lines of maize in a short time by using of in-vivo maternal haploid (DH) technique and characterizing them morphologically. The experiments were carried out at the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute(EMARI). Inducers, RWS, RWK-76 and their hybrid RWS X RWK-76 were used as male parent. As female parent, 56 F2 segregated material obtained by selfing of 66 F1 hybrids developed in maize breeding program of Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute (EMARI) and 2 F2 segregated material selected from the open pollinated plants of 9 commercial maize variety. As a result of the experiment, 29 doubled haploid lines (DH) were developed. In the developed DH lines, days to tasseling, plant height, height of first ear , ear length, ear diameter, number of kernel per ear and thousand kernel weight varied as 57-78 days, 151-248 cm, 43-112 cm, 11.20-24.50 cm, 24-45 mm, 224-537 kernels/ear, and 180-320 g, respectively. In conclusion, in-vivo maternal DH technique is a highly effective method for obtaining homozygous lines

Beans one of the essential plant protein sources for human and animal diets. Conventional breeding methods have been used to develop the cultivars of beans with high quality and high yield. However, conventional methods of plant breeding are time-consuming and laborious. Biotechnological methods can accelerate the breeding process in conventional plant breeding. However, the beans are thought to be a recalcitrant crop plant for applying biotechnological methods since plant regeneration under in vitro conditions in beans is not successful. Developing an appropriate method for in vitro bean regeneration remains a significant problem. The objective of this study was to develop a protocol for the culture of unfertilized ovaries of beans. Culture media and genotype are effective on the success of in vitro cultivation. For this reason, 12 genotypes of beans and some nutrient media such as MS and B5 with various 2,4-D/kinetin combinations were tested to obtain callus from unfertilized ovaries. The highest callus induction was obtained with a medium containing 2,4-D (0.5 mg L−1) and Kinetin (2.5 mg L−1). A literature review on beans indicates that no ovary culture has been carried out on tested varieties in this study to date.

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal having toxic effects on all living organisms. Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is widely used in human diets but has the potential to accumulate Cd. It also has a high level of genetic diversity, which may be exploited to develop cultivars with low Cd content. We aimed to perform marker-assisted selection and validate previously identified Cd markers in durum wheat germplasm for use in the investigation of accessions that accumulate low grain Cd content. We assessed 130 durum wheat accessions phenotypically and using three different molecular markers. Grain Cd contents of the studied germplasm varied 4.91-fold (26.2–128.7 μg/kg) with an average of 58.2 μg/kg. Landraces showed lower average values of grain Cd content than cultivars. Three molecular markers (usw47, Cad-5B and KASP marker Cad-5B) were used to differentiate high and low Cd accumulating lines. Results showed high correlation and successfully classified the accessions to the expected high or low Cd level; 87 accessions showed the low Cd alleles, and 43 accessions the high Cd alleles, except for five accessions with the usw47 marker that showed heterozygous status. A significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.944*) was observed among the three molecular markers. Based on molecular markers, 96.2% of the accessions were classified accurately. The KASP assay was highly effective in successfully separating low from high Cd content accessions and could be used as a molecular tool in durum wheat breeding programs, with less cost and time, targeting reduced grain Cd levels. The results of this study will allow durum wheat breeders to accelerate their progress to select suitable genotypes with the desired alleles.

Common bean is considered a recalcitrant crop for in vitro regeneration and needs a repeatable and efficient in vitro regeneration protocol for its improvement through biotechnological approaches. In this study, the establishment of efficient and reproducible in vitro regeneration followed by predicting and optimizing through machine learning (ML) models, such as artificial neural network algorithms, was performed. Mature embryos of common bean were pretreated with 5, 10, and 20 mg/L benzylaminopurine (BAP) for 20 days followed by isolation of plumular apice for in vitro regeneration and cultured on a post-treatment medium containing 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, and 1.50 mg/L BAP for 8 weeks. Plumular apice explants pretreated with 20 mg/L BAP exerted a negative impact and resulted in minimum shoot regeneration frequency and shoot count, but produced longer shoots. All output variables (shoot regeneration frequency, shoot counts, and shoot length) increased significantly with the enhancement of BAP concentration in the post-treatment medium. Interaction of the pretreatment × post-treatment medium revealed the need for a specific combination for inducing a high shoot regeneration frequency. Higher shoot count and shoot length were achieved from the interaction of 5 mg/L BAP × 1.00 mg/L BAP followed by 10 mg/L BAP × 1.50 mg/L BAP and 20 mg/L BAP × 1.50 mg/L BAP. The evaluation of data through ML models revealed that R2 values ranged from 0.32 to 0.58 (regeneration), 0.01 to 0.22 (shoot counts), and 0.18 to 0.48 (shoot length). On the other hand, the mean squared error values ranged from 0.0596 to 0.0965 for shoot regeneration, 0.0327 to 0.0412 for shoot count, and 0.0258 to 0.0404 for shoot length from all ML models. Among the utilized models, the multilayer perceptron model provided a better prediction and optimization for all output variables, compared to other models. The achieved results can be employed for the prediction and optimization of plant tissue culture protocols used for biotechnological approaches in a breeding program of common beans.