Erdal Çaçan

CURRENT SITUATION OF DIYARBAKIR PROVINCE IN TERMS OF CROP PRODUCTION

This study was carried out to determine current situation in terms of crop production in the province of Diyarbakir. This study, sowing-planting areas and production-yield values of field and horticultural crops were revealed. Total crop production of the province is 5 984 430 decares. Field crop production is practiced in 90.3% of the land used for crop production and horticultural production in 7.0% of it, while the remainder 2.7% is left to fallow. Diyarbakir is the granary of the region. Wheat from cereals, lentil from legumes, cotton from industrial plants, and corn silage from forage crops are grown the most in Diyarbakir. Watermelon and tomato are the most widely grown vegetable and plum and mulberry are the most widely grown fruit in the province. Diyarbakir also has a significant potential for viticulture.

Fatty Acid Composition of the Seeds of Some Vicia Species

The Fabaceae (Leguminosae) is a family of flowering plants comprising about 269 genera and 5100 species and is one of the largest plant families in the world and also in Turkey. It comprises 68 genera and more than 900 species in the Flora of Turkey [1]. The Vicia genera include around 190 species located mainly in the Mediterranean region. Vicia genera, as other legumes, may grow under drought stress conditions and on poor soils due to their capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen [2]. Legume plants include many economically important crop plants that are utilized in human foodstuffs, herbal medicines, oil materials, and as animal forages [3]. The use of the Vicia species as grain legumes requires an understanding of their nutritive value and the potential toxicity of the grain of the different species to the various types of livestock (fish, poultry, pigeons, pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats) and humans [4]. Studies on the oil contents and fatty acid compositions of Vicia species are very scant in Turkey [5–7]. The fatty acid composition of plants showed different saturated and unsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Linolenic, oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids were found as the abundant compounds. The seeds are rich in unusual fatty acids and protein [8]. The objective of the present study was to determine the fatty acid contents of the seeds of seven Vicia species growing wild in Turkey and to characterize the seed fatty acids used by animals in the field, to establish their nutritional value, and to sudy their contribution to renewable resources of fatty acid and other chemical patterns in these crops. The seed oils of Vicia species contain palmitic (13.49–20.64%) and stearic (3.08–5.23%) acids as the major component fatty acids, among the saturated acids, with small amounts of myristic (0.15–0.42%), pentadecanoic (0.10–0.26%), margaric (0.13–0.23%), arachidic (0.23–0.87%), and behenic (0.14–0.25%) acids. The major unsaturated fatty acids found in the seed oils were oleic (8.98–26.06%), linoleic (52.17–76.58%), and linolenic (4.05–12.01%) acids. Palmitoleic and eicosenoic acids were shown to be lower than 1%. In this study, the total saturated fatty acids of Vicia species were between 17.39 and 25.12%, while the amounts of total unsaturated fatty acids were between 74.88 and 82.61%. Saturated acid components of the seed oils revealed that low molecular weight acids (myristic, pentadecanoic, and margaric acids) commonly occur in all the investigated species. Palmitic and stearic acids were the major saturated fatty acids in the seed oils. The amounts of unsaturated fatty acids were higher than those of saturated fatty acids, but the amounts of palmitoleic and eicosenoic acids were shown to be lower than 1%. Myristic acid and pentadecanoic acid were detected in all species but found at the highest level in V. hybrida L. (0.29 and 0.26%, respectively). Palmitic acid was detected in all species, and margaric acid was detected in six species but found at the highest level in V. sativa subsp. nigra (20.64 and 0.23%, respectively). The amounts of stearic acid and arachidic acid were higher in V. sativa subsp. sativa (5.23, 0.87%, respectively) than in other species. Behenic acid was detected in three species: 0.25% in V. grandiflora , 0.14% in V. pannocia, and 0.14% in V. sativa subsp. sativa (Table 1). The major unsaturated acids in the seed oils of all species were oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. The oleic acid content was highest level in V. narbonensis (26.06%) but lowest in V. peregrina (8.98%) and V. sativa subsp. sativa (11.51%). The seed oils of all the species were richer in linoleic than linolenic acid. Linoleic acid was found in the greatest proportion in the seed oil. The linoleic acid content was highest in V. hybrida (76.58%), V. pannonica (75.06%), and V. peregrina (63.06%) but lowest in V. narbonensis (52.17%). Linolenic acid was also detected at low level in V. narbonensis (4.05%).