Gülsüm Yaldiz

Antimicrobial activity and agricultural properties of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) grown in northern parts of Turkey: a case study for adaptation

This study was designed to determine the adaptation capability of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.), which is widely grown in tropical and subtropical climates, in northern parts of Turkey. In this study, plant height, number of fruits, fruit length, fruit width, number of seeds and fruit weight of bitter melon grown in field conditions were determined. The antimicrobial effect of the ethanol extract of fruit and seeds against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans microorganisms was tested in vitro by the disc diffusion method. In conclusion, plant height (260 cm), number of fruits (16 per plant), number of seeds (30.2 per fruit), fruit width (3.8 cm), fruit length (10.6 cm) and fruit weight (117.28 g fruit− 1) were determined; fruits were found to have antimicrobial activity against A. niger; oil and seeds were found to have antimicrobial activity against A. niger and E. coli.

Alleviation of salt stress by increasing potassium sulphate doses in four medicinal and aromatic plants

ABSTRACT In this study, the effects of potassium doses (control, 150, 300 and 450 mg K2SO4 kg−1) and salt stress (control, 100 mM NaCl) on the yield and some element content of four medicinal and aromatic (Coriandrum sativum, Anethum graveolens, Ocimum basilicum and Foeniculum vulgare) plants were investigated in climate chamber. Both salinity and K fertiliser levels affected the fresh and dry weight of all evaluated plants. Anethum graveolens, Ocimum basilicum species are more sensitive to salinity, particularly at the vegetative productive stages. The highest fresh and dry weights of leaves, stems, roots and herb in Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculum vulgare species was observed in 300 mg kg−1 fertiliser applications. In general, there was a relatively consistent and positive correlation between root element content and aerial parts element content. The result of the present study showed that NaCl treatment caused an increase in Na+ concentration, and a decrease in K+ and Ca+2 concentration in Coriandrum sativum, Anethum graveolens, Ocimum basilicum and Foeniculum vulgare. There was an interaction between K2SO4 application and salinity effects on Na+ concentration in the all evaluated plants. Given the experimental results, especially Foeniculum vulgare and Coriandrum sativum species were the most resistant to salt stress.

Effects of Different Basil Hydrosol Doses on the Germination and Shoot and Root Lenghts of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) Seeds

Objective: Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have allelopathic effects on seed germination, root and shoot length due to the chemicals included in their extracts or essential oils. In this study, the changes in the germination rate, and shoot and root length of basil (Ocimum basilicum) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seeds exposed to different concentrations of basil hydrosol have been investigated. Material and Methods: The treatments included distilled water (control), tap water and different concentrations of basil hydrosol (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 ml). The study was conducted with a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Twenty seeds of each species were placed on a filter paper in Petri dishes. For each treatment, 2 ml test solution (distilled water or tap water or hydrosols) was applied to each replicate. All the experiments were carried out at 29±1oC, dark photoperiod using a drying oven under laboratory conditions. Results: All the basil and quinoa seeds were successfully germinated within 3 to 7 days. Following the treatments, the root and shoot lengths changed from 0.10 to 1.24 cm and 0.53 to 2.15 cm, respectively for the basil and from 0.32 to 3.59 cm and 0.63 to 1.97 cm for the quinoa. Conclusion: Increasing the applied dosage of basil hydrosol significantly decreased the seed germination rate and shoot and root length. In particular, 2 ml hydrosol prevented seed germination by more than 50% in basil.