Halil Demir

Control of the mushroom phorid fly, Megaselia halterata (Wood), with plant extracts

BACKGROUNDnThe most serious insect pest problems affecting the cultivation of mushroom [Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach] in Turkey are mushroom flies (sciarids, cecids and phorids). Mushroom phorid fly, Megaselia halterata (Wood), is the most common insect pest species during April-October. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for eight botanical materials (two commercial neem-based products and six hot-water plant extracts) to control M. halterata populations in three successive growing periods.nnnRESULTSnTreatment efficacy was evaluated by assessing adult emergence and sporophore damage rates compared with that of a standard insecticide, chlorpyrifos-ethyl (positive control). All plant extracts caused significant reductions in the mean number of emerging adults and sporophore damage rates compared with the water-treated control (negative control). Reduction in adult emergence in both neem treatments, Neemazal and Greeneem oil, was greater than that in the positive control. While Neemazal and Origanum onites L. extract had significantly lower sporophore damage rates than the positive control, there were no significant differences between the chlorpyrifos-ethyl, Greeneem oil and Pimpinella anisum L. extract treatments.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe results suggest that both neem products and hot-water extracts of O. onites and P. anisum may be potential alternatives to conventional pesticides for the control of mushroom phorid fly.

Yield and quality criteria in organically and conventionally grown tomatoes in Turkey

The term organically grown food denotes products that have been produced in accordance with the principles and practices of organic agriculture. The use of alternatives to synthetic fertilizers is an important issue in organic systems. A two-year field experiment to evaluate effects of organic fertilizers on the yield and quality of open field grown tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was carried out in Southern Turkey in 2000 and 2001. Combinations of manure, blood flour and micronutrient preparations were used for fertilization, and conventional mineral fertilization was included as the control. Yield did not differ between the fertilization and the Conventional treatments in the first year of the study, but the highest yield was obtained from conventional in the second year. No differences were found between treatments in terms of fruit soluble sugar content or citric acid. The application of organic fertilizers positively affected the micronutritional element content of tomato fruits compared to the conventional treatment. Organic fertilization results in improved yield and fruit quality compared to conventional fertilization. In addition, organic fertilization should be supported in order to facilitate reuse and disposal of organic wastes and to maintain and/or increase soil fertility.

Evaluation of microbial products for the control of the mushroom phorid fly, Megaselia halterata (Wood).

Over the last decade, mushroom production has become one of the most actively developing fields of agriculture in Turkey. About 45% of the total mushroom production and >50% of the total compost pr...

Effects of Zeolite on Seedling Quality and Nutrient Contents of Cucumber Plant (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Mostar F1) Grown in Different Mixtures of Growing Media

Zeolite has been successfully used in growing media for containerized production systems. In this study the effects of zeolite utilization with the mixture of different growing media (GM) on the seedling quality and nutrient contents of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Mostar F1) were determined under the greenhouse conditions. For this purpose, natural zeolite, perlite, turf, and their different mixture forms were used as GM for growing of cucumber seedlings. Effects of these substances on the seed germination, plant height, stem diameter, seedling fresh weight, and macronutrient [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)] and micronutrient [iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu)] contents were studied. As a result of this study, the effects of GM on the seedling quality parameters were found to be significant for seed germination, plant height, stem diameter and fresh weight, and nutrient contents of seedlings. The best results were generally obtained from turf + zeolite mixtures.