The aim of this study was to compare the reproductive traits, lactation milk yield, and body measurements of the Damascus (Shami) and Kilis goats raised as dairy goats in the dry climatic conditions of the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The study was perfomed using 596 Damascus goats and 82 Kilis goats between 3-5 years old. It was observed that the lactation milk yield, lactation period, withers height, and leg circumference of the Damascus goats (175.86 kg, 227.48 days, 72.67 cm, and 74.10 cm, respectively) were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of the Kilis goats (107.48 kg, 170.39 days, 69.70 cm and 71.83 cm, respectively). This analysis indicated that the Damascus goat may be a good breed for dry climatic conditions. It is suggested that focusing on growing Damascus goats could increase productivity in the Southeastern Anatolian region of Turkey.

This study investigates the intricate factors influencing meat quality, including breed, rearing conditions, and processing, with a primary focus on oxidative stress in Holstein Friesian and Simmental cattle within conventional and intensive production systems. A notable difference in oxidative stress was found between animals subjected to intensive-farming versus conventional practices, with Holstein cattle showing a more pronounced antioxidant gene response than Simmental. The analysis revealed that intensive rearing conditions resulted in increased DNA repair activity and expression of stress-response proteins like heat shock proteins, suggestive of greater cellular damage and an adaptive stress response. Muscle tissue analyses, revealed a clear distinction in gene expression associated with meat quality between the breeds and the type of farming system. A negative correlation emerged between oxidative stress levels and genes related to muscle development, which affects meat quality. Intensive farming conditions altered the expressions of apoptotic proteins, impacting meat quality at the molecular level. These results underscore the profound effect rearing conditions have on meat quality, driven by stress-related molecular responses. This highlights the need for further research into the influence of husbandry practices on animal welfare and meat quality, with the intention of developing strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of intensive-farming.

İnsanların fiziksel ve mental olarak gelişimleri için sağlıklı ve dengeli beslenme büyük öneme sahiptir. Sağlığın korunmasında bağışıklık sisteminde görev alan çeşitli amino asitlerinin rolü bulunmaktadır. Gelişmemiş ülkelerde ekonomik nedenlerden dolayı, kişi başına protein tüketimi düşüktür. Araştırma materyalini Dicle Üniversitesi’ne bağlı bazı Fakülte ve Meslek Yüksekokulu öğrencileri oluşturmuştur. Öğrencilere yöneltilen hayvansal proteinlerle ilgili 27 soruluk anketten elde edilen verilerle çalışma tamamlanmıştır. Anket sonucu elde edilen veriler ki kare testi ile değerlendirilerek, sonuçlar yorumlanmıştır. Yapılan anketlerle, öğrencilerin cinsiyeti, yaşı, kardeş sayısı, ailenin eğitim durumu ve ebeveynlerinin maddi durumları ile beslenme tercihleri, tüketilen et ve et mamulleri, süt ve süt mamulleri ile yumurta tüketimleri arasında istatistiksel bir ilişki olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonucuna göre; öğrencilerin yaşı, kardeş sayısı, ailenin eğitim durumu ve ebeveynlerinin maddi durumu ile besin tercihleri arasında istatiksel olarak önemli ilişki tespit edilmiştir.

The present study aimed to determine the current state of water buffalo breeders in Silvan, Bağlar, Yenişehir, and Sur counties of Diyarbakır province in Turkey, and to reveal the aspects of shelter, grazing, calf breeding, brood use, meat and milk production practices, care and health protection, expectations from breeding practices and current problems. The results of the face-to-face surveys were used carried out with a total of 147 business owners engaged in water buffalo breeding in four counties. In the research, the average number of water buffaloes per farm was determined to be 11.03. The breeders have reported that they continue to raise water buffaloes for reasons such as making a living, high quality of water buffalo milk, and benefiting from the available subsidies. The average lactation period of water buffaloes was 7.1 months, the average daily milk obtained per animal was determined to be 3.63 liters. The milk obtained is mostly evaluated as yogurt, cheese, and butter. As a result, it was determined that almost all of the breeders are satisfied with water buffalo breeding, they see breeding as a family profession, and they are aware of the quality and importance of water buffalo products.

The coloring process in cherry fruit affects both fruit quality and the cherry fly (Rhagoletis cerasi). This is critically important for host preferences of major pests such as cherry fly. In this study, a randomized classification method was used to classify five distinct coloration stages of cherry fruit based on pomological characteristics and cherry fly density data. An explainable hybrid model combining Random Forest (RF) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms has been developed. In this study, fruit samples of the Ziraat 900 variety were collected from four different cherry orchards in Elazığ province during five different coloration stages. Pomological characteristics such as weight, width, length, height, stem length, firmness, seed weight, soluble solids content (SSC), NaOH, and acidity were determined, and adult cherry fly densities were also recorded. In the proposed method, candidate decision rules generated by the RF algorithm were optimized using the ACO algorithm, and the most distinctive rule sets were selected. The results showed that the proposed RF-ACO model achieved a 99.48% accuracy rate and exhibited higher performance than many common machine learning methods. Feature significance analysis revealed that SSC, cherry fly density, NaOH, and acidity were the most effective parameters in the classification process. The model not only provided high accuracy thanks to the explainable IF-THEN rules it generated, but also allowed for expert interpretation of the decision-making process. The findings offer significant contributions to the development of decision support systems for determining cherry ripening periods and controlling the cherry fruit fly.

The Effects of Dietary Wheat Straw, Red Lentil Straw and Equal Mixtures of Straws as ad libitum on Intensive Fattening Performance, Some Serum Minerals and Economic Efficiency in Awassi Lambs