Plant primary and secondary metabolites are chemical compounds synthesized for essential functions, such as growth and development (primary metabolites), and specific functions, such as pollinator attraction or defense against herbivory (secondary metabolites). Their concentrations in plants are genetically determined, but are also affected by environmental factors. Among these factors, plant age has been reported to influence plant chemical compounds under similar environmental conditions. We aimed to investigate the chemical compounds of ancient Anatolian black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana) needles from trees of different ages. Needles of over 500-, 200-, 100-, 50-, and 25-year-old black pine trees growing under similar environmental conditions were sampled and analyzed for photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids), proline, total soluble protein, glucose, sucrose, total soluble sugar, peroxidation level (MDA-malondialdehyde), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and antioxidants such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Significant differences for chemical composition associated with age were found. In general, results showed that over 500-year-old Anatolian black pine had the highest proline, total soluble protein, H2O2, sucrose, total soluble carbohydrates, APX, CAT and SOD concentrations, whereas they had the lowest chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, total carotenoid and glucose concentrations. However, 200-year-old trees had the highest glucose, but the lowest chlorophyll b, proline, H2O2 and total soluble carbohydrates. 50- and 25-year-old trees together showed the highest chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, total carotenoid and MDA, but lowest total soluble protein and sucrose. In conclusion, these results provide valuable insight into the chemical composition of Anatolian black pine needles in relation to their age, and can be used for complementing studies on tree growth-defence relationships.

Turkey is one of the major garlic producing country in the world and the significant amount of Turkey‘s production has been made using a garlic variety called Taşköprü garlic (Allium sativum L.) in Kastamonu, Turkey. In order to improve the quality of garlic production, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different doses of leonardite organic fertilizer, mineral fertilizer NPK and the mixture of both the leonardite and NPK fertilizers on the soil properties and mean performances of different characters and yield production of Taşköprü garlic. The treatments were: the plots without leonardite and NPK fertilizers (Control), (2) 80 N kg ha-1 + 40 kg ha-1 P2O5 + 100 kg ha-1 K2O (MF), (3) 2.6 ton ha-1 leonardite (Leo1), (4) 6.9 ton ha-1 leonardite (Leo2), (5) 9.7 ton ha-1 leonardite (Leo3), (6) Leo1 + MF, (7) Leo2 + MF and Leo3 + MF. Most soil characteristics and the different characters and yield production of Taşköprü garlic statistically varied between the different fertilizer treatments. The plots with the Leo3MF application showed the highest soil organic C, N, P and K concentrations, and the SOCstock and TNstock, while it had the highest bulb weight, length, equatorial diameter, weight of cloves, width of cloves, length of cloves as well as bulb yield per decare. Of the soil properties, the garlic yield was strongly positively correlated with the soil N concentration, indicating that the applications of leonardite with the different doses or the mixture of leonardite with the mineral fertilizer were resulting in higher soil N concentration and thus having the greatest effect on the garlic yields.

In this present study, we investigated the chemical compounds in the fresh leaves of ancient walnut trees (Juglans regia L.) aged 25, 75, 100, and over 400 year. Under similar environmental conditions, the fresh leaves of walnut trees were collected and analysed for chlorophyll molecules as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids, enzymatic compounds (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities) and non-enzymatic compounds (proline, total soluble protein, total phenolic compounds), flavonoid and reducing sugars (glucose, sucrose, total soluble sugar). In addition, the oxidative stress level was determined by measuring lipid peroxidation (MDA-malondialdehyde) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Significant differences in the chemical composition of the fresh leaves were found between the 4 different tree age classes. In general, the results showed that mean chlorophyll pigments were increased with increasing the age. There was also a general trend that mean glucose and starch concentrations increased with the age, while mean sucrose concentration decreased, but no changes were noted for mean total soluble carbohydrate. On the other hand, mean SOD concentration decreased with increasing the age. Other chemical compounds (mean proline, total soluble protein, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, APX and CAT), however, did not show clear trends with the age. As a result, these pioneer study have provided valuable insight into the variation in the chemical constituents of walnut tree leaves in relation to the age, and it can be used to better understanding, managing and fighting against pathogens of walnut ecosystems in future studies.

Topografik yükselti ve bakının, Uludağ göknarının ölü örtü, toprak özellikleri, toprak organik karbon (TOK), toplam azot (TA) ve diğer toprak besin elementi (C, N Ca, Mg, P, K, S, Fe, Mn, Na, Cu, Zn, Cl, Ni ve Co) konsantrasyonları ve stoklarına etkilerini belirlemek amaçlı Bursa Uludağ Milli Parkı’nda bir çalışma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu amaçla, Uludağ göknarının yayılış yaptığı kuzey (K) ve güney (G) bakıların, beş yükselti kuşağından (Z1: 1400–1500 m, Z2: 1500-1600 m, Z3: 1600–1700 m, Z4: 1700-1800 m, Z5: 1800-1900 m) ve dört toprak derinlik kademesinden (D1: 0–10 cm, D2: 10–20 cm, D3: 20-30 cm, D4: 30-40 cm) ölü örtü ve toprak örnekleri alınmıştır. Sonuçlar genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, Uludağ göknarı toprak organik karbon ve toplam azot konsantrasyonunun ve stokunun yükseltiye bağlı olarak arttığı ve her bir yükselti kuşağının K bakısında G bakıya göre daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Örneğin, TOK stoku, K bakıda yükseltiye bağlı olarak hektarda162 tondan 182 tona, G bakıda ise 116 tonda 176 tona doğru bir artış göstermiştir. TOK stoku, K bakıda G bakıdan %19.7 daha fazla bulunmuştur. Benzer şekilde, TA stokuda, K bakıda yükseltiye bağlı olarak hektarda 9.77 tondan 10.9 tona, G bakıda ise 7.64 tondan 10.1 tona doğru bir artış göstermiştir. Diğer yandan, makro besin elementlerinden Ca, Mg ve P konsantrasyonları ve stoklarında yükseltiye bağlı olarak azalırken, K ve S ise yükselti ile önce bir azalma daha sonra ise bir artış gösterme eğiliminde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Yükseltiye bağlı benzer eğilim mikro besin elementleri içinde tespit edilmiştir. Bununla beraber, genel olarak makro ve mikro besin elementleri her bir yükselti kuşağında, kuzey bakılarda güney bakılardan daha yüksek bulunmuştur. Uludağ göknarının yükselti ve bakıya bağlı değişen ölü örtü ve toprak özelliklerinin (özellikle hacim ağırlığı) yanında mikroiklime bağlı ölü örtü miktarının ve ayrışmasının toprak organik karbon, toplam azot ve diğer makro ve mikro besin elementlerinin konsantrasyon ve stoklarında etkili olabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.