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In this study, surface water quality of the Ceyhan River basin were assessed and examined with 13 physico-chemical parameters in 31 stations in 3 months during the period of 2005. Multivariate statistical techniques were applied to identify characteristics of the water quality in the studied stations. Nutrients, Cl- and Na+ affected mostly to the stations of Erkenez 2, Sir 2, and Sir 3 in the ordination diagram of correspondence analysis. Three factors were extracted by principal component analysis, which explains 79.14% of the total variation. The first factor (PC1) captures variables of EC, DO, NO2-, PO4triple bond, Cl-, SO4=, Na+, and Ca++. The second factor (PC2) is significantly related to pH, NH3-, and Mg++, while water temperature (T) and NO3- accounted for the greatest loading for factor 3 (PC3). The stations were divided into three groups for PC1, two groups for PC2, and three groups for PC3 by hierarchical cluster analysis. The stations in the vicinity of cities presented low dissolved oxygen and high concentration of physico-chemical parameter levels. The stations of Erkenez 2, Sir 2, Sir 3, and Aksu 4 located near the city of Kahramanmaraş were characterized by an extremely high pollution due to discharge of wastewater from industry and domestic. Pinarbaşi and Elbistan stations were also influenced by household wastewater of the city of Elbistan. According to criteria of Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation, Erkenez 2, Sir 2, and Sir 3 stations have high polluted water. This study suggests that it is urgent to control point pollutions, and all wastewater should be purified before discharge to the Ceyhan River basin.

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Seaweed extracts have been used as biostimulant or biofertilizers in agriculture to improve growth and development in plants, and enhance yield. There are a wide variety of commercial seaweed products for use on plant growth promotion. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of Stimplex ® , a commercial liquid seaweed extract derived from Ascophyllum nodosum, on growth of ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants. Containing a complex array of bioactive compounds, Stimplex ® is a premium organic biostimulant that promotes the growth, development, and yield in a wide range of conventional and organic grown horticultural and ornamental crops. Ornamental pepper plants were treated with Stimplex ® as either a soil drench or foliar spray at 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0 ml . L -1 concentrations. The treatments were repeated at 10-day intervals until the end of the experiment. Application of Stimplex ® to ornamental pepper plants improved stem diameter, plant height, number of leaves and leaf area, leaf chlorophyll content, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight and dry weight compared to the control plants. The results of this study indicate that Stimplex ® may be a viable tool for improving growth of ornamental pepper plants.

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Korkmaz, A., Uzunlu, M. and Demirkiran, A. R. 2007. Acetyl salicylic acid alleviates chilling-induced damage in muskmelon seedlings. Can. J. Plant Sci. 87: 581-585. Salicylic acid (SA) is a common plant-produced signal molecule that is responsible for inducing tolerance to a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. An experiment was, therefore, conducted to test whether acetyl sal-icylic acid (ASA) application at various concentrations through seed immersion or foliar spray would protect muskmelon [Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus Group)] seedlings subjected to chilling stress. Twenty-one-day-old plants pre-treated with ASA (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.50 or 1.0 mM) were subjected to chilling stress for 72 h at 3 ± 0.5°C. ASA, applied either through seed immersion or foliar spray, was effective within the range of 0.1 to 1 mM in inducing tolerance to chilling stress in muskmelon seedlings; however, there was no significant difference between application methods. ASA significantly and curvilinearly affected all seedling growth and stress indicator variables tested except shoot dry weight. The best protection was obtained from seedlings pre-treated with 0.5 mM ASA. The highest ASA concentration used was slightly less effective in providing chilling stress protection. Even though both methods provided similar means of protection, due to its simplicity and practicality, immersion of muskmelon seeds prior to sowing in 0.5 mM ASA would be a more desirable method to induce tolerance to chilling stress. Korkmaz, A., Uzunlu, M. et Demirkiran, A. R. 2007. L'acide acétylsalicylique atténue les dommages dus au froid chez les plantules de melon brodé. Can. J. Plant Sci. 87: 581-585. Les plantes sécrètent souvent des molécules d'acide acétylsalicylique (AAS) pour induire la tolérance à divers stress biotiques et abiotiques. Les auteurs ont donc entrepris une expérience pour savoir si l'application d'une concentration variable d'AAS par immersion des semences ou par pulvérisation sur les feuilles protègerait les plantules de melon brodé [Cucumis melo L. (groupe Reticulatus)] du stress attribuable au froid. À cette fin, ils ont prétraité 21 plants avec de l'AAS (0, 0,1, 0,25, 0,50 ou 1,0 mM) puis les ont laissés pendant 72 heures à une température de 3 ± 0,5 °C. Appliqué par immersion des graines ou pulvérisation sur les feuilles, l'AAS réussit à induire la tolérance au froid chez les plan-tules à la concentration de 0,1 à 1 mM; néanmoins, on ne note aucune variation entre les deux méthodes. L'AAS affecte de manière sensible, et curviligne, toutes les variables explicatives de la croissance et du stress des plantules, sauf le poids sec des pousses. La meilleure protection résulte de l'application d'AAS à 0,5 mM. La concentration la plus forte testée s'avère légèrement moins efficace pour ce qui est d'induire la protection contre le stress dû au froid. Bien que les deux méthodes confèrent une protection similaire aux plantules, l'immersion des graines dans de l'AAS à 0,5 mM avant l'ensemencement s'avérerait plus souhaitable pour induire la toléra...