P. khinjuk Stocks, known as Bıttım or Buttum in Turkey, is a member of the Anacardiaceae family. The essential oil of khinjuk pistachio has been used to treat various illnesses because of their anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antipyretic, antibacterial, anthelmintic, antiviral effects in various folk medicines. At the same time, fruits of khinjuk pistachio are used as edible wild fruits. In this study, it was aimed to determine and compare the antibacterial, antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid amounts of different parts (root, stem and leaf explants) of in vivo (grown naturally) and in vitro derived khinjuk pistachio plants under salt (NaCl) stress. Ethanol extracted explants were used for performing biological and chemical parameters. According to the results, generally, in vivo samples shows higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activity besides the higher number of phenolic compounds than their counterparts in vitro. We have also determined that the biological activity of in vitro salt elicited explants was higher than in vitro control explants. Generally, both female and male in vivo samples have higher antioxidants (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC) and antimicrobial activities than in vitro samples. The various plant parts (root, stem, leaf) belonging to both in vivo and in vitro samples have different biological activity level. In terms of antimicrobial activity, female plant extracts are more active than all other tested extracts. As a result, although increased salinity values significantly reduced antimicrobial activity, it is determined that 100 mM NaCl applications to in vitro leaf extracts exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans.

Since the seeds of endemic Ajuga vestita are difficult to germinate naturally they were subjected to in vitro culture. Highest rate of germination was obtained in 1/4 MS medium supplemented with 30 g sucrose in light. Microshoots subcultured in 1/1 MS supplemented with 0.125 mg/l Kn rooted well and transferred to soil with 80% success.

Drought is considered one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely affect wheat production worldwide. Many studies are conducted on different wheat cultivars to understand the effects of drought on wheat and develop solutions. In this study, 50 µM of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was applied to tolerant "Gün 91" and sensitive "Bezostaja" wheat cultivars exposed to drought stress. The effects of the exogenous application of MeJA on wheat growth and physiology, as indicators of drought tolerance, were investigated comparatively. Drought stress severely affected wheat morphology, reduced the relative water (RWC) and protein content, and led to an increase in the total soluble sugar content. Furthermore, Gün 91, a tolerant cultivar, came to the fore as the cultivar with higher shoot-root length, RWC, total soluble sugar and protein contents compared to Bezostaja cultivar as a result of drought application. As a result of exogenous MeJA application, the content of osmolytes such as total soluble sugar and protein increased compared to the drought group and had an improving effect in maintaining the water status of wheat seedlings exposed to drought stress. Hence, the relative water content increased from 48.90% to 66.87% in the tolerant Gün 91 cultivar, but no change was observed in Bezostaja cultivar. Applying 50 μM of MeJA increased the protein by 4.42%, total soluble sugar by 19.92%, and relative water content by 36.74% in Gün 91 cultivar while increasing protein by 3.11% and total soluble sugar by 11.02% in Bezostaja cultivar. Moreover, no significant effect of MeJA was observed on the shoot-root length of both cultivars and the relative water content of Bezostaja cultivar. When all results are evaluated together, exogenous MeJA application may positively affect the drought response of wheat seedlings, and we can recommend the use of MeJA and drought-tolerant cultivars to minimize the effect of drought stress.

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