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This research was carried out between 2009 and 2011 to determine the herbage yield and some agricultural and quality characteristics of alfalfa varieties under the ecological conditions of Eastern Anatolia, Gurpinar, Van Turkey. Six alfalfa varieties were grown, including domestic Kayseri, Bilensoy-80 and Van Native (ecotype) in addition to varieties Planet, Plato and CW-3567 of foreign origin. It was found that means of alfalfa varieties ranged from 77.9 to 82.3 cm for plant height; from 29.9 to 33.4 for number of main stems per plant; from 8.32 to 9.38 % for crude ash and from 16.55 to 17.55 % for protein content. The differences among the varieties for certain traits were not statistically significant. However, Van Native (43575 kg ha -1 ) and CW-3567 (43242 kg ha -1 ) gave high fresh herbage yields whereas CW-3567 (16201 kg ha -1 ), Van Native (15519 kg ha -1 ) and Kayseri (15194 kg ha -1 ) gave high hay yields. Beside, CW-3567 (2827 kg ha -1 ) was the best variety for crude protein yield. Based on the results of the study, it could be said that cultivar CW-3567 could be recommended to be grown under the ecological conditions of Eastern Anatolia.

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Forage pea (Pisum sativum ssp. arvense (L.) Poir.) is an important legume crop for fresh and dry herbage production with high input costs as irrigation and fertilization. Selection and breeding of accessions for improved drought tolerance, water, and mineral uptake efficiency become a necessity, rather than a choice. This study evaluated a set of forage pea accessions for the seedling root system architecture diversity and seed reserve utilization, under controlled conditions. Eight cultivars and an elite breeding line were evaluated for the first time in a plexiglass system. The number and lengths of the roots in each depth zone (0, 5, 10, 15+ cm) were evaluated and significant diversity was identified. The cultivar Livioletta had the highest number of roots and total root length. There was a significant correlation between seed weight, seed reserve utilization ratio, and root system vigor. Accessions with the highest seed reserve utilization had the highest total root length and numbers. Seedling root system vigor seems to be effective in predicting the fate of the accessions through maturity. The results suggested a possibility of “seedling root selection” for forage crop breeding.

Background: Plants face different abiotic stresses such as salinity that affect their normal development, growth and survival. Forage pea is an important legume crop for herbage production in ruminants. Its agronomy requires high levels of irrigation and fertilization. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of salinity on seedling root system development in forage pea under semi-hydroponics conditions.Methods: Different treatment of NaCl doses (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mM) on root architecture was investigated in two different forage pea cultivars (Livioletta and Ulubatlý) with contrasting root structures under controlled conditions. The experimental design was completely randomized design with three replications and nine plants per replication.Result: Salinity affects root and shoot development differently on these cultivars. Despite the salinity, Livioletta produced more shoot (0.71 g) and root biomass (0.30 g) compared to Ulubatlý (0.52 g and 0.25 g for Root and Shoot biomass, respectively) at 150 mM and all other salinity levels. Livioletta developed a better root system and tolerated salt to a higher dose than Ulubatlý. Understanding root system responses of forage pea cultivars may allow breeding and selecting salinity tolerant cultivars with better rooting potential.

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Article Info Received : 19.10.2016 Accepted : 21.01.2017 Heavy metal contamination has caused serious environmental and health-related problems around the world. To identify the concentrations and sources of heavy metals, 3400 surface soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were collected from the study area. Subsequently, the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in the samples were measured. In order to evaluate natural or anthropogenic sources of heavy metal content and their spatial distribution in agricultural fields of Central and East Parts of Black Sea Region soil geostatistic approach were combined with geographic information system (GIS). GIS technology was employed to produce spatial distribution maps of the 6 elements in the study area. The results showed that the concentration of Ni and Co exceeded its threshold level. The local pollution from Ni was attributed to the natural influences. The concentrations of the other heavy metals are relatively lower than the critical values. The mean values of the heavy metal contents arranged in the following decreasing order: Ni > Zn > Cu >Pb> Co > Cd in the study area. On the other hand, according to distribution ratio of heavy metals in total soil samples, except for Co and Ni distribution in total soil samples, all other heavy metal element exceeded concentration in samples were determined about less than 10% total soil samples. However, in some regions of the study area, the Cd, Cu and Zn contents were also slightly raised, this case possibly stem from excessive P fertilization and field traffic.

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