Eastern Anatolia in Turkey, were screened for their possible antioxidant activities by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging and β-carotene/linoleic acid. Total phenolic content of the extracts of Salvia species were performed Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and gallic acid used as standard. A wide variation has been observed among species in terms of antioxidant activity and total phenolic content. In both DPPH and β-carotene system, the most active plant was Salvia verticillata with a value of IC 50 =18.3 μg/ml and 75.8%, respectively. This specie also has the highest total phenolic content (167.1 mgGAE/g DW). The total amount of phenolics was between 50.3 to 167.1 mg GAE/g DW among species. A positive linear correlation was observed between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the extracts. The results suggest that the extract of Salvia species, notably Salvia verticillata with the highest antioxidant activity, can be used as natural antioxidants in the food industry.

N fertilization has a substantial influence on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed yield and quality. It was also well established that high-yielding sunflower hybrids had more N requirement than old cultivars such as open-pollinated ones. However, in Turkey, no sufficient information regarding the response of new developed oilseed sunflower hybrids to nitrogen fertilization under irrigated conditions. Therefore, a 2-year study was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen application rates on the growth, yield, and yield components of two oilseed sunflower hybrids (AS-508 and Super 25) under irrigated conditions. In this study, all plant parameters were significantly influenced by applied nitrogen fertilizer rates. Yield response to nitrogen rates was positive and linear. Our research data indicated that under irrigated conditions N rate of 120 kg/ha was adequate for sunflower production in this region.

The objective of this study was to determine the chemical compositions of the essential oil and hexane extract isolated from the inflorescence, leaf stems, and aerial parts of Florence fennel and the antimicrobial activities of the essential oil, hexane extract, and their major component, anethole, against a large variety of foodborne microorganisms. Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the essential oils obtained from inflorescence, leaf stems, and whole aerial parts contained (E)-anethole (59.28-71.69%), limonene (8.30-10.73%), apiole (trace to 9.23%), beta-fenchyl acetate (3.02-4.80%), and perillene (2.16-3.29%) as the main components. Likewise, the hexane extract of the plant sample exhibited a similar chemical composition, and it contained (E)-anethole (53.00%), limonene (27.16%), gamma-terpinene (4.09%), and perillene (3.78%). However, the hexane extract also contained less volatile components such as n-hexadecanoic acid (1.62%), methyl palmitate (1.17%), and linoleic acid (1.15%). The in vitro antimicrobial assays showed that the essential oil, anethole, and hexane extract were effective against most of the foodborne pathogenic, saprophytic, probiotic, and mycotoxigenic microorganisms tested. The results of the present study revealed that (E)-anethole, the main component of Florence fennel essential oil, is responsible for the antimicrobial activity and that the essential oils as well as the hexane extract can be used as a food preservative. This study is the first report showing the antimicrobial activities of essential oil and hexane extract of Florence fennel against probiotic bacteria.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sowing date and nitrogen fertilizer forms on the yield and agronomic characteristics of two cultivars of oil sunflower (early, Sirena and late, Teknosol) in Erzurum, Eastern Anatolia of Turkey, in 2013 and 2015. Three sowing dates were established at about 10-day intervals from late-April to early and mid-May (22 April, 2 May and 12 May 2013; and 28 April, 8 May and 18 May 2015). Three nitrogen fertilizer forms ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and urea were used. The results of this study showed that sunflower seeding from 28 April to 8 May gives more assurance for higher yields. The present results highlighted the practical importance of fertilization with appropriate nitrogen fertilizer forms in seed and oil yield formation in sunflower, and the urea form can be suggested to meet its N requirements. The yield differences measured for three sowing dates and nitrogen fertilizer forms were primarily related to the changes in head diameter and 1000 seed weights. According to the results of this study, early sunflower cultivars, having the highest yield and agronomic characteristics can be recommended for the similar ecological condition of our study region a short growing season and high altitude.

Introduction Turkey is one of the few countries in the world that is largely self-sufficient in terms of food. The country's fertile soil, access to sufficient water, suitable climate, and hardworking farmers all make for a successful agricultural sector. In addition, a broad range of crops can be raised because of the variety of different climates throughout the land. This has allowed Turkey to become the largest producer and exporter of agricultural products in the Near East and North African regions (Açar et al., 2016; Bozokalfa et al., 2016; İpek et al., 2016). However, despite all efforts to increase oilseed crop production, Turkey continues to be import-dependent for oilseeds and products. Sunflower is the most important oilseed crop of Turkey, with the production of approximately 650,000 ha annually (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/). Most of the sunflower production areas in Turkey are devoted to oilseed sunflower types, and non-oilseed sunflower production is estimated to be practiced on about 100,000 ha, which corresponds to roughly one-sixth of the total harvested area. Eastern Anatolia is the largest geographical region of Turkey, where non-oilseed sunflower acreage accounts for approximately 90% of the total harvested area (http://www. fao.org/faostat/en/). Sunflower is mainly grown for two principal marketing objectives: oilseed and non-oilseed (confectionery). Non-oilseed sunflower production, although a small, specialized market in comparison with oilseed sunflower, is nevertheless constantly growing in size and importance due to the increasing demand for sunflower seeds in the health-food, confectionary, and snack trades. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are natural or synthetic organic compounds that control or modify one or more physiological events in plants. These synthetic compounds are widely used in plants, especially in cereals, in reducing plant height. The most commonly used and known PGR group is the gibberellins. Gibberellins affect many physiological functions in plants. They are essentially responsible for controlling cell elongation and shoot and stem growth (Spitzer et al., 2011). When gibberellins are applied to plants, internodes become shorter and leaves become thicker and greener, increasing both drought resistance and net photosynthesis (Arteca, 1995). Mepiquat chloride (MC), which is a gibberellin acid