Hasan Akay

Accurate assessment of crop health and yield potential facilitates precise estimation of above-ground biomass (AGB). Traditional AGB estimation methods are often limited by their destructive, labor-intensive nature. This study developed a rapid, non-destructive approach to estimate sorghum AGB using high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data and machine learning (ML). A two-year field experiment tested four irrigation strategies: full irrigation at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (S1), partial deficits at 75% and 50% of S1, and a rain-fed (S4). This gradient assessed the ML model’s robustness across diverse conditions, yielding 216 AGB measurements reflecting variable plant responses to water stress. Multispectral and canopy height data were derived from UAV imagery collected during the sorghum growing season. Three ML algorithms—Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN)—were applied. RF outperformed others with an R² of 0.80, RMSE of 0.78 kg m⁻², and MAE of 0.58 kg m⁻², followed by SVM (R² = 0.64, RMSE = 1.08 kg m⁻², MAE = 0.77 kg m⁻²), while K-NN showed the lowest accuracy (R² = 0.50, RMSE = 1.26 kg m⁻², MAE = 0.96 kg m⁻²). Optimal RF hyperparameters were identified, and estimated AGB aligned closely with ground measurements, showing no significant differences. Spatial AGB maps effectively highlighted variability across treatments. This study demonstrates that UAV-based remote sensing combined with ML offers a reliable, non-destructive method for sorghum AGB estimation, enhancing precision agriculture applications such as irrigation management, crop monitoring, and yield prediction.

This research was conducted to determine the effects of plant growth regulator (Naphthalene acetic acid) applied to four different row spacing (17.5, 35, 52.5 and 70 cm) on seed yield and yield components of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) under temperate climate conditions in Turkey. The experimental design featured a split plot with three replications during the growing season of 2019-2023. In the research, biomass yield, harvest index, racemes per stem, pods per raceme, and seeds per pod were examined as well as seed yield. According to the research results, plant growth regulator increased seed yield and yield components except biomass yield. Seed yield varied among row spacing and the highest seed yield was determined at 52.5 cm row spacing. In present study, it was concluded that 52.5 cm row spacing was suitable for alfalfa seed yield for similar ecologies, and further research should be conducted for plant growth regulator application in forage crops.

Çeltik, dünya nüfusunun yarısından fazlası için temel gıda kaynağı olan en önemli tahıl ürünlerinden biridir. Artan dünya nüfusunu sürdürülebilir bir şekilde besleyebilmek adına, tarımsal sulama yöntemlerinin geliştirilmesi ve su kaynaklarının verimli kullanımı üzerine çalışmaların yoğunlaşması gerekliliği giderek artmaktadır. Çeltik bitkisinin sulanan tarım alanlarının %34-43'ünü kullandığı tahmin edilmektedir. Küresel ölçekte su kaynakları hızla azalmaktadır ve çeltik üretiminde ihtiyaç duyulan toplam sulama suyu miktarı; kullanılan çeltik çeşidi, toprağın özellikleri ve ekim yöntemleri gibi çeşitli faktörlere göre farklılık göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, Tesadüf Blokları deneme desenine göre düzenlenmiştir. Çalışmada 2 çeltik çeşidi, 2 farklı sulama yöntemi (Geleneksel ve Alternatif tava ıslatma kurutma) ve 3 farklı ekim yöntemi (Sulu, Kuruya ve Fideleme) seçilmiş ve araştırma üç tekrarlamalı olmak üzere 36 lizimetrede yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada çeltikle ilgili bitki boyu, ana sap kalınlığı, salkım uzunluğu, metrekaredeki bitki sayısı, tane verimi, bin tane ağırlığı, kırıklı randıman ve kırıksız randıman gibi özellikler incelenmiştir. İncelenen parametreler üzerine araştırma konularının istatistiksel olarak etkisi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Tane verimi açısından su uygulamasında geleneksel sulama ile alternatif ıslatma kurutma sulama yöntemi arasında %25 oranında tane verimin azaldığı tespit edilmiştir. Ekim yöntemleri açısından ise, sulu ekim, kuru ekim ve fideleme yöntemleri birbirini takip etmiştir. Yapılan araştırma sonucunda en yüksek tane veriminin suya ekim yönteminde ve geleneksel sulama ile elde edildiği tespit edilmiştir.

Soil salinization poses a significant challenge to the sustainability and productivity of agriculture worldwide. This issue continues to hinder plant growth, requiring innovative solutions to alleviate salt stress. Moreover, climate change accelerates soil salinization, which may soon spread to previously unaffected agricultural areas. Therefore, the present study evaluated the potential role of different seed priming agents (hydro (H), salicylic acid (SA), proline (P), and melatonin (MEL)) on seedlings and leaf macro and micronutrients of sorghum grown under four (.27, 2.5, 5.0, and 8.0 dS m⁻¹) soil salinity conditions. Soil salinity drastically reduced all the growth parameters of sorghum seedlings, primarily the reduction in growth traits, which was remarkable after 2.5 dS m⁻¹ soil salinity. In addition, plant height, shoot fresh weight, and stomata were reduced by 40.8%, 74.6%, and 36.5%, respectively, at 8.0 dS m⁻¹ compared to .27 dS m⁻¹. SA‐ and MEL‐primed seeds mitigated the harmful effects of soil salinity by reducing Na⁺ accumulation in the leaves and increasing the K⁺/Na⁺ and Ca²⁺/Na⁺ ratios and photosynthetic activity under salt stress. However, the Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Cu²⁺ contents of sorghum leaves increased with increasing soil salinity, and these nutrients also improved with seed priming by SA, MEL, and P. Considering all nutrients, MEL‐primed sorghum seeds had better macro‐ and micro‐nutrient uptake capacities than the H, SA, and P treatments under high soil salinity conditions. Finally, the present study showed that MEL‐induced improvement in salt tolerance in sorghum seedlings was related to enhanced nutritional status, photosynthetic activity, and biomass production in salinized areas.

Wheat (Triticum avestivum L.) has a wide adaptation limit and it is used as an important source of essential nutrients for both humans and animals. Wheat bran is also a by-product of the milling of wheat grain. It has a unique nutritional composition due to the amount and quality of proteins, mineral content and B complex vitamins content and dietary fiber content. One of the aims of this study was to determine the grain yield, yield components and quality traits of 36 wheat cultivars between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The other aim was to determine the nutritional properties of the bran obtained from these cultivars. Plant height, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, grain yield, thousand grain weight, test weight, wet gluten and sedimentation value traits were determined only in the whole grain, while ash content, protein content, starch content, fat content, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium traits were determined both in the whole grain and in the bran. It is expected that the data obtained in this study will be reported in the literature, evaluated in terms of product quality and taken into account in breeding programs.

This research was conducted in Samsun Bafra conditions in 2021, using a total of 19 different genotypes of popcorn, which differ from other corn subspecies in terms of grain size and usage area, and have gained popularity for snacking purposes. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The study examined plant height, main stem diameter, leaf number, cob length, cob diameter, cob row number, number of kernels per cob, cob weight, kernel weight, and grain yield of the popcorn genotypes. It was determined that there is a statistically significant relationship between these examined parameters and genotypes. According to the results of the experiment, plant height in popcorn genotypes ranged from 128.33 to 207.00 cm, main stem thickness varied between 11.91 and 20.20 mm, leaf number per plant ranged from 8.33 to 12.33, cob length varied from 11.60 to 20.33 cm, cob diameter ranged from 27.63 to 36.49 mm, cob row number varied between 12.00 and 15.67, and the number of kernels per cob ranged from 405.67 to 772.67. The grain yield values ranged from 183.05 to 482.43 kg/da. The research determined that the average grain yields of populations and lines were higher than the overall average of popcorn cultivars. When considering grain yield and yield parameters, the TBCM-6 line stood out. According to the biplot analysis, it was observed that the P2 and P3 populations, along with the TBCM-3, TBCM-4, TBCM-6, TBCM-23, TBCM-44, and TBCM-62 lines, excelled in terms of yield and yield components.

Çeltik (Oryza sativa L.), dünya nüfusunun yarısından fazlasının temel besin kaynağını ve günlük kalori ihtiyacının neredeyse yarısını sağlayan hayati bir tahıl grubudur. Bununla birlikte, çeltik, çimlenme ve erken fide gelişimi sırasında tuz stresine karşı hassastır. Bu çalışma, farklı NaCl ve CaCl2+ konsantrasyonlarının çeltik çimlenmesi ve erken fide gelişimi üzerindeki etkisini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmada ülkemizde yaygın olarak yetiştirilen Efe çeşidi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada ülkemizde yaygın olarak yetiştirilen Efe çeşidi kullanılmıştır. Tohumlar, fide ve erken büyüme dönemlerinde 7 farklı NaCl ve CaCl+2 konsantrasyon seviyesinde hazırlanan solüsyonlar kullanılarak çimlendirildi ve sulandı: 0.38 dS m-1 (T0), 1.5 dS m-1 (T1), 3 dS m-1 (T2), 5 dS m-1 (T3), 7 dS m-1 (T4), 9 dS m-1 (T5) ve 11 dS m-1 (T6). Çimlenme oranı tohum ekiminden 5 gün sonra, fide büyüme parametreleri ile yaprak ve kök mineral içerikleri ise ekimden 15 gün sonra incelenmiştir. Tuz toleransı ve canlılık indeksi değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Çalışma tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre 3 tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. İncelenen özellikler arasında istatistiksel olarak önemli farklılıklar gözlenmiştir. Tuz konsantrasyonu arttıkça çimlenme oranı ve erken fide büyüme özellikleri azalmıştır. Kök mineral içeriğine bakıldığında, tuzluluk arttıkça Na+, K+ ve Ca+2 mineral içerikleri artarken, K+/Na+ ve Ca2+/Na+ oranları azalmıştır. Benzer şekilde fide mineral içeriği bakımından tuzluluk arttıkça Na+, K+ ve Ca+2 artarken, K+/Na+ ve Ca2+/Na oranları azalmıştır. Bu bulgular, çeltik bitkilerinin çimlenme ve erken fide büyüme aşamalarında tuz stresine duyarlı olduğunu göstermektedir. Yapılan analizler, ülkemizde yaygın olarak yetiştirilen Efe çeltik çeşidi için %80 çimlenme için maksimum tuz konsantrasyonunun 7 dS m-1 (T3) olduğunu göstermiştir.

Türkiye has ideal ecological conditions for growing rice, and its yield per hectare is often higher than the average worldwide. However, unbalanced fertilization, nutrient deficiency, and irrigation problems negatively affect paddy production when soil characteristics are not considered. The present study was conducted on a 1763-hectare field (652000-659000E-W and 4528000-4536000N-S) in 2019. This study's primary goal was to categorize land quality for rice production using 15 different physicochemical parameters and a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) and deep learning (DL) technique. Using these parameters soil types were classified and regression analysis was performed by DL. Different soil parameters as network outputs used in this study caused different performance levels in models. Therefore, different models were suggested for each network output. The R2 values indicated a respectable level for parameter prediction, and an accuracy of 88% was attained when classifying "class" data. The findings of the study demonstrated that deep learning may be used to forecast soil metrics and distinguish between different land quality classes. Additionally, a field investigation was used to validate the indicated land quality classifications. Using statistical techniques, a substantial positive link between rice yield and land quality classes was discovered.