Turan Yüksek

The vegetative propagation capacity of stem cuttings from long-unpruned, tree-form tea plants is poorly documented. This case study compared cuttings from a single, approximately 70-year-old, unpruned tree-form Camellia sinensis donor with cuttings from seven regularly pruned commercial tea bushes in the same plantation and evaluated the effects of cutting collection period and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) concentration. Single-leaf, 8 cm long semi-hardwood cuttings were left untreated (control) or dipped at their basal ends in 500, 1000, or 1500 ppm IBA for 3 s and rooted in 100% perlite for 90 days. Overall, 2400 cuttings were evaluated; the direct factorial comparison included 960 cuttings collected from both donor sources in August and October, with the bush-form material restricted to the 30–50% slope class matching that of the tree-form donor. Survival, the combined callused-or-rooted response, and rooting were analyzed using bias-reduced binomial generalized linear models with a logit link, whereas four root and shoot growth traits measured in successfully rooted August cuttings were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance. Cuttings from the tree-form donor maintained 100% survival in August and October, but their rooting percentages were 25.00% and 0.00%, respectively, compared with 63.61% and 8.06% in the directly compared bush-form material. For rooting, donor source and cutting collection period were significant model terms, whereas the overall main effect of IBA concentration was not significant; the donor source × IBA concentration interaction was significant, but the donor source × cutting collection period interaction was not. IBA concentration significantly affected all four post-rooting growth traits, with a significant donor source × IBA concentration interaction only for aboveground fresh biomass. Thus, high cutting survival did not ensure successful adventitious rooting. Although the August results indicate that this particular mature donor can be propagated by stem cuttings under the conditions tested, the use of a single tree-form donor precludes population-level inference, and collection-period differences may also reflect seasonal environmental conditions experienced during the subsequent rooting periods. The findings should therefore be interpreted as case-specific evidence.

Limited information is available on how vermicompost form, form-specific dose, and application schedule jointly affect tea seedling development. This 135-day humid outdoor nursery study evaluated solid and liquid vermicompost applied at two doses as either single or three split applications to 270 individually potted Camellia sinensis seedlings assigned to eight factorial treatments and an untreated control. Repeated measurements of seedling height, root collar diameter, and leaf chlorophyll content were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models fitted by restricted maximum likelihood (REML); the control was retained only in supplementary one-way ANOVAs. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and temperature were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Vermicompost form, measurement time, and their interaction significantly affected seedling height and root collar diameter. Application schedule significantly affected root collar diameter (F = 7.35, p = 0.007) and chlorophyll content (F = 19.74, p < 0.001), but not seedling height, whereas dose within form showed no significant main effect on any of these traits. The form × application schedule × time interaction was significant for seedling height, whereas dose within form × application schedule × time was significant for root collar diameter and chlorophyll content. Treatment differences generally emerged from day 30 onward. The 30 g solid vermicompost treatment applied in three equal doses produced the highest final seedling height (24.80 cm) and root collar diameter (14.00 mm) and the highest chlorophyll content recorded during the experiment (914.98 µmol m⁻² on day 75). Treatment, measurement time, and their interaction significantly affected soil pH, EC, and temperature; pH remained within 4.90–5.76, and EC values did not indicate salinity stress. Selected split applications of solid vermicompost therefore showed potential to improve tea seedling growth, but significant higher-order interactions demonstrated that responses depended on vermicompost form, dose within form, application schedule, trait, and measurement time.

Green retaining walls are among the nature-based solutions that can contribute to climate change mitigation by increasing carbon storage capacity in urban areas. This study aimed to determine the aboveground biomass, aboveground carbon stock, and CO₂-equivalent values of Hedera colchica growing on green retaining walls and to evaluate the relationships among these parameters. Branch and leaf components were assessed separately in 16 samples. Oven-dry biomass, dry matter content, aboveground carbon stock, and CO₂ equivalent were calculated, and relationships among the variables were examined using Pearson correlation and regression analyses. The results showed that the branch component had significantly higher oven-dry biomass (384.08 vs. 219.62 g m⁻²), dry matter content (52.75% vs. 38.35%), aboveground carbon stock (192.04 vs. 109.81 g C m⁻²), and CO₂-equivalent values (704.79 vs. 403.00 g CO₂e m⁻²) than the leaf component (p < 0.01). A very strong positive relationship was identified between total dry biomass and oven-dry branch biomass (r = 0.928, p < 0.001), while mean branch diameter showed the strongest relationship with total dry biomass and total aboveground carbon stock (r = 0.803, p < 0.001). In the regression analyses, linear models based on mean branch diameter explained 59.6% of the variation in branch biomass, branch aboveground carbon stock, and branch CO₂ equivalent and 64.6% of the variation in the corresponding total values. By contrast, leaf biomass, leaf aboveground carbon stock, and leaf CO₂ equivalent were better described by power models (R² = 0.319). The leaf-to-branch ratio and leaf mass fraction showed significant positive relationships with leaf carbon stock and CO₂ equivalent, whereas branch mass fraction showed significant negative relationships with these variables. No significant relationships were found between residual moisture content after air drying and carbon-storage indicators. The findings suggest that Hedera colchica-covered retaining walls may contribute to aboveground carbon-storage ecosystem services, while mean branch diameter may serve as a useful site-specific morphological indicator for estimating biomass and carbon stock, highlighting the potential contribution of Hedera colchica-covered retaining walls to aboveground carbon storage under the site-specific conditions examined in this study.

This study evaluated the effects of different indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) doses, Aloe vera gel, and rooting media on the rooting performance and subsequent growth of vegetative tea (Camellia sinensis) cuttings. Cuttings collected during the second flush period were subjected to seven IBA concentrations (2000–8000 ppm), Aloe vera gel, or no pre-treatment and rooted in perlite or clay soil under greenhouse conditions using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Rooting and growth parameters were monitored for 120 days, followed by a 15-week growth assessment after transplanting. The rooting medium significantly influenced root length and cutting length, with clay soil promoting greater root elongation and perlite enhancing shoot growth. Among IBA treatments applied in perlite, intermediate concentrations (4000–6000 ppm) resulted in comparatively favorable rooting performance and growth compared to lower or higher doses. The highest rooting and survival rates were obtained with 5000 ppm IBA combined with perlite, while the greatest root number was observed at 6000 ppm IBA. Aloe vera gel was associated with greater root length particularly in soil-based media, suggesting its potential as a natural rooting stimulant under the tested soil-based conditions. Overall, the results indicate that rooting success and early growth of tea cuttings were influenced by both the auxin concentration and rooting medium under the tested greenhouse conditions. Under the conditions of the present study, the use of intermediate IBA doses in perlite appears to be an effective propagation approach, while Aloe vera gel may represent a promising alternative for soil-based rooting systems. These findings contribute to the optimization of vegetative propagation protocols for tea and support the production of high-quality, cost-effective planting material.

This study investigates the influence of varying cold stratification durations (0–165 days) on the germination performance and early seedling development of Rudbeckia fulgida. Seeds were divided into 11 groups at 15-day intervals, using a total of 1320 seeds. For each stratification duration, an equivalent number of seeds stored at room temperature served as non-stratified controls. Results demonstrated a clear and significant increase in germination percentage with longer stratification periods (Kruskal–Wallis, H = 57.03, p < 0.001), with the highest germination observed at 135 and 165 days (96.7%). In contrast, seeds kept at room temperature exhibited low and inconsistent germination. Strong positive correlations were detected between stratification duration and both germination percentage (r = 0.914) and post-stratification seed weight (r = 0.419). Furthermore, a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) model was developed to predict germination behavior, achieving an exceptionally high 99% predictive accuracy. The RSM analysis confirmed that cold stratification duration is the dominant factor shaping germination responses in Rudbeckia fulgida Aiton. Overall, the study demonstrates that cold stratification is essential for breaking seed dormancy in R. fulgida, substantially improving propagation efficiency and offering valuable insights for nursery production, landscape practices, and restoration ecology.

Kırsal alanda yaşanan en önemli sosyo-ekonomik sorunlardan birisi gelir dağılımdaki eşitsizlik ve yoksulluktur ki bu durum doğrudan kaynak kullanımındaki çatışmaların da nedenidir. Şüphesiz yoksullukla mücadele, yalnız başına gelirleri arttırmaya yönelik yürütülebilecek bir çaba da değildir. Konu elbette doğal kaynakların kullanılması kadar korunmasını da içeren entegre ve uzun erimli uygulamaları içeren bir planlamayı gerektirmektedir. Diğer deyişle özellikle doğal kaynak yönetimleri, havza bazlı bütünleşik planları sürdürülebilir uygulamaları içermiyorsa, kaynaklar hızla yok olma sürecine girmektedir. Kırsal alanda yoksullukla mücadele ve kırsal refahın arttırılması, doğal ve kültürel kaynakları kullanmayı elbette zorunlu kılmaktadır. Öte yandan bu kullanım talebinin kaynakların varlığını tehlikeye düşürmeyecek düzeyde tutulması ve doğal kaynak yönetiminin, korumayı önceleyen bir anlayış üzerine oturtulması gerekliliği, kaynak yönetiminin çözmesi gereken en temel sorundur. Eğer doğal kaynaklar bir alanda iş ve gelir olanakları sağlayacak şekilde kullanılacaksa, bu iş ve gelirlerin sürdürülebilirliği elbette kaynakları koruyabilme gücü ile sınırlı olacaktır. Günümüzdeki kaynak yönetim planlarındaki en önemli açmazın korumakullanma zıtlığı/çatışması olduğu ve çatışma yönetiminin her türlü kaynak kullanımında dikkatlerden uzak tutulmaması gereği açıktır. Çatışmalar; bir yörede yaşayan halkın aşırı kaynak kullanımından kaynaklı çıkabildiği gibi, bazen de kalkınma amaçlı yatırımlara karşı yerel halkın karşı çıkışları yani kaynak koruma motivasyonu ile de olabilmektedir. Bu değerlendirmeler ışığında çalışmada iki amaç belirlenmiştir: Bunlar; Fırtına Havzası doğal kaynak yönetim sorunlarının ortaya konulması ve bu sorunların çözümüne yönelik stratejiler oluşturmak ve değerlendirmeler yapmaktır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler Fırtına Havzasında uzun süreden beri yapılan arazi çalışmaları; yerel halk, kamu ve özel sektör temsilcileri ile yapılan yüz yüze görüşmeler; uygulanan anketlerden elde edilen bilgiler ve Fırtına Havzası ile ilgili farklı araştırmacılar tarafından yapılmış olan çalışmalardan elde edilmiştir. Yapılan bu çalışmaya göre: Yapılmakta olan önemli yatırımların varlığına rağmen, Fırtına Havzası sahip olduğu doğal ve kültürel kaynakların kırsal kalkınmayı yeterli şekilde destekleyecek planlama ve stratejilerden yoksun olduğu; Fırtına vadisi orman ve mera kaynaklarından çok yönlü faydalanmayı sağlayacak AR-GE çalışmalarının yetersiz olduğu ve derhal başlanması gerekliliği; Turizm için çok büyük bir potansiyel ortaya koyan ve Fırtına havzası içinde bulunan Kaçkar Dağları Milli Parkı kaynaklarını koruyacak yeterli sayı ve nitelikte personelin bulunmadığı; Fırtına havzasında yönetimsel faaliyetlerde bulunan kurumların yetersiz veya eksik olan kapasitelerinin geliştirilme gereği gibi sonuçlar ortaya çıkmış ve bu sorunların çözümüne ilişkin stratejiler ve değerlendirmeler ortaya konmuştur.