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The fig fruit is a unique, climacteric, highly perishable subject to rapid physiological breakdown. Application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) was tested to delay ripening of black fig (Ficus carica L. cv. 'Bursa Siyahi') during storage over two growing seasons. Fruits were pre-cooled to 1 °C for 6 hours and afterwards treated with 500 or 1000 nl l -1 of 1-MCP for 24 hours. Treated fruits were stored for 10 days at 1 °C, 90-95% RH and then evaluated. 1-MCP treatments showed that ethylene production, respiration rate, weight loss and concentrations of glucose, fructose and total soluble solids (TSS) were negatively correlated to the 1-MCP doses during cold storage (with the exception of TSS in the first year of experiment and respiration rate in the second year of the experiment). In contrast, pulp firmness and colour (h o ) during cold storage were positively correlated to the 1-MCP applied doses. Results of this study showed that although 1-methylcyclopropene applications slowed down fruit softening during the 10 days of storage, 1-methylcyclopropene appeared to have a relatively limited effect on slowing ripening of 'Bursa Siyahi' figs.

Fourteen genotypes and 3 different gamma ray doses were tested to develop an efficient haploidization protocol in squash. For this purpose, male flowers collected 1 day before anthesis were irradiated with 150, 200, and 300 Gy gamma ray doses, and female flowers were pollinated with the irradiated pollens the next day. In the first year of the study, 1858 embryos were obtained from 219 fruits. While 1358 of these were found in fruits irradiated with a 150 Gy gamma dose, the remaining 500 embryos were found in fruits irradiated with 200 Gy. From fruits irradiated with 150 and 200 Gy gamma doses, 9.12 and 3.53 haploid embryos per 100 seeds were obtained, respectively. While Genotype 3 was the most successful genotype with 12.42 embryos per 100 seeds, the minimum embryo numbers were obtained from Genotype 4 with 1.46 embryos per 100 seeds. In the second experimental year, 8 genotypes and the same gamma doses were used, and 2625 haploid and 1378 diploid embryos were obtained from 217 fruits. At irradiation doses of 150, 200, and 300 Gy, 2010, 539, and 76 haploid embryos were found, respectively. Genotype 6 was the most successful genotype with 13.35 embryos per 100 seeds.

--Introduction. Two Turkish fig cultivars, Alkuden and Bursa Siyahi, were propagated by meristem culture to eliminate the fig mosaic virus. The technique of dsRNA analysis was conducted on the in vitro propagated plants to test for virus-free status. Materials and methods. Four different Murashige and Skoog (MS) media complemented with different concentrations of growth hormones (GA 3 , BA and IBA) were compared to study the cultured meristems' survival rate, shoot formation and rooting. Short-and long-term thermotherapy treatments were also applied. Results. For survival rate, 0.2 mg GA 3 ·L -1 + 0.5 mg BA·L -1 gave the most favorable results; for shoot formation, it was the medium with 0.2 mg GA 3 ·L -1 + 2.0 mg BA·L -1 which was the best, while rooting rate was the highest for meristems cultured on MS medium with only 0.1 mg GA 3 ·L -1 . Conclusion. Meristem culture, together with thermotherapy treatment, is recommended to obtain virus-free fig plant material. Although cultured plants seemed to be very healthy, dsRNA virus tests are recommended for sensitive evaluation of the sanitary status of the plants obtained.

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