---

Criticism of public extension services has resulted in various countries seeking alternative approaches for provision of these services. In all these approaches, extension personnel are the key factors to the success of the implementation. Today, agricultural extension services in Turkey bear the responsibility of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. A number of non-public extension activities, on a very small scale, and in limited regions are being administered by various entities. The present study aims at determining the extension methods used by extension personnel in practice along with their views and evaluations of extension systems (public-private). A number of 103 extension personnel were contacted and then included in the survey. Absolute and proportional distribution, independence test (Chi-square) and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) were employed to analyze data obtained from the received questionnaires. It was observed that mostly individual and group extension methods were used, with young personnel preferring the individual method, while the others preferring the group model. Although 54.37% of the extension personnel in Isparta believed that extension services should be privatized, 32.14% were of the belief that extension should continue as a public service. 

---

Saffron is an important medicine, spice, dye, and cosmetic plant, and weeds limit its production and increase the related costs of management. This study aimed to determine effective control methods against weeds in saffron cultivation and find the effects of weed control on crown development, stigma yield, and daughter corm yield and quality. The study was established in the production periods of 2019-2021, at Hatay Olive Research Institute, Hassa Station, Turkey, based on completely randomized blocks design with 14 treatments and 3 replications. Results indicated that the highest effect (100%) on weeds was recorded for U5 (pine sawdust+benfluralin) and U6 (textile mulch) applications and the lowest effect was obtained from U13 (2,4-D amine) application at the first and second year of the study. The best quality criteria of saffron were achieved in U6 and U4 (pine sawdust) applications for corm production, and U6, U5, and U4 applications for quality daughter corm production.

---

Tomato is one of the worldwide major foods consumed fresh, cooked, or processed. Mineral elements, vitamins, and antioxidant content of tomatoes are of interest because of their nutritional value and beneficial health effects. The present study was performed to evaluate the macro- and micro-elements contents of leaves and fruits of seven wild tomato species, in addition to morphological traits. Wild tomato species had variations for all elements in fruits. Coefficient of variation was calculated for elements as 18.50 to 94.32% for potassium and phosphor, respectively. Most of the wild tomato species had higher content of all mineral elements than cultivated tomato. Resistance genes (Frl, I-2, I-3, Mi-3, Pto Ty-1, Ty-3 and Sw-5) of wild tomato species were screened using molecular markers. LA1971, with six resistant genes, and LA1393 and LA1777, with five resistant genes, were considered the most promising parental candidates for breeding. The results of the analysis of mineral elements of seven wild tomatoes species are useful for future tomato breeding.