Maintaining and Extend Existing Ecosystems and their Biodiversity, of both Plants and Animals, Especially Ecosystems Under Threat
Biodiversity in the forests of our campus is being investigated for academic purposes.
New type cotton species:
In Doganlar/Frary lab at IZTECH, a new type of cotton was developed. The new cotton species has higher efficiency and quality when compared to the conventional cotton plant.
Development of tomato plants resistant to T. Absoluta:
Study conducted in Doganlar/Frary lab at IZTECH, was aimed at determining if the expression of a Bt cry gene in tomato could provide control of the leaf miner Tuta absoluta. This insect was initially only a threat to crops in South America but within the past decade it has spread to Europe and Africa where it has earned the nickname ‘tomato Ebola.’ Control of this pest is especially difficult in developing countries which may not have access to insecticides or may not be able to afford the repeated sprays that are needed to eliminate leaf miner. In our research, the cry1Ac gene was introduced into tomato plants. The transgenic plants were then examined for their response to leaf miner infection. Up to 100% of leaf miner larvae died after feeding on leaves producing crystal proteins.
Genetic Diversity of Turkish Olive Varieties
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most important and characteristic fruit crops of the Mediterranean region. This crop has been grown in Turkey for more than 3000 years and many varieties are currently grown in five geographic regions. The genetic diversity of 66 olive varieties from these regions was assessed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers.
IZTECH has in total 8000 olive trees in the campus area which are continuously studied and used for olive oil production.
https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/bilim-teknoloji/iytede-yeni-pamuk-cesidi-gelistirildi/1035566
https://sciencetrends.com/using-genetic-engineering-control-leaf-miner-insects-tomato- plants/
https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2135/cropsci2010.11.0625
Bird Biodiversity:
In cooperation with IZTECH TAMIKAM Nature Association, a “Bird Watching and Geographical Labeling Workshop” was organized as the first stage for the creation of the IZTECH Campus Biodiversity Inventory. After the theoretical training, field observation work was carried out in the campus.
