فهرست مطالب

Rangeland Science - Volume:2 Issue: 2, Winter 2012

Journal of Rangeland Science
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Winter 2012

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1391/07/04
  • تعداد عناوین: 10
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  • Abazar Ghanbari, Mahmood Sahraei Page 449
    In order to estimate the nutrient value of three dominant range species; Festuca ovina, Trifolium montanum and Alopecurus textilis via proximate analyses and gas production technique, samples were collected in three stages during grazing period from 26th May to 1th September in six areas of Sabalan Mountain in North West of Iran. Results showed that Trifolium montanum as a legume had higher values for Crude Protein (CP), total ASH, Organic Matter Digestibility (OMD), Metabolizable Energy (ME) and gas production at 24 hours and showed lower values for ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) and NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber) as compared to two other species that were considered as gramineae. Variation of quality traits in Trifolium montanum was lower than two other species. The obtained values of CP, NDF, ADF, ASH, EE, OMD, gas production and Dry Matter (DM) for Trifolium montanum were 18.65%, 41.83%, 26.97%, 8.95%, 0.26%, 64.50% g/kg and 50.96 ml/200mg, respectively. For Festuca ovina, they were 9.37%, 68.63%, 36.87%, 6.77%, 0.58%, 53.82% and 40.04 ml/200mg DM and for Alopecurus textilis, they obtained 5.01%, 73.03%, 42.18%, 5.97%, 0.56%, 55.63 % and 35.46 ml/200mg DM, respectively. The values of ME prediction that were calculated via Menke equation for Trifolium montanum, Festuca ovina and Alopecurus textilis were 2.31, 1.93 and 1.75 Mcal/kg DM, respectively. The mean level of predicted CP, ME and OMD for plants, especially in grasses (Festuca ovina and Alopecurus textilis) throughout the year, second and third stages of sampling (mid and late summer) and comparing the nutrient requirements of Moghanian sheep (native breed in Ardabil province) with these data show that only at early stage of sampling (late spring and early summer), one can supply sufficient nutrient for domestics whereas the ewes are pregnant at mid and end of summer and these nutrients are insufficient for them therefore, we have recommended the use of supplementary feeding in diets of grazing ewes for ideal productivity performance.
    Keywords: Quality traits, Gas production, Trifolium montanum, Festuca ovina, Alopecurus textilis
  • Jalal Barkhordari, Trahel Vardanian Page 459
    Classifying remote sensing imageries to obtain reliable and accurate Land Use/Cover (LUC) information still remains a challenge that depends on many factors such as complexity of landscape especially in arid region. The aim of this paper is to extract reliable LUC information from Land sat imageries of the Pishkouh watershed of central arid region, Iran. The classical Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) was first applied to classify Land sat image of 15 July 2007. The major LUC identified were shrubland (rangeland), agricultural land, orchard, river, settlement. Applying Post-Classification Correction (PCC) using ancillary data and knowledge-based logic rules the overall classification accuracy was improved from about 72% to 91% for LUC map. The improved overall Kappa statistics due to PCC were 0.88. The PCC maps, assessed by accuracy matrix, were found to have much higher accuracy in comparison to their counterpart MLC maps. The overall improvement in classification accuracy of the LUC maps is significant in terms of their potential use for land change modeling of the region.
    Keywords: Image classification, Land sat, Arid region, Accuracy, Iran
  • Saed Shahrokhi Sarduo, Reza Bagheri, Hamzeh Ahmadi, Fatemeh Mahdavi Page 465
    Awareness of the effects of fire on various aspects of an ecosystem after the fire, is important for range management. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties caused by fire can be the cause of changes in the vegetation. In this study, effects of fire on physical and chemical characteristics of soil were investigated. This research was carried out in a randomized block design method in the Golandaz rangeland of Bam. The variables in two treatment sites (with firing and without fire treatment) were organic carbon, nitrate, phosphor, potassium, EC, pH, percentage of sand, silt and clay, and soil structure. The results showed that absorbed potassium, silt, nitrate, organic carbon, EC, and pH are increased in fired site comparing to control site. Other elements including clay content, absorbed potassium, phosphorus, EC, and pH in fire site were not significantly different from control site.
    Keywords: Fire, Ecological factors, Chemical, Physical characteristics of soil, Golandaz dehbekri rangelands
  • Parinaz Asghari, Seyedeh Khadijeh Mahdavi, Seyed Ali Hosseini, Masumeh Mazandarani Page 473
    In the present study, the Tangrah region located in the vicinity of Golestan National Park was selected for exploring the changes in the amount of the secondary essential of hypericin in Hypericum perforatum in different highlands of the eastern Golestan province. The aerial flowered parts of the herb were collected randomly and in three replications from four altitudes of 300 m, 600 m, 900 m, and 1200 m in June (5-12) 2011, and dried in the open air, with their methanol essential being extracted using cold maceration method. The HPLC method was also used to determine the amount of hypericin samples. The variances of the obtained data were analyzed in F-test by using the SPSS software package. In addition, the means were compared by means of LSD. The results revealed that the amount of hypericin extracted at the altitudes of 300 m, 600 m, 900 m, and 1200 m were 1.903 mg/g, 1.393 mg/g, 1.710 mg/g, and 2.107 m g/g, respectively, so that the altitude of 1200 m recorded the greatest amount (2.107 mg/g) while the altitude of 600 m represented the smallest amount (1.393 mg/g). The statistical analyses showed that there is a significant difference between the altitude of 600 m and the altitudes of 300 m and 1200 m in the amount of observed hypericin (p>0.1), whereas no significant difference was observed between the altitude of 300 m and that of 1200 m. Moreover, there was no correlation between soil characteristics percentage despite the increase in the hypericin at different highlands.
    Keywords: Hypericum perforatum, Hypericin, Altitude, Golestan National Park
  • Bahram Gholinejad, Hassan Pourbabaei, Asghar Farajollahi, Eiraj Parvane Page 483
    Today, in the rangeland management science and determination of range capacity, accurate and true information about range production is crucial. In fact, range production is considered as a basis for range management. The aim of this study was to compare different methods for the estimation of forage production with four sampling methods in the rangelands of Kurdistan province, Iran. The sampling methods were Adelaide technique, double sampling, estimating method, clipping and weighting method (control). A two-way analysis of variance was made to compare the methods and vegetation types. The estimating methods and plant vegetation types were considered as treatments and blocks, respectively. The results showed that Adelaide method had no significant difference with control method and was selected as the best method for estimating the plant production in the rangelands of study area with dominant shrub plants. A significant difference was obtained between control and estimation methods. Therefore, this method had lower accuracy for estimating the production of range plants. The results showed that the composition of range plants was an effective factor on the accuracy of estimating methods and also paying attention to ecosystem variability was an important key to achieve a suitable method in order to estimate the range production. A significant difference was obtained between double sampling method and clipping and weighting method (control). It was due to various plant combinations of the study area. Therefore, the double sampling had lower efficiency than clipping and weighting method to estimate various plant species such as grasses, shrub and herbaceous plants.
    Keywords: Estimation of forage production, Vegetation types, Clipping, wighting, Adelaide, Double sampling
  • Ghasem Ali Abarsaji, Mohammad Mahdavi, Mohammad Hassan Jouri Page 491
    Soil salinity is one of the important factors which can influence the growth and distribution of plant species. Saline and alkaline rangelands of Golestan Province, Iran with low-deep underground water level are considered as a halophyte plant species growing area. Attempts have been made to determine soil salinity and its relationship with Frankenia hirsuta L. In order to determine the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of soil, three soil samples had been taken in the flowering stage of Frankenia hirsuta from the soil at depth of 0-30 cm in three undergrazing, exclosure and control areas (where there was no Frankenia hirsuta). Data were collected and analyzed for soil Electrical Conductivity (EC). Results showed that there was a significant difference (P≤0.01) among three sampling areas (exclosure, undergrazing and control). High EC values were obtained for control area. So, the presence of this species in saline and alkaline rangelands was highly affected by soil salinity. Soil salinity in the control area was 39% higher than undergrazing area.
    Keywords: Frankenia hirsuta, Golestan Province, Rangelands, Saline, alkaline, Alinity
  • Mohammad Reza Shahraki, Mohsen Sharafatmandrad Page 497
    Renewable natural resources are the wealth that not only belongs to the current generation but also to future generations. Diversity in rangeland user viewpoints and policy makers has caused these lands to face some damages. This study was conducted to compare viewpoints of ordinary members as rangeland users, and board of directors as executives of management plans. Statistical population of the study involved ordinary members and board of directorsof 28 range management cooperatives in Golestan province. According to the Krejsi- Morgan Table, 308 and 78 individuals were randomly selected for ordinary members and board of directorsas sample size, respectively. Main material of this study is based on utilizing question naires that their validity and reliability were checked based on a guide study. To analyze data, qualitative methods, descriptive statistics and T-test were used. The results showed that there was a significant disagreement between ordinary members and board of directors about effective social-economic factors on range management cooperatives success. Based on the results, providing loans to the cooperative members with low interest and long term payback and betters cheming for more attraction of members participation in decision-making and cooperatives plansare recommended.
    Keywords: Range management cooperatives, Success, Socio, economic factors, Golestan province
  • Mohammad Bagheri, Hassan Yeganeh, Eisa Bandak, Yaser Ghasemi Aryan Page 507
    The genus Thymus is perennial medicinal plants belong to the Lamiaceae family that is used for different propose in pharmaceutical industry. Environmental stresses, particularly salinity, are considered as the major factor reducing plant growth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of salt stress on germination characteristics and seedling morphology in two medicinal species of T. kotschyanus and T. daenensis. A factorial experiment was conducted using completely randomized design with four replications and seven salinity levels. The salinity factor were included of 0, 50, 100 150, 200, 250 and 300 mm NaCl. Data were collected for germination percentage, germination rate, time means of germination, radicle length, plumule length, seed vigor, and allometry ratios. The overall means of germination percentage, germination rate, radicle length, and seed vigor were lower for T. daenensis as 41.44, 0.28, 1.15 and 1.87 than those for T. kotschyanus as 54.32, 0.37, 1.81 and 2.8, respectively, indicating more tolerant to salinity for T. kotschyanus than that for T. daenensis. Results showed that by increasing salinity, the germination percentage, rate of germination, plumule length, radicle length, and seed vigor were reduced in both species. The slop of reduction was higher for T. daenensis than T. kotschyanus. In other words, T. kotschyanus was more tolerate to salinity than T. daenensis. It was concluded that this genus could be cultivated in environments, which plants are not in expose to salinity.
    Keywords: Salinity stress, Germination characteristics, Medicinal plants, Thymus kotschyanus, Thymus daenensis
  • Zahra Mohebbi, Mohammad Jafary, Ali Tavili, Mohammad Ali Zare Chahouki, Sholeh Baghbani, Zeinab Nourikia Page 513
    The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of index species, Astragalus ammodendron on the associated plants of Agropyron tauri and Bromus tomentellus from different aspects in Shazand rangeland in southwest of Markazi province. The effects of species density and distribution pattern and then index species on the soil properties were studied. Based on the randomized – systematic method, 4 transects with a length of 50 m were established. To find the relationships between index and associated plants, 30 points were randomly chosen along the transects and the number of species was counted from these points to a 50 cm distance in different aspects. Along the transects, the distribution pattern of index plants and their presence and absence were determined. To find the effects of index species on soil properties, soil samples were taken and soil properties were determined in laboratory. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The results showed that Astragalus ammodendron density with Agropyron tauri and Bromus tomentellus were similar to the east and west aspects and near distances. Astragalus ammodendron distribution pattern was randomized with a tendency toward the clumped pattern. The effect of Astragalus ammodendron on the soil characteristics was not significant except for the north aspect. Generally, it is concluded that the effect of Astragalus ammodendron (index species) on Agropyron tauri and Bromus tomentellus densities was not significant.
    Keywords: Shazand, Index species, Associate plants, Density, Distribute pattern
  • Laleh Malek Mohammadi, Saeed Mirzavash Azar Page 521
    We have studied the medicinal plants of Ghasemloo and then surveyed the usage percentage of different parts from each specimen for the medicinal or diet consumptions at three sites from the adjacent villages of Ghasemloo valley, villages of West and East Azerbaijan including 17 questioners. During two years, the medicinal plants that have been collected and provided as herbarium specimens were recognized in 47 families, 124 genera and 149 species. Determining the life form was done by Raunckiaer criterion. Also, the Cultural Index (CI) and mean Cultural Importance of family (mCIf) were surveyed and analyzed by NTSYS-pc Ver. 2.02. The largest families are Asteraceae (n=18), Rosaceae (n=18), Fabaceae (n=11), Lamiaceae (n=11) and Brassicaceae (n=10) species. Hemi-cryptophytes (31.54%), Therophytes (22.15%), Phanerophytes (22.82%), Cryptophytes (10.74%) and Chamaephytes (12.75%) are the most important life forms of reserve. Four families namely Rosaceae, Leguminosae, Labiatae and Juglandaceae had a considerable mCIf. The majority from ten surveyed endemic species indicated a considerable Cultural Index (CI). The studied region includes 0.77% of all endemic species of Iran and this issue confirms the necessity to protect this region more than ever. Thus, the conservation of endemic specimens of this region seems to be necessary.
    Keywords: Medicinal plants, Cultural Index (CI), Endemic specimen, In situ conservation, Ghasemloo valley