Effect of Haloxylon ammodendron and Pistachia Vera plantation on carbon and nitrogen storage in Artemisia sieberi shrubland of Semnan province

The main objective of this research is to measure the impact of land use changes and biological restoration on C and N storage in some arid rangelands of Semnan province covered by Artemisia sieberi species. In this study two sites in Ghooshe and Ivanaky were selected. To estimate C and N storages and their distribution in the different treatments, biomass (above ground and below ground), soil (0-25, 25-50, 50-75 cm) and litter factors were sampled and analyzed. Results show that both land use change to Haloxylon ammodendron and Pistachia vera plantations have increased 89% and 185% in carbon and 84% and 172% in nitrogen of biomass, respectively. However H. ammodendron plantations have increased C storage of soil but pistachio has decreased C and N storages of soil. Generally Haloxylon plantation has considerably increased fixation carbon and nitrogen of the ecosystem. Similar results are not observed for land use change into pistachio plantations. The reasons of this observed differences result may be related to more extension of root biomass in Haloxylon in compare with Pistachio and effect of agriculture practices on decreasing C and N storage of the soil.