Effect of sowbug on Soil Aggregate Stability in a Desert Region (Case Study: Gareh Bygone Plain, Iran)

The appearance of sowbugs (Hemilepistus shirazi Schuttz) in the sedimentation basins of the artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) systems in the Gareh Bygone Plain (GBP) in southern Iran is considered an ecological breakthrough in desertification control. This study was performed at the Kowsar Floodwater Spreading and Aquifer Management Research, Training and Extension Station in GBP, 200 km from the south east of Shiraz, Iran, on the alluvial fan of Bisheh Zard River. Invasion of sowbug to sedimentation of basin due to water increasing persuade us to study about this crustacean. To determine aggregate size distribution, the soil samples were dried, and then the soil was sieved through a set of sieves (8, 4.75, 2.8, 2.0, 1.0, 0.8., 0.3 and