Relationship Among Plant Measurements of Salsola turcomanica (Litv) and Soil Properties in Semi-arid Region of Golestan Province, Iran.

In rangeland management, the ecological needs and response of plants to the environment is studied by investigating the relationship among measurements of plants and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plant density, vegetation cover and biomass of Salsola turcomanica with the soil physico-chemical properties. For this purpose, in three areas (area with high, medium and low coverage of S.turcomanica), three transects of 100 m length were located at a distance of 100 m from each other. In each transect, 10 plots (2m2) were systematically established. Then vegetation cover and the density of individual plants were recorded. Biomass was estimated via cutting and weighing method. Soil samples were systematically taken from center of each plot at the depth of 0-20cm. Some soil physical and chemical properties such as soil texture, bulk density, pH, EC, organic carbon, Absorbable P, exchangeable K and Na were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and mean comparisons were made using the Tukey test. The relationships among plant measurements and soil properties were investigated using multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrated that soil acidity had the most influence on the vegetation cover of S.turcomanica, likewise soil acidity and soil exchangeable sodium content had the most influence on its biomass. Among the exchangeable cations, Ca had the highest value and Na had the lowest one. This plant grows in saline and alkaline soils with low organic matter. Considering its long growth period and adaptation of this species to harsh environmental conditions, its use in rangeland improvement operations is recommended.