The impacts of plant species and rangeland practices on the carbon sequestration capacity (Case study: Dehaghan watershed, Isfahan province)

The increase in greenhouse gases emission over the last century has led to perturbation in the carbon cycle and has increased concerns. Therefore, the present study evaluated rangeland biological rehabilitation practices with native and cultivated plant species on carbon sequestration in Dehaghan region bushlands. For this purpose, two biological projects, including seeding Agropyron trichophorum in the Glisar region with a 17-year-old record and pit-seeding of Prangos ferulacea with a 10-year-old record in the Astane Sefla region were evaluated. Soil and plant sampling was carried out in the spring of 2013. Afterward, the carbon concentrations in soil and plant samples were evaluated based on Walkley black and Combustion Methods, respectively. Results also showed that the carbon sequestration capacity in the seeding of A. trichophorum in the Glisar region and pit-seeding of P. ferulacea in the Astane Sefla region has increased to 37.4 (on average 2.2 ton/ha/year) and 10.1 (in average 1.01 ton/ha/year) comparing to control region, respectively. In general, A. trichophorum seeding project has been more successful than P. ferulacea pit-seeding in terms of increasing carbon stabilization. The results also showed that Astragalus verus and Bromus tomentellus species have a high potential for carbon stabilization compared to many rangeland species in rangeland improvement projects.