Ecological characteristics of Festuca sulcata in Alpine ranges of Ardebil province

The ecological characteristics of Festuca sulcata Beck were studied in this research to examine its potential application in rangeland improvement. Five sites were selected for sampling using vegetation map, field visit based on the species distribution. In each sampling site, three 100-m transects and 10 plots (1m×1m) along the transects were selected using systematic-randomized method. The factors related to canopy cover, bush height, species frequency forage, and seed production were measured on the transects in the plots. Also some qualitative characteristics such as root system, phenology, seed quality, regeneration, preference value, and chemical composition of the plant were studied. The results showed that Festuca sulcata is distributed from 2200 to 3800 m from the sea level on acidic and alkaline clay-loam textured soils in the study area. The growth time was begun from May to the end of June and the time of ripened and seed dissemination was started from July to mid-August. In early flowering stage, the palatability was in grade I and the best grazing time was in seed ripened stage. In the post-seeding stage, the plant became woody and livestock grazing preference was reduced. Forage production yield was 528.58 kg dry matter ha-1, while seed production was 95.33 kg ha-1. Due to the resistance to cold and frost conditions, this species is suitable for restoration and improvement of rangelands with more than 350 mm rainfall.