Application of The Mat Dates Palma Dactylifera L. in Reducing Water Evaporation Losses in Drylands (Case Study: Semnan)

The loss of water from reservoirs in the country, especially in the central and southeast regions, due to the dry climate and high temperatures are significant, causing stress on water resources. There is a need to reduce the amount of evaporation from the surface of the reservoirs in order to conserve the country's usable water resources of the. In the present study, the effectiveness of Palma dactylifera L. mats with two coverage levels of 50 and 100% as evaporation reducion coatings- has been studied. To examine the performance of the mentioned methods on reducing water losses, Colorado evaporation pans were used at the Semnan University. The effectiveness of the mentioned coatings was studied with three replicates and in comparison, with the control for 30 days in different seasons of 2018, using the comparison means method. Based on the results of average comparison test using Duncan's method, the 50% and 100% coatings showed a significant 1% difference with the control in terms of evaporation and water temperature. Results indicate in spring, pans covered with 50% and 100% mats reduced evaporation by 9% and 70%, respectively, and by 0 and 72%. in summer. In autumn, it showed a decrease in evaporation of 39% and 72%, and in winter, and a decrease in evaporation of 38% and 78% compared to the control. In general, palm mat Palma dactylifera L. with 100% coverage has shown the best performance on the surfaces of Colorado evaporation pans. Results show that in arid lands and desert regions, palm mat covering are expected to reduce evaporation from water reservoirs and basins.