The best seeding dates of Atriplex canescens for seedling production in Bijin Station (Tehran province)

Rehabilitation of arid and semi-arid rangelands need particular species which are well-adapted to unsuitable regional and ecological condition and can produce enough forages for livestock, rich in nutrition andpalatability as well. Atriplex canescens, an exotic evergreen species which is resistant to drought and chilling, has been planted in some rangelands of Iran for several years. Major objectives of this experiment was to determine the best seeding date for producing seedlings and proper young plants for transplanting. Complete Randomized Design with treatment of seeding dates and 3 replications were used in this study. Four characteristics including percentage survivals, plant height, root length and number of branches were measured and analysed statistically. Overall data indicated that mid-August is the best seeding date for desert condition of the study area.