Comparison between Polylatice polymer and petroleum mulch on seed germination and plant establishment in sand dune fixation

Using petroleum mulch to fix shifting sand dunes in Iran historically refers to 40 years ago.Investigation of the impacts of the petroleum mulch on seed germination and seedling and cutting establishment is always a big dilemma. To reduce or eliminate the negative effects of the petroleum mulch, polylatice polymer is introduced as a substitution. Polylatice is a natural polymer, which due to forming a polymeric network can bond solid materials together. This study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of the Polylatice polymer and petroleum mulch for sand dune stabilization and plant growth establishment. The research was conducted in two phases: greenhouse and field work. In greenhouse phase, the effect of Polylatice on seed germination and establishment of Haloxylon persicum was investigated in comparison with the petroleum mulch in a completely randomized design with four treatments and three replications (petroleum mulch, soluble Polylatice, polylatice- sand, and blank). Two dependent variables ofgermination “three weeks after seeding” and “seven weeks after seeding” were chosen to investigate the treatment's effects. In three weeks after seeding, the least germination percentage belonged to Polylatice-sand treatment, and the maximum belonged to petroleum mulch.Minimum and maximum germination in seven weeks after seeding was obtained on Polylaticesandand blank treatments, respectively. In field experiment, the effectiveness of the treatmentson dependent variables (establishment of Haloxylon persicum and Caligonom sp) wereinvestigated in a completely randomized design. Data were subjected to analysis of variance(ANOVA) and means were classified using the Duncan multiple-range test. One way ANOVAshowed no significant effect of treatments on establishment of seedlings and cuttingsestablishment.