Journal of Rangeland Science
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Spring 2022

The Naâma steppe rangelands in Algeria are undergoing continuous degradation due to overgrazing, land clearing, silting up and desertification. Given the seriousness of this situation and the ecological deterioration of these steppe rangelands, the need for an action plan to preserve and rehabilitate the degraded rangelands is becoming more and more urgent. Among the solutions proposed for the degraded rangeland rehabilitation, the exclosure has proven to be an effective and inexpensive fight against the degradation factors. This study aimed to quantifying the effectiveness and impact of the exclosure rehabilitation technique after a protection period (2009-2015) in the esparto grasslands (Stipa tenacissima L.) ranges located at Djedida in the Naâma region (Western Algeria). The adopted methodological approach is that of the comparative analysis of vegetation descriptors based on a quantitative (recoveries, floristic richness) and qualitative assessment, evaluation of the plant cover (biological, systematic, biogeographic phytodiversity) between the exclosure rangeland and the nearby located grazing rangeland having about the same climato-edaphic station conditions. Thirty phytoecological surveys were carried out for the exclosure rangeland as well as on an unprotected control range (outside the exclosure area). The comparative analysis of the obtained results shows that, in general, the exclosure rangeland is relatively much richer in terms of quantity and quality than the grazing range. In the exclosure areas, the vegetation was more productive and more diversified, the average vegetation cover was 25% vs 5%, Number of species was 41 vs. 14 and density was 19.3 vs, 4.6 plants/100m² for exclosure and open grazing range, respectively. On the other hand, in the grazing range, the vegetation was much diversified in terms of biological, systematics and biogeographic aspects in terms of floristic diversity. The impact of exclosure of pastoral improvement was interesting after a period of more than 6 years.

Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis) is one of the major medicinal plants, naturally growing in deserts of Middle East and North Africa. Extending cultivation of this species is useful for sand dune fixation and livelihood of the local inhabitants. In spite of numerous studies on seed germination, there are still debates on the best methods of breaking seed dormancy for colocynth. Moreover, seed morphology, phonological stages and habitat conditions of this species is almost unravelled. This study was conducted in 2016-2020 at Gonabad desert, Iran. We established five line transects of 200 m and five plots of 4×4 m, and vegetation parameters, phenology and root morphology, soil charactristics of colocynth were measured. The pH varied between 7.0-7.5 in bare soil and 8.0-8.1 under the canopy of colocynth habitat. The soil of study area was classified as slightly saline. Two weeks pre-chilling at 4°C and night -day temperature range from 25-40°C significantly increased seed germination. In our study area, colocynth was detected as a perennial forb with long and ligneous roots (more than120 cm). Its vegetative growth starts in middle of May, seed ripening and shedding occur in October and November. Average fruit volume was 2.62 cm3 and seed number counted in each fruit varied between 250 to 420 by the length of 4-7 and 2-4 mm width. Big size fruits contained the highest seed numbers. The best harvesting time in terms of both economic value and seed viability is ripening of fruits.

 This investigation was conducted to determine the chemical composition and nutritional value of five dominant plant species in the vegetative stage, namely Artemisia herba-alba, Acer monspessulanum, Amygdalus lycioides, Amygdalus scoparia, and Atriplex leucoclada, in the pastures of Rustaq and Fedami areas, Darab in April, 2020. After collecting samples, the chemical compositions of plants including Dry Matter (DM), Organic Matter (OM), Crude Protein (CP), Ether Extract (EE), Ash, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) were determined according to the standard methods. Three 12-month-old Sistani bulls weighing 277±27 kg were used for the degradation test. The CP value ranged from 5.30 (Amygdalus scoparia) to 11.72% (Atriplex leucoclada) while NDF value ranged from 52.62 (Amygdalus lycioides) to 69.05% (Amygdalus scoparia) (P <0.01). After 96 hours of incubation, the highest and lowest gas productions with values of 54.83 and 38.66 (ml/200 mg DM) were related to Amygdalus lycioides and Amygdalus scoparia, respectively. The higher values of gas production were due to lower values of ADF (38.66%) and NDF (52.62%) in Amygdalus lycioides. The highest amounts of Ca (0.28%), P (0.15%), and Mg (0.12%) were recorded in Atriplex leucoclada. Through the gas production technique, the range of organic matter digestibility (OMD), digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD) and metabolisable energy (ME) were varied from 36.67 to 53.27%, 34.67 to 49.11%, and 5.57 to 8.08 (MJ/kg), respectively. The highest values of OMD (53.28%), DOMD (49.11%), and ME (8.08 MJ/kg) were recorded in Amygdalus lycioides, which were significantly higher than other studied plants (P<0.01). The nutritional value of Amygdalus lycioides, Atriplex leucoclada, Acer monspessulanum, and Artemisia herba-alba, respectively, were acceptable based on their composition and digestibility. The results of this experiment showed that range plants can meet a part of the livestock nutritional requirements.

In recent years, Iran has begun to move towards the development of the use of renewable energy sources in line with global developments. In this study, Side effects of two solar power plants on rangeland condition were studied. These solar power plants have been constructed using mosaic panels for installation obliquely on 16 ha in Absard rangeland (semi-steppe) and 23 ha in Shahrerey rangeland (steppe), Iran in 2016. In this study, sampling was performed in both rangelands for solar power plant and adjacent control. Sampling was done in 2019, based on the use of 100 m transects with one and two square-meter plots for semi-steppe and steppe, respectively, with a distance of 10 m on transects, systematically. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm from the beginning, middle and end of each transect as a composite sample. The obtained data were compared using independent T-test by SPSS software. Results showed that in comparing of soil factors between solar power plant and adjacent control site in both rangelands, there were no significant differences between treatments. However, vegetation cover and total biomass between solar power plant and control in Absard were significantly different (P<0.01). In Absard site, the vegetation cover (39% vs. 51%) and total biomass with values of (254 vs. 312 kg/h) were obtained in solar power plant and control, respectively, so the panel significantly reduced the performance of the vegetation cover and biomass in semi-steppe rangeland. In contrast, In Shahrerey , the vegetation factors between the solar power plant and the control were not significantly different from each other. So, from the point of view of natural resources and according to the results of the present study, for electricity generation, the establishment of solar power plant in the steppe rangelands is recommended as compared to semi-steppe rangeland.

In rangeland management, the ecological needs and response of plants to the environment is studied by investigating the relationship among measurements of plants and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plant density, vegetation cover and biomass of Salsola turcomanica with the soil physico-chemical properties. For this purpose, in three areas (area with high, medium and low coverage of S.turcomanica), three transects of 100 m length were located at a distance of 100 m from each other. In each transect, 10 plots (2m2) were systematically established. Then vegetation cover and the density of individual plants were recorded. Biomass was estimated via cutting and weighing method. Soil samples were systematically taken from center of each plot at the depth of 0-20cm. Some soil physical and chemical properties such as soil texture, bulk density, pH, EC, organic carbon, Absorbable P, exchangeable K and Na were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and mean comparisons were made using the Tukey test. The relationships among plant measurements and soil properties were investigated using multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrated that soil acidity had the most influence on the vegetation cover of S.turcomanica, likewise soil acidity and soil exchangeable sodium content had the most influence on its biomass. Among the exchangeable cations, Ca had the highest value and Na had the lowest one. This plant grows in saline and alkaline soils with low organic matter. Considering its long growth period and adaptation of this species to harsh environmental conditions, its use in rangeland improvement operations is recommended.

This study was conducted to morphologically characterize and cluster 26 germplasm entries of the native legume, Bouffordia dichotoma, collected in eastern Amhara (Ethiopia) for eventual selection of promising lines as forage crops. For the characterization of the entries the IBPGR descriptors list was used and data were analyzed using R software. Cluster analysis was conducted to help to understand the genetic diversity within the collection and to group similar entries. The resulting dendrogram showed 3 distinct groups of entries: Group 1 with 12 entries; Group 2 with 6 entries; and Group 3 with 8 entries. Group 1 was significantly different (p <0.05) from Groups 2 and 3 in terms of days to first flower, terminal leaflet length, terminal leaflet petiole length, length of inflorescence and plant height, as well as emergence, establishment, vigor, flowering and maturity. Leaf color of Groups 1 and 2 was light green while that of Group 3 was green. While most entries had semi-erect growth habit, those in Group 3 were prostrate or trailing. Three distinct types of seed coat colors were observed with Group 1 including dark brown, light brown and yellow, while Groups 2 and 3 were yellow only. Further studies are needed to determine how the various entries and groups perform in terms of biomass yield, nutritional quality and seed yield.

Capparis spinosa L. is a shrub plant that in addition to its forage use, has protective importance to prevent soil erosion in desert areas and importance values in treating many diseases as well. The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of phenol, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in different organs of C. spinosa in Sistan, Iranshahr and Saravan counties, Iran. Morphological traits (number of fruits, wet weight of fruit, dry weight of fruit, fruit diameter, number and length of branches, plant height, leaf length, leaf width and root depth) in each habitat were measured from four individuals of C. spinosa randomly. In order to perform phytochemical tests, different parts of the plant (stem, leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots) were randomly collected from the habitats in the post-flowering stage in June 2019. The total phenol and flavonoid content of all methanolic extracts were measured using the spectrophotometric method and antioxidant activity was determined using the free radical trap method. Data analysis was performed as factorial experiment based on completely randomized design in four replications. Rresults significant differences between different plant organs (P<0.01) in aspect of the antioxidant activity, the amount of total phenol and flavonoids. Also, there was a significant plant organs by habitats interaction (P<0.01). The results of the mean comparison showed the highest total phenol and total flavonoids were obtained from the methanolic extract of the flower 82.8 mg of quercetin equivalent per gram dry weight and 64.3 mg of gallic acid/g of dry weight in Sistan region, respectively, and the highest antioxidant activity was 15.7% in the fruit in Iranshahr region. According to the results, the obtained methanolic extract of C. spinosa flower and fruit in Sistan natural habitats is recommended to the treatment of diseases as a potential source of natural antioxidants.

Choosing the suitable species, sowing method and sowing season are three important factors for the success of rangeland restoration. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing season and sowing methods on vegetative growth and establishment of Astragalus lilacinus in rangelands of Ardabil province during 2014-2015. Seeds of Astragalus lilacinus collected from its natural habitats and after its viability testing, it sown in a split-plot design based on randomized complete block with three replications. Factor A was sowing season at two levels (autumn and spring) and Factor B, was sowing method at two level (Scatter seeding and row seeding). The seeds were sown under dryland farming conditions. Data collected for establishment rate, canopy cover, plant height, and the flowering stems number over two years. The data were analyzed of variance and the mean comparison was performed using Duncan's method. The results showed that the seedling establishment rate was 28.5% under rainfed conditions. The higher establishment percentage with an average value of 33.6% obtained in the scatter seeding that was significantly higher than row seeding (23.6%). The sowing season by sowing method interaction effect was significant for canopy cover (P<0.05) and the higher value of canopy cover (2398cm2) was obtained in autumn season using scatter seeding method.