Zakiye Dastoori; Mohammad Farzam
Abstract
Ferula foetida is one of the important medicinal plants in the steppe rangelands of Iran. Applying effective methods for its establishment can be useful for reviving the ecosystems of arid areas and the economy of its indigenous people. Due to the fact that drought stress is one of the main limitations ...
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Ferula foetida is one of the important medicinal plants in the steppe rangelands of Iran. Applying effective methods for its establishment can be useful for reviving the ecosystems of arid areas and the economy of its indigenous people. Due to the fact that drought stress is one of the main limitations in the establishment of plants in arid and semi-arid regions, in this study the effects of various treatments were studied on seed germination and establishment of Ferula foetida seedlings, in the Kakhk Twin Watersheds, located in the south of Khorasan Razavi province, Gonabad city. Experiment included some soil moisture conservation treatments (stone shelter, superabsorbent, superabsorbent + stone shelter or control) and seed treatments (prechilling or control), with 30 replicates for each treatment. Superabsorbent + sand shelters and sand shelters alone, reduced temperature and increased soil moisture. Moisture conservation treatments led to higher number of seedling emergence and survival and higher seedling height than those of control. Among the moisture conservation treatments, superabsorbent + stone shelter performed better, especially for the prechilled seedlings. According to the our results, superabsorbents and stone shelters can improve the production and productivity of Ferula foetida, especially during the drought times. We also suggest prechilling treatments to overcome the dormancy of Ferula foetida seeds.
Parviz Gholami; Mohammad Farzam; Nateq Lashkari sanami; Lale Amouzgar
Abstract
The study of soil seed bank provides vital information for rehabilitation and restoration of rangeland ecosystem. In the arid and semi-arid environments, shrub plants may cause accumulation of seed bank under their canopy, thereby protecting them against the livestock herbivory and the other environmental ...
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The study of soil seed bank provides vital information for rehabilitation and restoration of rangeland ecosystem. In the arid and semi-arid environments, shrub plants may cause accumulation of seed bank under their canopy, thereby protecting them against the livestock herbivory and the other environmental factors. This study was conducted with objective to investigate effect of Astragalus brachycalyx on composition of soil seeds bank, in two area of enclosure and under grazing. For this purpose, sampling of soil seed bank under the canopy of this species and its open space adjacent was measured using a flexible plot along the 100 meters transect. Soils were sampled from 0-5 and 5-10 cm depths. Then seed bank composition was identified after seed germination in glasshouse. The results showed that 16 species under the canopy of Astragalus brachycalyx and 12 plant species in the open space adjacent in enclosure area and 21 species under the canopy of Astragalus brachycalyx and 11 plant species in the open space adjacent in under grazing area. In the soil seed bank of an area under the livestock grazing and understory of Astragalus brachycalyx, the species namely Silene longipetala, Mentha longifolia, Veronica anagallis-aquatica and Anthemis odontostephana had the greatest numbers of seeds respectively. The area under livestock grazing had higher density of seed bank of plants with annual and perennial life, Therophytes and Hemicryptophytes biological forms, annual and perennial vegetative forms of forbs, and palatable classes II and III in understory compared to the open space.
