Hossein Azarnivand; Sedigh MOhammadi; Sadegh Hossein niyaee; Pouyan Dehghan
Abstract
One of the best methods to prevent or reduce soil erosion, it is preserving and restoring vegetation. So knowledge about the characteristics of the vegetation, including ecological features as the first and most important biological tool for soil conservation is essential. Coma (Ferula hausskenechtii) ...
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One of the best methods to prevent or reduce soil erosion, it is preserving and restoring vegetation. So knowledge about the characteristics of the vegetation, including ecological features as the first and most important biological tool for soil conservation is essential. Coma (Ferula hausskenechtii) Plant of Apiaceae family, which is abundant in the mountainous regions of Kurdistan. Regarding the importance this species to protect and prevent soil erosion that the proper species is to reform the mountainous rangelands. Therefore, Autecology studies is necessary. For this study, the main habitat of this species were determined by using vegetation maps with a scale of 1: 25,000 in Kurdistan province. Finally, five sites (Saral Divandarreh, Sarshiv Marivan, Buin-e Baneh, North West Dam Qshlagh, and Sarshiv Saqqez) were selected as sample. Then studies of vegetation, soil analysis, chemical analysis, root system and phenology of species was performed. The results showed that this species grows well at the altitude of 3000-1600 mask with 700-400 mm rainfall as well as its density decreases with increasing altitude. Its habitat soil has a neutral pH to slightly alkaline (7-8), is shallow or deep and medium texture. Vegetative growth starts of the first week of April and the plant is seeding in mid- June. This plant has multiple roots system, which average root length and the number of rootlet are 102 cm and 11 respectively. The highest amount of crude protein in the growth and the lowest is in seeding stage.
M. Jankju; F. Noedoost
Abstract
Ecological studies on range plants enhance our knowledge on the rangeland ecosystems which are useful for their planning and management. By doing field and laboratory experiments during 2008-2009, ecological conditions were studied in the main habitats of Z. atriplicoides in the rural and winter ...
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Ecological studies on range plants enhance our knowledge on the rangeland ecosystems which are useful for their planning and management. By doing field and laboratory experiments during 2008-2009, ecological conditions were studied in the main habitats of Z. atriplicoides in the rural and winter rangelands of Northern Khorasan province (NKP). Forage quality was also studied at different phonological stages. According to the results, Z. atriplicoides grows in the habitats with mean annual rainfall ranging from 260-380 mm, temperature 8-16 ºC, and altitude 680-1200 meter a.s.l. Topography was as plains and rolling lands, with geologic formations being conglomerate, marl, shale and sandstone. Soil texture was silty loam, weak alkaline, and poor in phosphorus and nitrogen. Vegetative growth and flowering stages were simultaneously occurred at early April till early June, but seed ripening and shedding happened at late June-mid August. Toward the end of growing season, ADF and NDF increased while crude protein decreased, which led to a gradual decrease in forage quality. Ability for growing in different habitats – from cold dry to warm humid- and having protein content and metabolic energy higher than the critical level for rangeland livestock are the relative advantages, whereas significant leaf reduction in response to drought and heat stresses, inability for growing in saline lands and low palatability and preference values are the major disadvantage for Z. atriplicoides in the rangeland of Iran. The most suitable time for livestock grazing and seed collection of Z. atriplicoides in the NKP are May-June and July, respectively.
