Journal of Range and Watershed Managment

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the impact of various ecotypes on the physicochemical indices and nutritional value of two medicinal-rangeland species, namely Bilhar (Dorema aucheri) and Bon-Sorkh (Allium jesdianum), across the habitats of the Central Zagros region. Sampling of the aerial parts of the plants was conducted during the flowering stage. Following the homogenization of leaves and stems, samples were analyzed in four replicates for ash content (ASH), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), dry matter digestibility (DMD), moisture content (HUM), crude fat (FAT), titratable acidity (ACID), and pH.Results: Based on the mean comparisons, the "Bid-Sardareh" ecotype emerged as the superior habitat for both species, exhibiting the highest crude protein content (23.43% in Bilhar and 27.68% in Bon-Sorkh) and the lowest NDF (24.09% in Bilhar and 23.35% in Bon-Sorkh). Notably, this ecotype also yielded the highest dry matter digestibility, peaking at 72.58% in Bilhar. Furthermore, Bilhar in the "Zangva" habitat (20.91%) under drought stress, and Bon-Sorkh in "Kuhrang" under cold stress, responded by upregulating their water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) levels. A highly significant negative correlation was observed between ADF and DMD, confirming the reliability and efficiency of using ADF for the rapid estimation of forage quality. Overall, the results underscore the superiority of the Bid-Sardareh ecotype and highlight the importance of conserving ecotypic diversity as a strategic approach for the sustainable management and conservation of the Zagros rangelands.

Abstract This study investigates the effective factors in land-holders use of 4 tree species including: Acer velutinum, Quercus castaneifolia, Carpinus betulus, Diospyrus lotus and 4 species of shrubs including Mespilus germanica, Prunus cerasifera , Celtis australis and ALbizia julibrissin to feed livestock and determine their nutritional value in livestock places of forest regions around Javaherdeh village in Ramsar city of Mazandaran province at the end of leaf growth stage. In order to perform sampling in a stage vegetative growth was done randomly. Then the green leaves which were dried in the open air and sized were transferred to the laboratory. The aim was to determine forage quality including: parameters of crude protein (CP), phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), potassium (K), insoluble fibers in acidic detergent (ADF), insoluble fibers in neutral detergent (NDF), Dry matter content (DMD), metabolic energy (ME). This research was conducted in a completely randomized design and the analysis of laboratory data in SPSS software and the analysis of information obtained from the questionnaire using Friedman test was used to perform statistical analysis of collected data. The results showed that the Albizia julibrissin species due to the amount of metabolic energy (11.25), dry matter digestibility (77.97), crude protein (22.77), crude fat (5.26), insoluble fibers in neutral detergent (52.44), have a higher forage quality than the other seven species. The findings indicate that the nutritional value of Albizia julibissin has been associated with its greater utilization by ranchers, it shows the importance of local knowledge in this field.

Abstract Many regular visits were done to investigate the phenological stages of the plant in Zabol and Saravan habitats. Plant cover of the species was investigated by plot with 4 square meter along to 4 transect with 200 meters. To investigate their physicochemical properties of soil, soil sample were taken from 0-30 cm depth under the species and area without species. Forage quality index was analyzed by 4 replication on three phenological stages (vegetative, flowering and maturity stages). Results indicated that the first leaves of the species were initiated in March and August is the end of growing period. The average of canopy cover and density of Citrullus colocynthis had significant difference in the two regions (P<0.01). The rooting depth of this species was 207 and 123 centimeters in Zabol and Saravan habitats, respectively. The results showed that the electrical conductivity, carbon and organic matter under the studied species were significantly higher than the control area. The results of soil analysis under the species of two habitats also showed that sand, silt, acidity, lime and organic carbon content were significant at 5% level (p <0.05) and organic matter was significant at 1% level (p <0.01). Also, the average of sand, acidity, organic creatinine and organic matter of Zabol habitat was higher than Saravan, but the amount of silt and lime in the plant cover was higher in Saravan than that of Zabol.

Abstract Nowadays, most attention is focused on physical and non-destructive methods, such as NIRS, to measure the chemical composition of rangeland species. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide calibration models for Infrared NIRS to estimate the forage quality of shrub species, so that in addition to saving time and cost, the quality of these plants could be estimated with proper accuracy. For this purpose, 654 samples of vegetative, flowering and seeding stages were irradiated by the DA7200 Perten Instrument to estimate the values of nitrogen (N), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), dry matter digestiblility (DMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) via NIRS. Then, the data were transferred to the Unscrambler software for multivariate analysis. Before fitting the model, S.Golay and SNV methods were used for normalization of data distribution. Calibration and validation of model were performed using PLS1 method and Cross Validation method, respectively. Then, the predictability of models was evaluated by considering the calibration statistics. A total of 18 calibration programs were developed. Considering the calibration statistics, it could be said that the coefficient of determination was above 80% in all the factors studied. Also, at all growth stages, the correlation coefficient between the reference data and the data estimated by NIR was above 90%. Our results clearly showed that NIR calibrations obtained in this study could be used in current and future programs to assess the forage quality of shrub species used by livestock.

Abstract In order to provide animal’s nutritional requirements and production of animal protein, it is necessary to adjust the balanced diet and the correct nutrition plan., which is based on proper understanding of food and this is possible through the analysis of nutrients. This research aimed to study and compare of forage quality in seven species that are grazing by camel including: Nitraria schoberi , Smirnovia iranica , Seidlitzia rosmarinous , Stipagrostis plumosa, Astragalus squarrosus, Alhaji persarum and Zygophyllum eichwaldii conducted in two stages of vegetative growth at Maranjab desert rangelands. For this purpose, the indices of dry matter (DM), Crude Protein (CP), Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD), Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Metabolic Energy (ME), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) and Sodium (Na) were subjected to chemical analysis. The results showed that the forage quality indices between the species and phonological stages were significantly different (P<0.01). In all species, as the growth stages and plant maturity progressed, the amount of crude protein, metabolic energy and phosphorus were decreased and the amount of dry matter and ADF were increased. While N. shoberi had the highest amount of crude protein (26.51) in vegetative growth stage, S. rosmarinous showed the lowest protein (3.91) at seeding stage. In addition to, with regard to both phonological stages, while the highest dry matter digestibility, metabolic energy, potassium and sodium were found in S. rosmarinous species, the highest amount of crude protein, nitrogen and phosphorus was observed in S. iranica species.

Abstract In this study, a new and valuable forage source was introduced with combination and silage of alfa-alfa, Halocnemum and Mesquite via chemical, gas production and in vivo methods. To perform this research, first the right amounts of the species were collected. Then they were cut by chopper to the dimensions of less than 5 cm. Then, Halocnemum, mesquite fruit, alfalfa and molasses were silaged according to dry matter weight in 4 treatments with three replications in a RCBD. These treatments include: 50H-10K-30U-10M, 50H-20K-20U-10M, 50H-30K-10U-10M, 30H-30K-30U-10M. At the end of experiment (28 d) the amounts of silage qualitative factors were measured using standard methods suggested by AOAC. 3 Ghashghaee yearlong sheep (45+2.5 kg) and 3 Toodeh siah yearlong goats(30 +2.5 kg) used in a split-plot scheme with 3 replications for estimation of silage consumption. According to the results, 50H-20K-20U-10M and 50H-10K-30U-10M treatments
have the most digestibility at 12 hours of incubation. Study of silage nutritional value by gas production methods indicated that 50H-20K-20U-10M treatment has the greatest amount of DOM, OMD. DMD and ME were consumed more by the livestock. Therefore, we can recommend it as an appropriate combination with economic and feeding benefits.

Abstract Palatability includes plants physical and chemical property that encourages an animal select
a plant for grazing. This study is an attempt for intruducing an indicator for determining the
palatability of rangeland plants. To do this, the relationship between palatability and forage
quality of rangeland plants in Karsanak rangelands of the Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari province
was studied. First, plant composition based on plant canopy cover and production was
determined using of the systematic random sampling method (in each plant type there are
2 transects of 200 m and 15 plots along each transect). Also, the percentage of present each
plant in the livestock diet (sheep and goat) was determined using the filming method. Then,
the selection index of each plant species by sheep and goat was determined. In the next stage,
the forage quality of some plant species was determined by determining the percentage of
CP, ADF, DMD and ME. Finally, the relationship between plant quality indices (independent
variables) and the selection index of plant species by sheep and goats (dependent variable)
was determined using the SPSS software (Ver.15). Results showed that there is a significant
relationship between the selection index of each species (both percentage canopy cover and
production) and ADF, DMD, and ME by the sheep (P ≤0.05). However, such a significant
relationship was not found for CP. And, there is not a significant relationship between the
selection index of each species (both percentage canopy cover and production) and ADF,
DMD, ME and CP by the goat (P ≤0.05). Considering the results, the quality of forage can be an indicator in determining their palatability.

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 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.

Abstract One of the important factors to make a balance between number of grazing livestock and grazing capacity is whether forage contains sufficient energy and protein during grazing period or not. Therefore in this study, forage quality was evaluated for important species in steppe rangelands of Changuleh located in Ilam province. To do this, samples from four species of Hammada salicornia, Salsola lanchnantha, Convolvulus oxyphyllus and Pteropyrum noeanum, those made considerable components of rangelands vegetation in the region, were collected during three phenological stages (active growth, flowering and maturating) over 2008. Then chemical compositions were determined including crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), dray matter digestibility (DMD) and metabolizable energy (ME). According to the results, maximum CP was obtained from Hammada salicornia in active growth stage. Crude protein component of this species was more than critical level (7%) for sheep in the maintenance condition. Also in this species, ME was in higher critical level (8 Mj/kg) compared with the other species

Abstract For planning the grazing of rangeland according to difference in body weight and different energy requirements should determine forage requirement of animal unit. In the other hand, daily need of animal in rangeland depends on the quantity and quality of intake forage composition. For this purpose selected part of the rangeland of Fereidunshahr in Isfahan province was classified to vegetation types. In each type of all plant species about 500 grams at flowering stage were collected. Nitrogen (N) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were measured through chemical analysis. Crude protein, ADF, dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy either 3 replicates were assessed in the laboratory as indicators of forage quality. The Lori sheep race is user dominant Animal unit. In order to determine the animal unit body weight, from 3 existing herds within 11 unit management with dominant Animal from this race, 10 three and 10 four Dry adult ewes(main structure of the herd), 5 three and 5 four years old rams and 6 month old lambs randomly selected and were weighed in two period. Weighing operation performance once before grazing beginning (first may) and once after the end of grazing season (first September). In conclusion 45 kg body weight as animal unit was calculated and livestock rations of animal requirement in maintenance condition and grazing in rangeland (0.7 times of keeping in a stable) calculated using the MAFF equation. The result showed that animal requirement based on forage quality at flowering stage was 1.09 kg that for grazing session (30% reduction of forage quality) is 1/58 kg in day. Because there are difference in structure of vegetation types and metabolism energy so a permanent quantity of dry forage cannot specify as basic of computation the daily need

Abstract Knowledge on animal requirement, available forage and its quality is fundamental for successful livestock and range management. Since sheep is dominant grazing animal of rangelands in Iran and there are over 27 sheep breeds and each breed has special body size, physiological condition and consequently different daily nutrition requirement, animal unit should be determinated for dominant breed of sheep in every region to be calculated the forage requirement based on body weight, daily energy requirement and quality of available forage. In this study, two herds of Kermanshah's Sanjabi breed have been weighted including 50 animals in each herd (15 heads three years old ewe, 15 heads four years old ewe, 5 heads three years old ram, 5 heads four years old ram, 5 heads three months old lamb and 5 heads six months old lamb) in three stages. The body weight of Sanjabi breed (based on average body weight of three and four years old ewe) was 60.68 ±0.56 kg. Animal unit equivalent (AUE) for ewe, ram and lamb were 1.29, 1.88 and 0.63 kg, respectively. The results of analysis of variance indicated that there are significant differences between weight of ewes and rams (P<0.01). The metabolizable energy requirement determinated based on maintenance condition (with 40% extra energy because of regions, topographic condition and watering point distances) using two method of MAFF (1984) formula and NRC (1985) tables. In the first method, the daily energy requirement of animal unit was obtained 10.97 MJ while second method it was 12.28 MJ. Generally, information about daily requirement is essential for animal nutrition management in rangeland and it should be considerated in range management designs.