Reza Yari; Moslem Rostampour; Seyedeh Mahbubeh Mirmiran
Abstract
Estimating the nutritional value of forage is one of the main aspects of livestock management in rangelands. Since medicinal plants have a major contribution to the composition of rangeland vegetation, this research was conducted to determine the nutritional value of nine species of medicinal plants ...
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Estimating the nutritional value of forage is one of the main aspects of livestock management in rangelands. Since medicinal plants have a major contribution to the composition of rangeland vegetation, this research was conducted to determine the nutritional value of nine species of medicinal plants in the two stages of vegetative growth and flower in the rangelands of southern Khorasan province . samples were collected and drying , the percentage of crude protein, acid detergent fiber , neutral detergent fiber , dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy were determined. To statistically analyze the data, a factorial experiment in the form of a completely random design with two factors: species in 9 levels and stage in 2 levels (vegetation and flowering) was used. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The results showed that all studied traits were affected by the interaction of plant species and phenological stage. Increasing the length of growth from the vegetative stage to flowering in most species caused a decrease in crude protein, percentage of dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy, and an increase in the percentage of acid detergent fiber . The highest amount of crude protein and digestibility of dry matter was observed in Ru.scutatus species at the vegetative stage. In this investigation, the amount of protein, digestibility and metabolic energy were observed in amounts above the critical limit in the vegetative stage and in Thymus kotschyanus, Rumex scutatus and Ferula haussknechtii species. Therefore, the end of the growing season with the reduction of essential oil in these species can be considered as the right time for livestock grazing in these species.
Azam Beigi; Naser Mashahadi; Majid Karimpourreihan
Abstract
Mining activities are one of the most persistent causes of soil degradation due to the destabilization of the physicochemical structure of the soil. In this research, quantitative data of soil stability indicators were used to assess the effect of sodium sulfate extraction on soil properties and protective ...
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Mining activities are one of the most persistent causes of soil degradation due to the destabilization of the physicochemical structure of the soil. In this research, quantitative data of soil stability indicators were used to assess the effect of sodium sulfate extraction on soil properties and protective behavior of the earth's surface. The research method was based on tranformations in soil stability indicators, namely, acidity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR), for natural surfaces (undisturbed topsoil), stripped topsoil layer (displaced soil layer) and sodium sulfate extraction layer. The results show that the concentration of exchangeable sodium percentage and the exchangeable calcium to magnesium ratio in the layer of displaced soil and the extraction layer of sulfate is reduced compared to the natural soil. While the organic matter content of soils does not change in all layers, and the value of electrical conductivity in the sulfate extraction layer is higher than all layers. The results of the soil stability data value show the instability of the displaced soil layer compared to the other two layers. Based on the presented results, it has been shown that the soil instability potential increases due to sodium sulfate extraction.
Mahshid Souri; Mina Bayat; Saedeh Nateghi
Abstract
Increasing expansion of the industry and mining activities has caused an increase in environmental pollution, and these pollutions through water, air, as well as through the entry of sewage and waste into the soil, have irreparable effects and consequences on natural ecosystems. This research was conducted ...
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Increasing expansion of the industry and mining activities has caused an increase in environmental pollution, and these pollutions through water, air, as well as through the entry of sewage and waste into the soil, have irreparable effects and consequences on natural ecosystems. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the phytoremediation potential of the rangeland species Artemisia sieberi, Salsola richteri and Scariola orientalis, as well as investigating the concentration of heavy metals (zinc, nickel and arsenic) in the soil of Sangan iron mine in Khorasan Razavi province. First, based on the initial investigation of vegetation distribution along the ecological gradient of the region, the dominant plant types were determined. Then, samples were taken from different parts of the dominant plant species of Khaf area and the soil around their roots at different distances from the mine in the direction of the prevailing wind of the area. Oxidation method and inductively coupled plasma device were used to measure the amount of metal pollution in the collected samples. Then, in order to evaluate and check the ability of the selected plants in cleaning the environment from different metals, several different indicators of plant remediation were investigated.The results showed that the high concentration of elements such as nickel (29 mg/kg) and arsenic (10 mg/kg) is significant compared to the global average of nickel 18 mg/kg and arsenic 4.7 mg/kg. Based on the results of bioconcentration indicators and considering the high abundance of native species Salsola richteri compared to the other two investigated species, this species can be used to phytoremidiation of heavy metals zinc, nickel and arsenic in Sangan mines
Marzieh Mousavi; Saeed MohammadZadeh; Masoud Yazdanpanah; Abbas Mirzaei
Abstract
Identification of organizational stakeholders is one of the requirements for the implementation of water resources plannings. any policy making in the water field requires the identification of the impact of each stakeholders on the dimensions of the problem and in relation to each other. the purpose ...
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Identification of organizational stakeholders is one of the requirements for the implementation of water resources plannings. any policy making in the water field requires the identification of the impact of each stakeholders on the dimensions of the problem and in relation to each other. the purpose of this study is to identification of stakeholders and investigate the structure of social relations with an emphasis on the decision making network link in the direction of the water governance in the Great Karun basin. the statistical population of the research includes specialists, managers and experts of organizations related to the governance of water of the Great Karun basin. the research sample was selected purposeful and through snowball sampling. data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and completing the relevant questionnaires. UCINET6.528 and software were used for data analysis. the results showed, the beneficiaries of the water governance of the Great Karun Basin were categorized into three classes: key players(33/34%), subjects(30%) and crowd(36/66%). the density index shows the high level of cohesion between organizations based on the decision-making link. based on the indicators of reciprocity and transferability, the stability and cohesion of the decision-making network is medium to high. the average geodesic distance in the link of the inter-organizational decision-making network showed that the social distance between people is low and the circulation speed of the decision-making link between them is high. also, based on the effective size index, the water and electricity organization is the main decision-maker in relation to the water governance of the Great Karun Basin in Khuzestan province.
Mehrdad Norouzi; Hamidreza Keshtkar; Seyed Ebrahim Sadeghi; Mohammad Javan Nikkhah; Esmaeil Alizadeh; Jalil Alavi
Abstract
The vast land of Iran, with its diverse climate and geographical location, is known as a suitable habitat for different types of thyme. Thyme (Thymus spp.), a plant of great nutritional and medicinal value, holds a special place among pasture plants. Consequently, investigating the factors that threaten ...
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The vast land of Iran, with its diverse climate and geographical location, is known as a suitable habitat for different types of thyme. Thyme (Thymus spp.), a plant of great nutritional and medicinal value, holds a special place among pasture plants. Consequently, investigating the factors that threaten the survival of this plant is important. Two species of thyme, T. kotschyanus (Boiss. & Hohen) and T. pubescens (Boiss. & Kotschy ex Čelak) have significant habitats in the pastures of Alborz province. In this research, pests and diseases of these two species were investigated in 14 different stations in Alborz province. The samples were collected at three time points (May, July and September) and the collected insects were taken to the laboratory for identification. The results indicated the presence of six types of pests on thyme species: Aphis serpylli, Haplothrips reuteri, Tetranychus urticae, Aeolothrips mongolicus, a mite of the genus Bryobia, and also Cuscuta spp. as a parasitic plant. Alternaria leaf spot was also detected on thyme leaves. The results of this research are reported for the first time It can be used by regional managers and stakeholders and help in the protection of Thymus species in the rangelands of Alborz province.
Ali Haghizadeh; Lila Ghasemi
Abstract
In recent years, the flood situation of headwaters of the Dez River in Lorestan Province has increased. This is due to various factors such as climate change, reduction of vegetation cover, and increase in construction in the riparian zone. In 2022, floods occurred several times in the Dez headwaters ...
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In recent years, the flood situation of headwaters of the Dez River in Lorestan Province has increased. This is due to various factors such as climate change, reduction of vegetation cover, and increase in construction in the riparian zone. In 2022, floods occurred several times in the Dez headwaters in Lorestan province. These floods caused significant damage to life and property. Global conceptual models have been developed for more than two decades and their effectiveness in simulating streamflow has been proven. In this study, simulation of runoff rainfall in Silakhor-Rahimabad watershed was done using three daily (GR4J), monthly (GR2M) and annual (GR1A) models. The Nash-Sutcliffe (Nash), root mean square error (RMSE), and bias criteria were used to evaluate the model performance during the calibration and validation periods. The obtained results were highly significant. The GR1A model has Nash coefficients of 86.1 and 71.7 in both calibration and validation periods, respectively, so this model has a very good performance. For the other two models, the GR2M model and the GR4J model, the Nash coefficients in the two calibration and validation periods are 76.7, 70.2 and 61.4, 86.2, respectively. These coefficients also indicate the good and very good performance of these models in rainfall-runoff simulation. However, considering the satisfactory performance of the two evaluation criteria, RMSE and Bias, in the GR1A model, it can be concluded that the GR1A model had a better performance in simulating rainfall-runoff. Finally, the obtained results indicate that the GR4J, GR2M and GR1A conceptual models are suitable models for simulating the streamflow in the Silakhor-Rahimabad watershed.
Leila Davoodi Memar Otagvar; Ebrahim Fataei; Mehdi Tajiabadi; Babak Naeimi
Abstract
Assessing the quality of water resources is an important aspect of improving their management. Given the importance of groundwater resources in the Qazvin Plain, and to have a better understanding of the status of these resources, this study has focused on examining the quality of groundwater for drinking ...
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Assessing the quality of water resources is an important aspect of improving their management. Given the importance of groundwater resources in the Qazvin Plain, and to have a better understanding of the status of these resources, this study has focused on examining the quality of groundwater for drinking and agricultural purposes. For this purpose, using hydrogeochemical parameters, two quality indicators for drinking water and irrigation were selected to investigate and study the quality of groundwater in the years 2012, 2016, and 2020. Based on the results, quality indicator maps for drinking and irrigation water were classified, and the percentage of each class's area and their average values were obtained for different land uses using ArcMap 10.8.2 software, to consider the mutual effect of land use on groundwater quality. The results showed that the average drinking water quality index in the years 2012, 2016, and 2020 were 135.02, 128.30, and 127.38 respectively, indicating an improvement in drinking water quality. The average groundwater quality index for irrigation in recent years was 62.21, 63.51, and 63.39 respectively. Generally, the quality of groundwater for drinking and agricultural purposes in the northern regions was better than in the southern regions, while the groundwater in the central and eastern parts of the plain, which includes abandoned and neglected lands, has become increasingly restricted for irrigation over time. The results demonstrated that the area of land with suitable quality groundwater for drinking is decreasing. During the study period, the area of good class has decreased, while the area of poor class has increased.
Ali Heshmatpour; Seyed Javad Sajjadi; Yusuf Mohammadian
Abstract
Low rainfall with improper temporal and spatial distribution is a significant problem in arid and semi-arid areas. Due to the lack of water resources and the increasing water demand, access to new water resources is necessary. Rainwater collection is one of the most prominent methods of rainwater exploitation ...
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Low rainfall with improper temporal and spatial distribution is a significant problem in arid and semi-arid areas. Due to the lack of water resources and the increasing water demand, access to new water resources is necessary. Rainwater collection is one of the most prominent methods of rainwater exploitation management to deal with water shortage which is developing rapidly in many areas. Considering the diversity and breadth of rainwater collection methods, serious attention should be paid in choosing the influencing factors and the type of criteria combination method. In this article, in order to determine the places prone to the construction of rain catchment surfaces for livestock drinking, first the effective factors were determined with the studies conducted and the characteristics of the area.Seven factors were considered, including slope, land use, soil depth, distance from fault and waterway, proximity to livestock farming, and prevailing wind direction.The factors were ranked using the fuzzy logic technique.This involved dividing them into nine separate parts. A geographic information system was then used to overlap these layers. The results of this overlap were classified into five classes: poor, average, relatively good, good, and very good.The rainwater collection areas for each class were 44.01, 53.94, 30.31, 30.48 and 12.51 km², respectively. Also,Based on the results of fuzzy logic, the south and southeast part of the region had the first priority for the construction of rain catchment surfaces.Therefore, it can be used to collect rainwater and store it for future use.The findings of this research work will help policy makers and decision makers to implement different rainwater collection structures in the study area to overcome water shortage problems
Somayeh Taheri; Hasan Ahmadi; Jamal Ghodousi; ُSadat Feiznia; Shahram Khalighi Sigaroudi; Mohamad Hossein Ramesht
Abstract
subsidence in urban areas poses significant risks to infrastructure, including buildings, roads, railways, pipelines, sewage systems, and wells. Therefore, assessing its potential is crucial. This study models the subsidence risk in Karaj city using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Weight ...
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subsidence in urban areas poses significant risks to infrastructure, including buildings, roads, railways, pipelines, sewage systems, and wells. Therefore, assessing its potential is crucial. This study models the subsidence risk in Karaj city using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Weight of Evidence (WoE) model. To achieve this, we created maps of factors influencing subsidence, such as slope, alluvial thickness, groundwater fluctuations, aquifer layering, particle size, and permeability. These maps were then compared with recorded subsidence data to determine the weight of each factor's influence. By integrating the effects of these factors, a Subsidence Index (SI) map was generated and categorized using the Success Rate Curve (SRC), identifying five sensitivity zones from very sensitive to very low sensitivity. The effectiveness of the WoE model was evaluated, revealing that the subsidence sensitivity prediction map covers 93.64% of actual occurrences. Results indicated that aquifer layering positively influences subsidence development, with the highest impact arising from alluvial deposits with good permeability and fine particles. This factor, with a weight of 3.72, demonstrates significant influence among all evaluated parameters. In terms of thickness, the most significant subsidence occurred in alluvial deposits exceeding 200 meters. Areas experiencing groundwater level declines of over half a meter annually markedly contributed to subsidence. Additionally, slopes of less than two degrees were identified as the most susceptible to subsidence. Thus, while many areas in Karaj are relatively safe, the threat is notably higher in the southern and southwestern parts, requiring special attention in urban management.
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