Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Rangeland Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran
2 M.Sc. Graduated of Range Management, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Measuring this year's growth is one of the basic requirements for calculating the annual storage potential of carbon. On the other hand, shrub plants, and especially Astragalus, are considered to be the most prominent and dominant species of semi-steppe rangelands. Therefore, the present study was conducted in June 2016, with the aim of estimating the growth of storage carbon in the Astragalus microcephalus plant and its relationship with the distance from the crisis center (overnight livestock area) in the Nazluchai mountain rangelands. For this purpose, Chir rangelands in the north of Noushin Shahr with an area of 1332 hectares, which in terms of vegetation, soil and topography, represents a level of various species in the region, were selected and six ecological sites were surveyed. Given that almost all of A.microcephalus species grow this year, it will become a woody organ; within each site, this year's growth of 30 A.microcephalus plant bases is intended to determine the organic carbon conversion factor and estimate the amount of carbon stored, it was cut off. After calculating the organic carbon conversion factor for biomass of plant bases on each site, multiplying it by the dry weight of this year's growth, the amount of organic carbon stored in the aerial parts was determined. By calculating the average carbon content in the bases and A.microcephalus species density, the amount of stored carbon per unit area of the habitat was calculated.
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