Determination of Suitable Lands for Sowing Alkaligrass Puccinellia distans (Case Study: Agh-Ghala Rangelands, Golestan Province, Iran)
الموضوعات :
Hamid Niknahad Gharmakher
1
(Assistant Professor of Rangeland Management Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran)
Azadeh Mohammadi Gonbadi
2
(M.Sc. Student of Rangeland Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran)
Chooghi Bairam Komaki
3
(Assistant Professor of Arid Zone Management Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran)
Farhad Honardoust
4
(M.Sc. of Organization Jahad-e- Keshavarzi of Agh- Ghala City of Golestan Province, Iran)
الکلمات المفتاحية: Puccinellia distans, Soil properties, Photomorphic unit,
ملخص المقالة :
Annually, 200 ha of Agh Ghala rangelands in Golestan, Iran are under Alkaligrass Puccinella distans's cultivation but the failure in the identification of appropriate sites for seed sowing may result in high costs of cultivation. The current study aims to reduce such costs through the examination of apt sites to grow P. distans in northern rangelands of Agh Ghala Golestan, Iran. Because of the same topography and climate of the study area and Gomishan rangeland in closure where the plant grows and seeds are collected, a map of photomorphic units was first prepared using satellite images of Landsat 5 (28.05.2011) and Google Earth. Then, some soil physical and chemical properties including texture, EC, pH and organic matter were measured in three photomorphic units. In each photmorphic unit, three transects (length of 150 m and intervals of 50 m) were set up. Along each transect, three soil samples at the depth of 0–10 cm (9 samples in each photomorphic unit) were taken and transferred to the laboratory. In order to verify the suitability of the predicted photomorphic unit, the seeds had been sown in the above mentioned key area of each photomorphic unit and P. distans cover percent was estimated. Data were analyzed and means comparison was done between the units using Tukey method. Incorporating all the obtained data led to predict the location of appropriate photomorphic unit for the seed sowing of this plant. Despite the initial prediction of suitable seeding location (photomorphic unit 3), results indicated that the photomorphic unit 1 was the most successful area which had a lower depth of underground water table and higher EC and vegetation cover percent as compared to two other units. Based on the findings of current study, it is recommended that seeding operation should be concentrated on photomorphic unit 1.
AFNOR, 1987. Recueil de normes francaises, qualite des sols, methodes d’analyses. 1. edit. Association francaise de normalization (Afnor), pp. 19–30.
Akhzari, D., Sepehri, A., Pessarakli, M. and Barani, H., 2012 . Studying the effect of salinity stress on the growth of various halophytic plant species (Agropyron elongatum, Kochia prostrata and Puccinellia distans). World Applied Sciences Jour., 16 (7): 998-1003. (In Persian).
Alavipanah, S. K., Ahmadi, H. and Komaki, Ch. B., 2004. The study of regional features of Lut desert Yardang based on photomorphic images of unit and satellite images (TM). Natural resources of Iran. 57(1): 27-34. (In Persian).
Ajmal Khan, M. and Bilquees G., 2002. Some ecophysiological aspect of seed germination in halophytes. halophyte utilization and regional sustainable development of agriculture. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Pakistan. X. Lio, and M. Lio, (eds). Meteorological press. Beijing. pp. 56-58.
BagheriRad, E., Dianati Tilaki, Gh., Mesdaghi, M. and Amirkhani, M., 2007. An investigation on forage quality of three grasses (Aeluropus lagopoides, Aeluropus littoralis, Puccinellia distans) at saline and alkaline habitats of Incheh-Boron in Golestan Province. Research and Construction, 20(3): 157-163. (In Persian).
Bakhshikhaniki, Gh. and Marof, A., 2006. The Karyotipic study of some species of the genus Salsola L. (Chenopodiaceae) in Golestan province. Research and Construction in Gardening, 72: 66 -72. (In Persian).
Bandani, M. and Abdolzadeh, A., 2007. The effect of silicon nutrition on salinity tolerance of Puccinellia distans. Jour. Agric. Sci. Natur. Resour., 14: 3-9. (In Persian).
Bouyoucos, G. J., 1962. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agron. Jour. 54: 464–465.
Burchill, C. A. and Kenkel, N. C., 1990. Vegetation- environment relationships of an inland boreal salt pan, Department of Botany, University of Manitoba, Canada, pp. 722-732.
Dunn, C. P., Stearns, F., Guntenspergen, G. R. and Sharpe, D. M., 1993. Ecological benefits of the conservation reserve program. Jour. Soil Water Conserve., 47: 132-139.
Ghaderi, Sh., Ghorbani, G., Jafarian., Z. and Shekari, M., 2010. The identification halophyte plant communities and their relationship with soil properties in Sorkhdeh rangelands of Dameghan. Jour. Arid land, 1: 1-12. (In Persian).
Ghaneimotlagh, Gh., 2007. The identification of saline and sodic soils and survey of the influence of reformative chemical materials on them in some Agh Ghala plain farms, north west of Golestan province. M.Sc. Thesis, Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Gorgan. 118 pages. (In Persian).
Hosseini, S. A., 1994. The survey of autecology of Puccinellia distans in salty and alkali regions of north of Gorgan. M.Sc. thesis .Agricultural and Natural resources of Goragn, Iran. 126 pages. (In Persian).
Jabarzare, A., Bassiri, M. and Yeganeh, H., 2010. Planting methods and seedling establishment of Artemisia sieberi Besser: seeds collected from Isfahan Kolah Ghazi. Sagebrush vegetations. Jour. Rangeland Science, 1(1): 1-7.
Jafari, M., Zare Chahoki, A., Tavili, A. and Kohandel, A., 2005. The survey of relationship between soil properties with dispread of plant species in rangelands of Qom province. Research and Construction, 73: 110-116. (In Persian).
Ke-Fu, Z., Hai, F. and Harris, P. J. C., 1995. The physiological basis of growth inhibition of halophytes by potassium. In: Khan, M. A. and Ungar, I. A. (Eds) Biology of Salt Tolerant Plants, pp. 221-227. Karachi: Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Pakistan. 419 p.
Lawrence, T. and Ratzlaff, C. D., 1989. Performance of some native and introduced grasses in a semiarid region of western Canada. Can. Jour. Plant Sci., 69: 251-254.
Marschner, H., 1995. Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Academic Press, London 889 p.
Mirzaali, M., Mesdaghi, M. and Erfanzadeh, R., 2006. The study of effects of exclosure on vegetation and soil surface in saline ranges of Gomishan, Golestan province. Jour. Agric. Sci. Natur. Resour., 13(2): 104 - 201. (In Persian).
Mohammadi Gonbadi, A., 2013. Site selection for plantation of Puccinella distans in the northern rangelands ofAgh-Gala city. M.Sc. Thesis, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.Gorgan, Iran. (In Persian).
Muller Dombois, D. and Ellenberg, H., 1974. Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley & Sons, New-York. 326 p.
Naseri, H., Azarnivand, H., Zahtabian, A., Ahmadi, H. and Jafari, M., 2009. The examination of relationship between chemical and physical properties of soil and plant communities of playa extremes (Case study: South of Kashan playa). Jour. Rangeland Science Research., 4: 652-667. (In Persian).
Nelson, D. W. and Summers, L. E., 1982. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In: A.L. (Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, Vol. 2. American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, pp. 539–579.
Saberi, M. and Tavili, A., 2010. Evaluation different priming treatments influences on Puccinellia distans germination characteristics. Iranian Jour. Range and Desert Research, 17 (1): 51-60. (In Persian).
Safarnejad, A., Salami, M. and Hamidi, H., 2005. Morphological characterization of medicinal plants (Plantago ovata, Plantago psyllium) in response to salt stress. Research and Construction in Natural resources, 75: 152-160. (In Persian).
Sanadgol, A., 2006. Investigation on some range plants adaptation (establishment and survival) in Aghelah of Gorgan. Desert, 11(1): 121-128. (In Persian).
Tarasoff, C. S., Mallory- Smith, C. A., Ball, D. A., 2007. Extreme ionic and temperature effects on germination of Weeping Alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans), Nuttalls Alkaligrass (Puccinellia nuttalliana) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Weed Science, 55(4): 305-310.
Tatian, M., Zabihi, A., Tamartash, R. V. and Shabani, M., 2010. The determination plant species representing some soil properties in Qom Kuhenamak rangelands. Jour. Environmental Studies, 58: 21-28. (In Persian).
Truog , E., 1943. USDA Yearbook of Agriculture. pp. 1047.
Ungar, I. A., 1991. Ecophysiology of vascular halophytes. Boca Raton: CRC Press. 209 pp.
Verdoodt, A., Mureithi, S. M., Ye, L. and VanRanst, E., 2009. Chrono sequence analysis of two enclosure management strategies in degraded rangeland of semi-arid Kenya. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 129: 332-339.
