مناسب ترین روش حفظ رطوبت خاک در نهال کاری مناطق خشک، پوشاندن سطح خاک اطراف نهال کاشته شده توسط مالچ های طبیعی و مصنوعی است. برای بررسی تاثیر انواع مالچ در حفظ رطوبت خاک، دو نوع مالچ طبیعی و مصنوعی در اطراف نهال های تاغ پیش‌بینی شد. این طرح در قالب بلوک کامل تصادفی با دو تیمار اصلی شامل پوشش طبیعی (سنگریزه و شن) و پوشش مصنوعی (پلاستیک روشن و مشکی) و چهار تیمار فرعی شامل سنگریزه، شن، پلاستیک روشن، و پلاستیک مشکی و در سه منطقه سمنان، قوشه و دامغان انجام شد. یک تیمار شاهد نیز پیش‌بینی شد. هر تیمار فرعی در سه تکرار و در هر تکرار 25 نمونه (تاغ) کاشته شد. بلافاصله بعد از کاشت نهال و آبیاری، پوشش مالچ در اطراف نهال قرار داده شد. در فواصل زمانی ده روزه رطوبت خاک توسط دستگاه TDR اندازه‌گیری شد. نتایج مربوط به رطوبت خاک نشان داد میزان رطوبت خاک در تیمار پلاستیک مشکی به طور معنی داری بیشتر از سایر مالچ ها بود. نتایج ارتفاع نهال تاغ نشان داد تیمار پلاستیک مشکی و شاهد بیشترین تاثیر را در حفظ رطوبت خاک داشته اند. علی رغم تفاوت درصد رطوبت خاک در انواع مالچ‌های طبیعی و مصنوعی، این تفاوت در مناطق مورد مطالعه اختلاف معنی داری را نشان نداد. نتایج تجزیه واریانس ارتفاع نهال نشان داد تفاوت در مالچ‌های طبیعی و مصنوعی و شاهد در سطح 99 درصد معنی‌دار بود، اما در مناطق مختلف این تفاوت معنی‌دار نبود. بررسی همبستگی بین ارتفاع نهال و درصد رطوبت خاک در تیمارهای مختلف نشان داد بالاترین همبستگی در تیمار ماسه (78/8=R2) بود. Manuscript profile

هدف این پژوهش بررسی تأثیر عوامل محیطی بر انتشار گونه Festuca ovina L. بود. ابتدا 5 رویشگاه در سطح شهرستان دلفان انتخاب شد. در هر رویشگاه سه سایت انتخاب و سپس در هر سایت 3 ترانسکت به طول 100 متر مستقر و در طول هر ترانسکت در 10 قطعه نمونه یک مترمربعی درصد تاج پوشش کل و تراکم گونه مورد بررسی در خردادماه تعیین شد. در ابتدا، وسط و انتهای هر ترانسکت از عمق 30-0 سانتی‌متری خاک برداشت شد (در مجموع 135 نمونه خاک). ارتفاع، شیب، جهت شیب و برخی مشخصه‌های خاک شامل: بافت، هدایت الکتریکی، اسیدیته، ماده آلی، فسفر و پتاسیم قابل جذب و درصد ازت تعیین شدند. برای طبقه‌بندی سایت‌های نمونه‌برداری از روش تجزیه خوشه‌ای، مقایسه گروه‌های حاصل از تجزیه خوشه‌ای از آزمون t مستقل و تعیین اهمیت پارامترها از آنالیز تشخیص استفاده شد. نتایج تجزیه خوشه‌ای نشان داد که سایت‌ها به 2 گروه اصلی در سطح 5 درصد تفکیک می‌شوند. نتایج نشان داد که گونه مورد بررسی بیش‌ترین حضور را در ارتفاع 2641 متر، شیب بالای 40 درصد و جهات جغرافیایی شمال‌غرب و غرب، دمای 10 درجه سانتی‌گراد، بارندگی 481 میلی‌متر، خاک‌های با ماده آلی 97/1 درصد و درصد رس کمتر و مقدار سیلت بیشتر دارد. نتایج آنالیز تشخیص نشان داد که در ارتفاع، بارندگی و دما و همچنین برخی از پارامترهای مربوط به خاک مانند درصد شن، درصد سیلت و مقدار ماده آلی و در درجه دوم جهت شیب و سایر خصوصیات مربوط به خاک مانند pH و پتاسیم در انتشار گونه مورد مطالعه مؤثر هستند. Manuscript profile

Bahram Peimani-Fard was born in 1941, in Yazd, Iran, where he completed his elementary, and high school education.He received his M.Sc. degree in Soil and Water Engineering from the Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University.Then, he was employed in the Range Improvement and Forage Supply Organization, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate with Mr. Kernik, the FAO expert, to do research on introducing range species for four years at the Karadj Research Station.In 1970, he received a scholarship from FAO to pursue his M.Sc. study in Range Management at the Washington State University,USA.Then, he returned to Iran to continue the activities in the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR), affiliated with the Ministry of Natural Resources. He was responsible for doing research projects on introducing range species, performed with the help of experts and researchers of the Rangeland Research Division.In 1977, he received a government scholarship to do his Ph.D. in Range Management at the Wyoming University, USA.He was graduated and returned to Iran in 1980 and served as the director of the Rangeland Research Division at RIFR for 16 years.Representative of RIFR in the Coordination and Planning Commission of Agriculture and Natural Resources Research, university teaching, supervisor, advisor and reviewer of M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses at the Faculty of Natural Resources of the University of Tehran, Tarbiat Modares University, and Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University were among the outstanding activities performed by Professor Peimani-Fard during his service.Professor Peimani-Fard reached the honor of retirement in 2002 with 37 years of experience and since then he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research as well as a member of Editorial Board of the Journal of Rangeland, affiliated with the Iranian Society for Range Management, Iranian Journal of Natural Resources, and Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research.Currently, he is an associate member of the Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences at The Academy of Sciences, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Manuscript profile

Rangeland vegetation dynamics can be affected by various natural and unnatural factors over time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of vegetation under the climatic conditions and soil properties. Accordingly, data collection for evaluating vegetation dynamics in rangeland ecosystems of Ardabil province was conducted at three research sites including Moqan winter rangeland, and Nour and Aqdagh Khalkhal summer rangelands in 2009 followed for four years. Vegetation variables were measured using transects and sampling plots. Meanwhile, at the location of each plot, soil moisture was measured at two or three depths of 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm using a Time-Domain Reflectometer (TDR). According to the results, in the Nour site, the changes recorded for shrubs such as Onobrychis cornuta L. and forbs were significant (P<0.01). However, the changes recorded for the perennial grasses including Alopecurus aucheri L., Bromus tomentellus Boiss. Festuca ovina and Koeleria caucasica Trin. Ex Domin were not significant. In the Aqdagh site, the changes of perennial grasses including Agropyron cristatum, Bromus tomentellus, Festuca ovina L. and Koeleria caucasica as well as forbs were significant (P<0.05). The changes of annuals were found significant (P<0.01). No significant differences were recorded for the shrubs such as Onobrychis cornuta and Thymus kotschyanus. In the Moqan site, the changes of dominant shrub (Artemisia fragrans) and annuals were significant (P<0.01). Soil moistures during the growing season and over the years were varied; however, the trend of changes in soil organic carbon was slow. Accordingly, the results of this monitoring process from year to year changes in the main species of vegetation, soil, and soil erosion can be useful as a guide to correct the current methods used for the management of rangelands. Manuscript profile

Reclamation of Arid LandsIt is our pleasure to inform you that Springer International Publisher (2017) has published a book entitled "Reclamation of Arid Lands" in English.This book is the result of joint collaboration between the University of Tehran, University of Kashan and Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, whose authors are as follows:Mohammad Jafari: Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of TehranAli Tavili: Associate Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of TehranFatemeh Panahi: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of KashanEhsan Zandi Esfahan: Assistant Professor, Rangeland Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, IranMajid Ghorbani: M.Sc. Graduate, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of KashanAbout this book: This book provides an overview of arid and semi-arid lands conditions, their general characteristics, methods of management, conservation, exploitation, and reclamation. It also focuses on how to utilize the potential of arid lands with the minimum manipulation and alteration. Arid and semi-arid areas represent a major part of natural ecosystems not only in Iran, but around the world, and mismanagement and inappropriate exploitation of these areas may lead to further gradual degradation. As such, an understanding of the characteristics of these areas is vital if they are to be conserved and reclaimed.More information is available on the following website provided by Springer:http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319548272#aboutBook Manuscript profile

Eng. Hadi Hosseini Araghi was born in 1943, in Arak, Iran, where he graduated from the high school of natural sciences. He received his B.Sc. degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Tehran. In 1969, he started his collaboration with the Range Organization in the form of preparing range management plans. He received his M.Sc. from the Arizona State University in 1976. Then, in 1991, he received a sabbatical completion certificate (equivalent to PhD) from the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems. Until 1986, he had various positions as expert, range ecology supervisor, and the deputy of Range Technical Office. Then, for three years, he was one of the members of The Supreme Council of Forests and Rangelands. In 1990, he moved to the Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad and served in different sections including agriculture, monitoring and evaluation, and agricultural development studies. After retirement in 2001, he established the Cooperative– Engineering Company and advice on sustainable development of Iran and served as a member of its Board of Directors. Membership:Responsible for mapping of desertification and vegetation in the national project of desert land use planning (International Desert Research Center, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Tehran).Fellow co-founder of the Group for Research and Education (new rural development) with a history of more than forty years of experience in the centers of higher education, including Faculty of Natural Resources, University of TehranAdvisor to the Office of Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Protection Manuscript profile

Fire as an ecological factor has both positive and negative effects on components of the ecosystem. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of fire on composition, diversity, and functional groups changes in the Tangesorkh rangeland of Boyer-Ahmad County, Iran. The fire took place in the summer of 2015. Two years after the fire, the characteristics of vegetation were measured in the 1 m2 plots. The results showed that 17 species were exclusively found in the fire region, 14 species exclusively in the control region, and 37 species were shared between the two regions. The results of means comparison showed that among the study species, 21 species had a significant response to the fire in terms of canopy cover percent. Fire in the area increased the Simpson and Shannon diversity index and Margalef richness index. The fire caused the canopy cover percent of annuals, perennials, grasses, forbs, Throphytes, Cryptophytes, Hemicryptophytes, Chamaephytes, Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae and Poaceae increased significantly as compared to control. The redundancy analysis (RDA) results showed that the species had different responses to fire so that the canopy cover of Bromus danthoniae, Vicia villosa, Bromus tomentellus, Astragalus hispanicus, Ziziphora tenuior, Bunium rectangulum, Ferulago angulate and Gundelia tournefortii were increased in the regions where fire occurred. According to the results of this research, functional groups have important roles in determining the responses of plant species to the environmental disturbances; hence, they can affect the secondary succession after the wildfire in rangelands. Manuscript profile

Information on forage quality could help rangeland managers to select suitable grazing method to achieve higher animal performance without damage to vegetation. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the forage quality of S. yazdiana and S. tomentosa, which are the most important species of saline rangelands in Ardakan in Yazd province, Iran. These two species are grazed by goats and camels. The edible biomass of both species was sampled in three phenological stages during 2015-2016. Forage quality indices such as Crude Protein (CP), Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD), Metabolizable Energy (ME), Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Crude Fiber (CF), and Water Soluble Carbohydrate (WSC) were measured using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). Data were analyzed using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. Means comparison was conducted using Duncan's Multiple Range test. According to the results, phenological stages showed significant differences for DMD, CP, WSC, ASH, ADF (P<0.01) CF and ME (P<0.05). Moreover, results showed significant differences between species for DMD, WSC, ASH, ADF (P<0.01) and CP (P<0.05). However, interactions (species × stage) showed significant differences only for DMD and ASH (P<0.05). In both species, forage quality based on positive indicators such as DMD (72.83, 63.91), CP (11.18, 10.12), and ME (7.7, 7.44) for both S. yazdiana and S. tomentosa had the highest values at the vegetative stage. By the progress of growth stages in both species, these indices were decreased. In comparison, S. tomentosa had higher forage quality than that of S. yazdiana. Although the grazing season for goat and camel in these rangelands is in fall and winter, the suitable time for grazing by these livestock is the late winter and early spring at the vegetative stage. Thus, by considering the grazing time of goat and camel from these species, supplementary feeding is required. Manuscript profile

The effects of grazing rest on rangelands are different in different climates and knowledge of these effects is necessary to apply correct management. For this purpose, this study was carried out on the percent vegetation cover (PVC) and forage production (FP) of range species at the Nir Range Research Station in Yazd province as a model of steppe rangelands of Iran. In the study area, different grazing intensities were applied until the end of the grazing season of 2006 and from then on, the whole area was under exclusion. PVC and FP were measured in each of the experimental plots once in May 2007 and again seven years later in May 2014. The results of vegetation data analysis in 2007 showed that the heavy grazing intensity applied in the past caused the reduced PVC and FP of two desirable species i.e. Salsola rigida and Stipa barbata as well as increased PVC and FP of Launaea acanthodes and increased forage production of Scariola orientalis as undesirable species. The results of vegetation data analysis in 2014 showed that the lowest PVC and FP of S.rigida was recorded in the experimental plots under heavy grazing intensity. In other experimental plots, there was no significant difference in PVC and FP of this species (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between PVC and FP of other species and total species in different experimental plots (p>0.05). Thus, during the 7-year rest period, although the negative effect of grazing on S.barbata is resolved, it remains on S.rigida and the resulting degradation is not completely compensated during this period and needs more time. Therefore, S.barbata showed better resistance to grazing as compared with S.rigida. According to the results, if steppe rangelands are grazed heavily in the short-term, intermediate-term grazing rest could improve the vegetation to the previous state. Manuscript profile

Picris strigosa is a valuable forage species in mountainous rangelands of Lorestan province, Iran, which produces suitable forage for sheep grazing. The aim of this study was to determine the allowable use and grazing tolerance of this species. For this purpose, 50 individuals of P. strigosa were selected in its typical habitat and marked for monitoring after applying four levels of harvesting intensities including control (0%), 25, 50, and 75% of the annual production during 2007–2011. Treatments were investigated by clipping and weighing method every month from May to July in vegetation period. The results showed a significant difference in terms of forage production between treatments (P≤0.01). The highest and lowest forage production with average values of 42.45g and 15.23 g per plant were obtained in 0% harvesting rate (control) and 75% intensity rate, respectively. In other words, harvesting higher than 50% coupled with early grazing (April and May, in accordance with the local pattern and research method of this article) weakens the individuals. Continuation of this process also increases the mortality of the individuals (death of 30% of the stands at a harvest intensity rate of 75%). Due to the sensitivity of the species to early grazing, it was recommended that for such a dominant species, livestock should enter the pasture in early June. Maximum forage production in control and the fast reduction in forage production of 75% treatment emphasize that overgrazing of this species would completely eliminate it from the field. It was concluded that P. strigosa is sensitive to grazing and its sensitivity should be considered in rangeland management plans. Manuscript profile

Choosing the suitable species, sowing method and sowing season are three important factors for the success of rangeland restoration. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing season and sowing methods on vegetative growth and establishment of Astragalus lilacinus in rangelands of Ardabil province during 2014-2015. Seeds of Astragalus lilacinus collected from its natural habitats and after its viability testing, it sown in a split-plot design based on randomized complete block with three replications. Factor A was sowing season at two levels (autumn and spring) and Factor B, was sowing method at two level (Scatter seeding and row seeding). The seeds were sown under dryland farming conditions. Data collected for establishment rate, canopy cover, plant height, and the flowering stems number over two years. The data were analyzed of variance and the mean comparison was performed using Duncan's method. The results showed that the seedling establishment rate was 28.5% under rainfed conditions. The higher establishment percentage with an average value of 33.6% obtained in the scatter seeding that was significantly higher than row seeding (23.6%). The sowing season by sowing method interaction effect was significant for canopy cover (P<0.05) and the higher value of canopy cover (2398cm2) was obtained in autumn season using scatter seeding method. Manuscript profile