ali ehsani; Mohammad fayaz; Hamze Ali Shirmardi; seyd ali hoseini; Kazem saedi; Mohammadreza shooshtari; jamal hasani
Volume 22, Issue 3 , November 2015, , Pages 558-569
Mojtaba Eidi; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Esmaiel Asadi; Hormoz Sohrabi; Hamzehali Shirmardi
Volume 21, Issue 3 , December 2014, , Pages 455-465
Abstract
In this study, the distance methods of density measurementwere compared for four plant species in terms of accuracy, time, and efficiency of the random distribution patterns in Karsanak area, located in the eastern part of Shahrekord in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiary province. The study area with 32000m2(160*200) ...
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In this study, the distance methods of density measurementwere compared for four plant species in terms of accuracy, time, and efficiency of the random distribution patterns in Karsanak area, located in the eastern part of Shahrekord in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiary province. The study area with 32000m2(160*200) was divided into eight sections of 4000 m2. The total number of each species was counted in each section and considered as the basis for the simulation. Then, eight sections with 4000m2 area were simulated in Stochastic Geometry software, and in each section, a transect of 100m length was established in the center of small side along which 10 points were determined by random systematic method with nine-meter intervals. The distance methods compared included nearest neighbor, closest individual, third closest individual, random pairs, point center quarter, angle order, wandering quarter and variable area transect as well as control group (counting the number of each species in each section). The selected species included Astragalus effuses, Eryngium billardieri, Astragalus rhodosemius and Astragalusverus. The distribution pattern of plant communities was determined by Hopkines and Eberhardt indices. The density estimation error was calculated to evaluate the accuracy. Duncan's test was used to compare the accuracy of methods, and standard deviation and time method were used to compare the efficiency of methods. The results of this study showed that nearest neighbor and closest individual methods (in terms of time), random pairs method (in terms of accuracy) and variable area transect (in terms of precision) could be introduced as the most efficient methods.
Hosein Arzani; Javad Moetamedi; Hasan Yeghaneh; Hamzeh Ali Shirmardi
Volume 21, Issue 2 , August 2014, , Pages 221-233
Abstract
Being informed about the sufficiency of forage required for the daily need of the animal unit grazing on the rangeland is of paramount importance in animal and rangeland management. Therefore, in the current study, 32 important plant species grazed by animals on semi-steppe rangelands of Karsank in Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari ...
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Being informed about the sufficiency of forage required for the daily need of the animal unit grazing on the rangeland is of paramount importance in animal and rangeland management. Therefore, in the current study, 32 important plant species grazed by animals on semi-steppe rangelands of Karsank in Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari were sampled during three growth stages (vegetative growth, flowering and seeding). During each stage, three samples were taken and three plant bases were cut for each sample. Having measured the percentage of nitrogen (N) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of the studied species, the amount of their crude protein (CP), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and metabolisable energy (ME) were determined to know their critical level for meeting animals’ daily requirements. In order to analyze the data, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used and to observe the within-groups differences Duncan's test was employed. Results showed that the maximum crude protein (23.87%), dry matter digestibility (74.35%) and metabolisable energy (6.73 Mj/Kg/DM) belonged to Bellevalia glauca. The minimum crude protein (9.81%) belonged to Thymus daenensis and the minimum dry matter digestibility (51.38%) and metabolisable energy (6.73 Mj/Kg/DM) were recorded for Asperula molluginoides. The average crude protein for vegetative, flowering and seeding stages were 20.92, 13.03 and 8.89%, respectively, that at all three growth stages, it was higher than its critical level (7.0%) to meet the daily maintenance requirement of an animal unit. Average dry matter digestibility values for the three phenological stages were 62.48, 55.02 and 46.18%, respectively, that its amount was higher than the critical level (50%) for vegetative and flowering stages and was lower than the critical amount at the seeding stage for meeting the daily maintenance requirements of an animal unit. Metabolisable energy in vegetative, flowering and seeding stages were 8.62, 7.35 and 5.85%, respectively, which were higher than the critical level (8Mj) during the vegetative growth and flowering stages and lower than the same critical level at the seeding stage for meeting the daily maintenance requirements of an animal unit. This is an indicator of the fact that desirability of range forage at different grazing times is not the same and it is necessary to determine the daily requirement of animal unit on the basis of forage quality. In general, the studied rangelands are considered to be desirable in terms of supplying required daily crude protein and metabolisable energy for an animal unit. Results presented in this paper are important for livestock and range management in the studied area.