Ardavan Ghorbani; Lida Andalibi; Farid Enferadi; Farzad Aghche Gheshlagh; Jamal Seyf Davati; Jaber Sharifi Niaragh
Volume 27, Issue 4 , December 2020, , Pages 722-731
Abstract
Forage quality information could help managers of rangelands to select appropriate grazing method to achieve higher animal performance without damage to ecosystem. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional value of Thymus kotschyanus, Artemisia melanolepis and A. austriaca in different ...
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Forage quality information could help managers of rangelands to select appropriate grazing method to achieve higher animal performance without damage to ecosystem. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional value of Thymus kotschyanus, Artemisia melanolepis and A. austriaca in different altitudes and phenological stages in 2016. According to the presense of the selected species, three rangeland sites in the southeast of Sabalan near Alvares ski resort including 2200-2400, 2600-2800, and 3000-3200 meters above sea level were selected. At each site 50 samples from each species were taken at three phenological stages. The nutritional value of the species was determined by measuring the percentage of dry matter, ash, organic matter, protein, fat, Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), macro elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and sodium) and micro elements (iron, zinc, copper and manganese) and the results were analyzed in a completely randomized design using ANOVA. Duncan's multiple range test was used to compare the means. Considernig the difference in altitude in the habitat of T. kotschyanus and A. melanolepis, the effect of altitude factor on the studied traits in these two species was solely evaluated by independent t-test and the results showed that, altitude changes had no effect on the nutritional value and macro and micro elements of T. kotschyanus and A. melanolepis. The difference between phenological stages in species was significant. The highest and lowest percentage of organic matter were in seedling and growth stages for A. austriaca (94.43%) and A. melanolepis (91.49%), respectively. As phenological stages pass, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of fat, protein and ash in all three species (p < 0.05). The highest crude protein was observed in A. melanolepis at vegetative stage (17%) and the lowest in A. austriaca at seedling stage (7.5%). With the development of growth stages organic and dry matter, NDF and ADF were increased in the species. Phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and sodium in the species were decreased significantly as phenological stages progress (p < 0.05). The highest phosphorus was recorded at vegetative stage in A. austriaca (0.34%) and the lowest (0.12%) in T. kotschyanus at the seedling stage. Overall, A. austriaca, A. melanolepis and T. kotschyanus have high nutritional value and suitable minerals, which can be used as substitute forage when other forage species are reduced in a given rangeland.
Farshad Keivan Behjou; Hasan Mollazadeh Asl; Jaber Sharifi Naiaragh
Volume 25, Issue 1 , April 2018, , Pages 13-28
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tree species canopy on production and diversity of grass species in the understory of trees in Fandoghlou, Ardabil. The study area was selected after extracting similar geomorphological units of Fandoghlou, Shoghal Dareh ...
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The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tree species canopy on production and diversity of grass species in the understory of trees in Fandoghlou, Ardabil. The study area was selected after extracting similar geomorphological units of Fandoghlou, Shoghal Dareh and Niaragh. Inventory was conducted by systematic random sampling and dimension of plots was determined regarding the structure of vegetation. The number of plots was selected using statistical formulas, and the list of species, canopy cover, litter, rock, and bare soil percentage were recorded. Sampling in open and forested rangelands was done in four slope classes including 0-10, 10-20, 20 -35 and 35-50% and in four geographical aspects including northern, southern, eastern and western. The results showed that the highest vegetation cover percentage was observed in the understory of trees in Fandoghlou, Niaragh and Shoghal Dareh in slope classes of 10-20%, respectively, with 20, 25 and 25%. The highest vegetation cover in open rangelands were observed in slope classes of 10-20%, respectively, with 81, 86 and 86%. The northern aspect compared to other aspects had the highest vegetation cover in both rangelands. According to the results, the highest production was observed in open rangelands, showing a significant difference with forested rangelands. In addition, the production of grass species and interaction of rangeland type and aspect showed significant differences in the study rangelands. Accordingly, production in the open rangelands of northern slopes was significantly higher as compared with forested rangelands. On the other hand, the results of diversity and evenness indices in open and forested rangelands showed that the highest amounts of these indices were observable in forested rangelands.
ardashir pounrnemati; ardavan ghorbani; jaber sharifi; farzad mirzaie; masoume amirkhani; mahmoud goudarzi
Volume 24, Issue 1 , May 2017, , Pages 110-125
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between rangeland plants production based on total production and life forms of grasses, forbs, and shrubs with topographic factors (altitude, slope, and aspects) in Sabalan rangelands, Ardabil province. To determine the annual total production, ...
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between rangeland plants production based on total production and life forms of grasses, forbs, and shrubs with topographic factors (altitude, slope, and aspects) in Sabalan rangelands, Ardabil province. To determine the annual total production, the amount of production was estimated using harvesting method in one square meter plots (totally of 216 plots) under the altitude range of 1200 to 2900 meters a.s.l. Using topographic maps, the digital elevation model was derived and classified maps of elevation, slope, and aspect were derived. Then, in each plot, information such as elevation, slope, and aspect was extracted. The correlation between life forms and topographic factors was analyzed using multivariate regression method. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the production of life forms such as grasses (P<0.01), forbs (P<0.01) and shrubs (P<0.05) with topographic factors; however, there was no significant relationship between total production and topographic factors (P>0.05). The production of grasses, forbs and total production had direct relationship with slope; however, the production of shrubs decreased with the increase of slope. The production of grasses increased with altitude, and in the east-faced slopes, it was estimated more than the other aspects. The production of forbs decreased with the increase of altitude and was higher in the east aspect in comparison with the other aspects. The production of shrubs and total production in the middle altitude and in north –faced slopes were more than the other classes and aspects according to the suitable ecological condition and low degradation. Although it is obvious that elevation, slope, and aspect can change and affect the production, this effect is unknown, especially in the connection with life forms and the process of change. Overall, it can be concluded that these results could be used in the management of these rangelands, particularly in the improvement and rehabilitation practices.
Ardavan Ghorbani; Jaber Sharifi Niaragh; Amir Hossein Kavian poor; Behrooz Malekpour; Farzad Mirzaie Aghche Gheshlagh
Volume 20, Issue 2 , June 2013, , Pages 379-396