Mohammad hadi Rad; Mohammad Khosroshahi
Volume 30, Issue 3 , January 2024, , Pages 395-408
Abstract
Background and Objective The history of using American mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) for desertification control especially sand stabilization in Iran, is long. Considering the non-native nature of this species, attention should be paid to its ecological requirements, especially water needs or evapotranspiration ...
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Background and Objective The history of using American mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) for desertification control especially sand stabilization in Iran, is long. Considering the non-native nature of this species, attention should be paid to its ecological requirements, especially water needs or evapotranspiration (ET). This can contribute to the sustainability of sand stabilization programs and fine dust control and play an influential role in ecosystem development. Determining plants' evapotranspiration rates through lysimetry is one of the most accurate direct measurement methods. Methodology The experiment using weighing and drainage lysimeters began in 2021 by planting seedlings inside lysimeters located at the Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Desert Research Station. It continued for two years. Nine lysimeters with a volume of 1.95 m³ (height: 170 cm, diameter: 121 cm) and a surface area of 1.15 m² were used. The ET rates and the crop coefficient (Kc) of Prosopis juliflora were studied under different soil moisture levels, including field capacity (no stress), 67% of field capacity (mild stress), and 34% of field capacity (severe) for various growth stages. Irrigation was performed by drip irrigation based on a fraction of field capacity with an appropriate number of droppers calculated for each treatment. For field capacity, 67% and 34% of field capacity treatments, 6, 4, and 2 droppers with an 8 liters per hour flow rate were used, respectively. Each treatment was irrigated twice with the appropriate amount of water based on soil moisture levels. Results The results showed that Prosopis juliflora, under lysimeter conditions and the local climate, had an annual ET rate of 496.5 mm and a Kc 0.21. These values for the 67% and 34% field capacity treatments were 445.4 mm with Kc 0.18 and 275.2 mm with Kc 0.11, respectively. The ET rates of Prosopis juliflora at different growth stages revealed that the highest ET occurred during the development period of 124 days. This corresponds to rapid shoot, branch, and leaf growth. The ET rates in different irrigation regimes for field capacity, 67%, and 34% of soil moisture were 322.1 mm, 281.7 mm, and 158.3 mm, respectively. The lowest ET rate was associated with the final growth stage. The Kc for various growth stages in the field capacity treatment were 0.19, 0.24, and 0.14 for the first, second, and third growth periods, respectively. Under these conditions, a sigmoid growth curve (initial growth, development, and end of growth) can be defined for this plant. Conclusion It is recommended for afforestation with this species in Iran's southern regions, considering its optimal planting density to reduce competition. It is also recommended to pay attention to its ET rate, especially during the hot months of the year when it can exceed 2.5 mm per day. By examining and calculating the ET rates of mature trees with appropriate efficiency in sand stabilization and dust control, it was found that to create a canopy cover area, as mentioned, it is necessary to have 4846 m3 of water per hectare (equivalent to 484.6 mm per year) available to the plant. In other words, with this amount of ET, the plant can expand its canopy cover area to 19.5 m2 and, with 155 individuals per hectare (8×8 meters), cover 30% of the area, which is suitable for sand stabilization.
Ali Khanamani; Asghar Mosleh Arani; Hamid Reza Azimzadeh; Mohammad Hadi Rad
Volume 27, Issue 2 , June 2020, , Pages 334-346
Abstract
Diversification of used species in sand stabilization and desertification can help sustain these ecosystems. Most species used in sand stabilization require initial support to adapt to new conditions over time. One of the most important of these supports is irrigation in the early years of planting. ...
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Diversification of used species in sand stabilization and desertification can help sustain these ecosystems. Most species used in sand stabilization require initial support to adapt to new conditions over time. One of the most important of these supports is irrigation in the early years of planting. In this study, the yield and water use efficiency of (Ammodendron persicum) in lysimetric conditions under the influence of different levels of irrigation were considered. Different irrigation levels consisted of 75, 50, and 25 percent irrigation and field capacity (control), applied in a completely randomized design with four replications. Evapotranspiration rates in control, 75, 50, and 25% under-irrigation treatments were 60, 47, 37, and 26 liters, respectively. By calculating water use efficiency based on the amount of dry matter produced per liter of transpiration water, it was found that there was a significant difference between different treatments. The highest water use efficiency with 2.07 g of dry matter for per liter of transpiration was related to 50% irrigation treatment. As the water consumption decreased, the root to aerial part ratio increased, so that it showed a significant difference in different treatments. The root to aerial part ratio in the control was 0.84 and in the 75% under-irrigation treatment was 1.51. The results of this study showed that Ammodendron persicum in the early stages of establishment due to low growth rate had low water requirements and improved its water use efficiency through various mechanisms such as root development. Due to the low growth, water loss through evaporation in early stages of establishment was high, and to improve irrigation efficiency, appropriate methods to reduce evaporation and maintain soil moisture are recommended.
Kazem Dashtakian; Mojtaba Pak parvar; Mohammad hadi Rad
Volume 18, Issue 2 , September 2011, , Pages 292-306
Abstract
Due to the land use changes like increased acreage for agriculture, digging deep and semi-deep wells has increased rapidly in recent decades in Marvast area as these wells are the main source of water supply at the present time unlike the past which rivers and aqueducts had this role. The main purpose ...
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Due to the land use changes like increased acreage for agriculture, digging deep and semi-deep wells has increased rapidly in recent decades in Marvast area as these wells are the main source of water supply at the present time unlike the past which rivers and aqueducts had this role. The main purpose of this study was to monitor land use changes on soil salinity using satellite images and GIS. Our other purpose was to investigate soil salinity changes in each land unit. With using satellite information from 1984 and 2002 years and proposed method for mapping soil salinity, land use and soil salinity maps were produced and then land use and soil salinity changes were studied. The study area had a total land area of 88980 hectares in Marvast, Yazd province. Results showed that land area of playas, deserts and rangelands respectively decreased to 7.8, 2.9 and 1.5 percent versus increase of agriculture and urban land area to 77.8 and 153 percent respectively. Also during this period, sever increase, increase and decrease of soil salinity was respectively recorded for playa, agricultural and rangelands, and deserts while no changes was detected for other regions. According to results, under ground water resources and saline waters of playas have undergone serious changes as with increase in average soil surface salinity, the ecosystem has shown negative changes.
Mohammad hadi Rad; Mohammad ali Meshkat; Mahdi Soltani
Volume 16, Issue 1 , December 2009, , Pages 34-43
Abstract
The effects of drought stress on some saxual‘s (Haloxylon aphyllum) morphological characteristics was studied by weight and drainage lysimeters from 1380 to 1384 in yazd Shahid-Sadughy desertification research station. The moisture treatments included pot capacity (control), one-third pot capacity ...
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The effects of drought stress on some saxual‘s (Haloxylon aphyllum) morphological characteristics was studied by weight and drainage lysimeters from 1380 to 1384 in yazd Shahid-Sadughy desertification research station. The moisture treatments included pot capacity (control), one-third pot capacity and drought that carried out in randomize complete block design (RCBD) with three replicate. After the control of soil moisture, the moisture treatments were irrigated, on the other hand after seedling establishment in drought treatment irrigation was stopped. The moisture treatments were carried out in two growth season and its effects on morphological characteristic such as height, crown diameter, canopy cover volume, leaf length, number of ties in leaf length unit and canopy cover weight was studied. The results showed that the amount of soil moisture were not significant on height, canopy cover volume and number of ties in leaf length unit, but it had significant effects on crown diameter (p=0.030), leaf length (p=0.010) and canopy cover weight (p=0.004).
Mohammad Hadirad; Reza Mir hoseini; Mohammad ali Meshkat; Mahdi Soltani
Volume 15, Issue 1 , January 2008, , Pages 51-58
Abstract
Weighting lysimeters are good instruments and direct method to plants water needs (evapotranspiration) in arid zones. This research practiced at Yazd Shahid-Sadooghi Desert Research Station. Ten galvanized iron lysimeters (120 cm. diameter & 170 cm. high) were made and constructed after covering ...
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Weighting lysimeters are good instruments and direct method to plants water needs (evapotranspiration) in arid zones. This research practiced at Yazd Shahid-Sadooghi Desert Research Station. Ten galvanized iron lysimeters (120 cm. diameter & 170 cm. high) were made and constructed after covering with a glass-wool layer to minimize the effect of the environment temperature variation on them. Four hatchways installed at different depths (30, 60, 90 and 120 cm) of lysimeters for root and soil sampling and estimating of soil moisture content by TDR instrument. These containers became full with disturbed local soil (l.s tex.), planted and irrigated respectively at the beginning. Lysimeters weighted by a portable liftract which was linked to a powerful (5000 kg. capacity) and accurate (0.1 % sensitivity degree) balance. Drainage water also collected from outlet tubes below of lysimeters occasionally. Results has shown that this procedure have had a good efficiency because achieving to objectives of this research was available. Saving and analyzing of information by computer and with change of weighting method, would also be probable in the future.