Abbas Darini; Mohammad Jafari; Ali Tavili; Hosein Arzani; Seyed Akbar Javadi
Volume 30, Issue 2 , September 2023, , Pages 318-334
Abstract
Background and objectives Although man-made biochars positively affect soil properties and plant performance, their preparation and use, especially on a large scale, are costly. On the other hand, mineral biochar can be considered an alternative method. However, there is no information about the ...
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Background and objectives Although man-made biochars positively affect soil properties and plant performance, their preparation and use, especially on a large scale, are costly. On the other hand, mineral biochar can be considered an alternative method. However, there is no information about the effect of this type of biochar and its method of use on soil characteristics and plant performance. Materials and methods Effect of levels of 0 (control), 5, 12, and 25% of mineral biochar (obtained from the mine of Koohbanan city, Kerman province) in three forms of use (including mixed with surface soil, mixed with deep bottom soil, and mixed with total volume soil) on the vegetative performance of bush Fortuynia bungei, shrub Calligonum comosum and tree Ziziphus spina-christi were evaluated in a completely randomized factorial design in the nursery during four months. Cultivation operations in two stages included the germination section (without biochar) and studying the treatments' effects on the species' vegetative characteristics. The seeds were planted in pots containing 100 grams of sand. After sprouting the seedlings and their three to five leaves, one seedling was selected from each pot and transferred to larger pots containing biochar. The amount of water required was determined based on the measurement of soil field capacity. Seedling characteristics were measured at 20-day intervals for four months, and biomass production was measured at the end of the experimental period. At the end of the test period, some soil properties were examined, including organic carbon, total nitrogen, absorbable phosphorus, absorbable potassium, acidity, and electrical conductivity. Results The application of different levels and the manner of using biochar to the evaluated characteristics showed that the most noticeable effect was related to the level of biochar. In other words, although using biochar or the cultivated species resulted in varying results, the amount of biochar had the greatest effect on the evaluated characteristics. The findings showed the effect of higher levels of biochar and the mixture of biochar with the total soil volume on plant species performance (Sig.0.005). Also, the species performed differently, so C. comosum had the highest growth height (65 cm), and F. bungei had the lowest growth height (19 cm). The method of using biochar also had a significant effect on plant biomass, so the highest biomass was related to F. bungei (9.2 grams) under the influence of 25% biochar mixed with the entire soil profile. The levels of biochar or plant species alone affected soil properties. However, the combined effect of the species and the level of biochar used on soil properties was not noticeable. With the application of 25% of biochar, nitrogen (from 0.14 to 0.25%), organic matter (0.88 to 4.1%), and electrical conductivity (0.76 to 1.33 dS/m) showed the most changes (Sig.<0.001). Conclusion By increasing biochar levels, improved soil properties and plant performance were observed. On the other hand, biochar application affects plant performance depending on species. The method of using biochar also significantly changed the performance of cultivated plants so that, considering the economic discussion of using biochar, its mixture with the entire soil profile leads to higher production than mixing biochar with surface or deep soil. However, more studies are needed regarding biochar's effect on soil properties and plant performance.
Amir Masoud Pouyafar; Hossein Arzani; Seyed Akbar Javadi; Asghar Tahmasebi
Volume 29, Issue 2 , July 2022, , Pages 176-185
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the economic, social, and ecological indicators affecting the beekeeping model in rangelands in the Sarayan region of South Khorasan province. This research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-analytical method, and quantitative in terms of data collection. The statistical ...
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This study aimed to identify the economic, social, and ecological indicators affecting the beekeeping model in rangelands in the Sarayan region of South Khorasan province. This research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-analytical method, and quantitative in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the study included all ranchers in the Sarayan region. Using Krejcie and Morgan's table, 180 ranchers were selected by random sampling method. The data collection tool and information were a researcher-made questionnaire designed to assess the tendency of pastoralists to beekeeping in the rangeland and determine the main indicators of their unwelcome to this type of livelihood using a semi-structured interview method. The reliability of the questionnaire was 0.86 using Cronbach's alpha test. The results showed that in 61.7% of ranchers, the tendency to beekeeping was reported to be high and very high. So that there is a significant correlation between age (at 99% level), level of education (at 99% level), and percentage of rangeland dependence (at 95% level) with a tendency to beekeeping in rangeland. However, this correlation was negative for age and percentage of rangeland dependence. The results of ranking the important indicators of ranchers' reluctance to beekeeping also showed the indicators of knowledge, insufficient knowledge and skills, the safety of hives in the rangeland, low risk-taking spirit, and rangeland ownership as the most important social indicators, cost of providing, transferring and maintaining hives in the rangeland. The most important economic indicators and short indicators of the rangeland flowering period, poor vegetation, lack of sufficient water resources, and environmental risks (drought, storms, pests, and diseases) were considered the ecological indicators from the perspective of rangers.
Nematolah Madadizadeh; Hossein Arzani; Seyed Akbar Javadi; Seyed Hamid Movahed Mohammadi; Mohammad Hosein Razaghi
Volume 28, Issue 2 , June 2021, , Pages 195-207
Abstract
In the current era of participation, the rule of common sense and the involvement of all stakeholders in key decisions have been accepted. Targeting and directing partnerships to conserve and rehabilitate natural resources will lead to sustainable development. The concepts of participation and the affecting ...
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In the current era of participation, the rule of common sense and the involvement of all stakeholders in key decisions have been accepted. Targeting and directing partnerships to conserve and rehabilitate natural resources will lead to sustainable development. The concepts of participation and the affecting factors need to be explained and studied. The aim is to investigate the factors affecting the participation of local communities in natural resource management from the perspective of experts in the region, Kerman. The research is descriptive-analytical, and the survey technique is used. Necessary information has been collected by completing 40 questionnaires from all natural resources experts of the province and the project (RFLDL) in the form of a census. The research tools of the questionnaire and its validity have been approved by experts. Using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the reliability coefficient for the questionnaire items was determined to be 0.84. The reliability of the research items was measured by Cronbach's alpha statistic, the results of which (coefficient 0.84) indicate the high reliability of the items for measuring variables. Multiple regression tests have been used to determine the share of factors (eocnomic, extension, educational and managerial) on the participation of users from the perspective of experts. The results showed that social factors had a much greater share in predicting the dependent variable than other variables. Based on the results, giving importance to social factors can play an important role in attracting the participation of rangers in rangeland management.
Eshagh Omidvar; Hossein Arzani; Saeed Mohtashamnia; Seyed Akbar Javadi; Mohammad Jafary
Volume 28, Issue 1 , April 2021, , Pages 1-10
Abstract
Regardless of rangeland plant production, it is not possible to plan and manage livestock and rangeland. Attention to rangeland forage production is essential for efficient and effective rangeland management. This importance is determined by identifying the relationship between forage ...
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Regardless of rangeland plant production, it is not possible to plan and manage livestock and rangeland. Attention to rangeland forage production is essential for efficient and effective rangeland management. This importance is determined by identifying the relationship between forage production of plants and climatic variables which affect them in the field. For this purpose, the annual forage production values of rangeland index species were measured in Omidabad Eastern site during the years of 1998-2008 for 10 years in the national plan for rangeland assessment of different climatic zones and their re-measurement during the years of 2017-2018 for two years by cutting and weighing in 60 random plots of two square meters along four 300-meter tracts. The amount of rainfall and monthly temperature in this time interval were also calculated using the data of Abadeh meteorological station in all months separately each year. The amount of annual dry forage production of each species as a dependent variable and the amount of rainfall and temperature calculated as independent variables and relationships between them were investigated using a linear multivariate regression program in SPSS software. The results showed that rainfall, winter, and fall temperatures had a significant effect on species production and spring rains as well as the temperature of the growing season, in April and May, alone did not affect the forage production of the species and based on the results research, with the availability of rainfall and temperature data, the annual forage production of the studied species and the annual production of the coming years can be estimated with high accuracy.
Farhad Sardari; Hosein Arzani; Seyed Akbar Javadi
Volume 26, Issue 4 , December 2019, , Pages 1042-1054
Abstract
Land use capability for a type of range utilization with considering the sustainable land use is called range suitability, nowadays which is a priority in the science of range management. The objective of this study is evaluation of range suitability for sheep grazing through FAO method (Condition limitation) ...
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Land use capability for a type of range utilization with considering the sustainable land use is called range suitability, nowadays which is a priority in the science of range management. The objective of this study is evaluation of range suitability for sheep grazing through FAO method (Condition limitation) in Sarayan- South Khorasan province in 1990. For the purpose of this study, at first, the map of vegetation types was determined in each region and in each vegetation type, the status and tendency of rangeland and the amount of plant species were determined by cutting and weighing method and the suitability map was produced. Then, using EPM method, soil erosion susceptibility map was prepared. Also, to study the watershed suitability of the area, the drinking water resources of livestock area and sampling of each water source was done, the quantification of water was determined and water samples were transferred to the laboratory and TDS, EC and Mg + 2 parameters were measured for each sample and by integrating layers of quantity, quality and equal distant points from water sources, the water resource suitability map was adjusted. Finally, by finalizing production suitability maps, soil susceptibility to erosion and water, the final model of range suitability classification was prepared. The results indicated that there was no class of suitability (no vegetation type) (S1) in the region and the suitability classes S2, S3 and N (no grazing suitability) were 12.1%, 50.7% and 37%, respectively. Based on the research results, overgrazing, early grazing, formation susceptible to erosion, slope, allowable use limits and available forage, poor condition, negative trend of ranges and inappropriate distribution of water sources for livestock are the most considerable limiting factors in area for sheep grazing. In general, with regard to the obtained results using the livestock grazing suitability model in the study area, it is suggested to use this model as the basis for preparing rangeland plans with emphasis on removing the limiting factors as far as possible to improve rangeland status and Shepherds' income.
Fatemeh Alishah Eratboni; Hosein Arzani; Seyed Akbar Javadi; Mehdi Farahpour
Volume 26, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 379-387
Abstract
Given the importance of rangelands for livestock grazing and conservation of the natural ecosystem, it is important to consider the factors contributing in the conservation and development of rangelands to achieve sustainable development goals. Therefore, beneficiaries’ participation ...
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Given the importance of rangelands for livestock grazing and conservation of the natural ecosystem, it is important to consider the factors contributing in the conservation and development of rangelands to achieve sustainable development goals. Therefore, beneficiaries’ participation in rangeland improvement and reclamation plans as a new approach to natural resource management is essential. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the participation of beneficiaries in the implementation of rangeland plans in the rangelands of Savadkouh watershed. Using Cochran formula and random sampling method, 111 beneficiaries were selected as the sample and economic and social factors influencing beneficiaries ' participation such as age, level of education, number of rachers, awareness of range management plans, number of livestock and income level were investigated. The results showed that age had a significant negative effect on participation in the implementation of range management plans. It seems that, despite background and experience, the poor physical ability as well as the type of thinking have contributed to the lower participation of aged beneficiaries. Also, the most elasticity was related to the income level, so that by increasing one percent in the income of beneficiaries, the likelihood of increased participation in the implementation of range management plans would increase 5.612 percent and with the increase of income, the likelihood of beneficiaries’ participation would increase by 0.325 units
Ali Farazmand; Hossein Arzani; seyed Akbar Javadi; Abbasali Sanadgol
Volume 26, Issue 1 , June 2019, , Pages 187-200
Abstract
Over 50% of the country's surface is rangeland and livestock grazing is the main use of rangelands. Therefore, in the range of cities, rangelands should be considered not only in terms of livestock forage, but also for recreational aspects. The Gilizjand Watershed with an area of 16210.44 ...
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Over 50% of the country's surface is rangeland and livestock grazing is the main use of rangelands. Therefore, in the range of cities, rangelands should be considered not only in terms of livestock forage, but also for recreational aspects. The Gilizjand Watershed with an area of 16210.44 hectares is located in northern Firouzkooh city of Tehran province. According to the Demarton modified method, it has a cool semi-arid climate. This research was conducted on the basis of the FAO guidelines (1991), and GIS on a scale of 1: 20000, the limiting factor method was used. At first, the existing condition of the rangelands was studied. Then, factors affecting tourism including environmental and ecological factors (climate, elevation, slope, attractions of the area, water resources, and soil) and infrastructure factors (access to the area and distance to service centers and welfare centers) were studied. Eventually, the suitability of the rangelands of the region was determined for tourism and recreation.The results showed that 1% of the area was in the good suitability class (S1), 9.4% in the middle suitability class (S2), 29.4% in the poor suitability class (S3) and 60.2% in the non suitable class (N).The results also showed that the slope percentage, water content, distance from human-made attractions and plant composition were limiting factors for tourism in the Gilizjand watershed.
reza Siah mansour; Morteza Akbarzadeh; Ehsan Zandi Esfahan; Karim Khademi; seyd Akbar Javadi
Volume 22, Issue 3 , November 2015, , Pages 417-425
Hosein Arzani; Esmaiel Sabri; Javad Moetamedi; Seyed Akbar Javadi
Volume 22, Issue 1 , June 2015, , Pages 158-167
Abstract
Several sheep breeds with different sizes use the rangelands in different climatic regions of West Azerbaijan province. Since these rangelands differ regarding the vegetation and physical characteristics and these differences cause the amount of animals’ mobility to vary, the amount of required ...
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Several sheep breeds with different sizes use the rangelands in different climatic regions of West Azerbaijan province. Since these rangelands differ regarding the vegetation and physical characteristics and these differences cause the amount of animals’ mobility to vary, the amount of required forage for providing their daily metabolic energy at different grazing times would not be the same. Therefore, to organize the animal feeding on the rangeland, mapping the daily requirement of animals grazing on the rangelands of area was necessary. In this regard, at first, the average amount of metabolic energy per unit weight of rangelands grazed by animals at different growth stages in the summer and winter rangelands were identified and then, considering the daily metabolic energy requirement of each sheep breed in maintenance state, the amount of daily required forage was determined, and on the basis of mentioned results, the map of daily animal requirement at different growth stages was provided. According to the obtained results, it was found that the amount of forage providing the daily requirement of sheep breeds in different climatic pastures of the province varied between 1.04 and 2.31kg per day, so that the least amount was related to the forage providing daily requirement of Makui breed (with an average weight of 45.36 kg) at the initial growth stages of summer rangelands in the northern areas of the province, and the highest amount belonged to the forage providing daily requirement of Ghezel breed (with an average weight of 71.57 kg) and the Herki breed (with an average weight of 53.50kg) at the final growth stages (seeding stage) of winter rangelands in the southern areas of the province
seyed akbar javadi; sonia khatibi baneh; hosein arzani; kazem saedi
Volume 22, Issue 4 , March 2015, , Pages 821-829
Abstract
This research was aimed to investigate the soil function indices in an exclosure region in comparison with non-exclosure. Then, using random plots as a control method, vegetation cover, stones and gravel, and litter were measured. Our results showed that the exclosure region (Saral Research Station) ...
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This research was aimed to investigate the soil function indices in an exclosure region in comparison with non-exclosure. Then, using random plots as a control method, vegetation cover, stones and gravel, and litter were measured. Our results showed that the exclosure region (Saral Research Station) had better condition in terms of function indices in comparison with non-exclosure regions, indicating the positive impact of no livestock grazing for a long time. Northern slope of the exclosure region and the southern slope of non-exclosure region were identified as the most stable (60.26) and unstable (52.8) in the study area. The highest infiltration was recorded for the southern slope of the exclosure region (58.7), and the northern slope of the exclosure region had the highest nutrient cycling (45.63). The western slope of the exclosure region represented the longest inter patch in the whole landscape and the northern slope of exclosure had the largest area and number of ecological patches. Considering the area and number of patches helps the range manager detect the effect of exterior and interior factors on rangeland easier. Overall, long-term exclosure in the Saral region could be mentioned as a suitable method to reduce the runoff, soil erosion, and sediment production.
Elham Fakhimi Abarghouie; Seyed Akbar Javadi
Volume 21, Issue 1 , June 2014, , Pages 109-118
Abstract
From the perspective of rangeland ecology, awareness of the effects of livestock grazing on the changes of structure, plant vegetation and soil characteristics is essential. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different grazing intensities including heavy (0-200 m distance from water ...
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From the perspective of rangeland ecology, awareness of the effects of livestock grazing on the changes of structure, plant vegetation and soil characteristics is essential. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different grazing intensities including heavy (0-200 m distance from water point), moderate grazing (200- 800 m) and light grazing (800-1200 m) intensities on vegetation indices and soil characteristics in Nodushan region, Yazd province of Iran. For this purpose, plant vegetation cover and composition were recorded under three grazing intensities. Soil was sampled from depths of 0-30 cm. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA, t-testandordination method (CCA) to assess the vegetation response in different grazing intensities. Results showed that plant species such as Astragalus achrochlarus, Salsola arbusculata and Tragopogon sp.were found in light grazing area.Allysum minus, Artemisia sieberi, Poa sinacia, Iris songarica, Lactuca glacifolia and Stipa barbata were identified in moderate grazing area. Eryngium sp., Cousinia desertii, Bromus tectorum and Peganum harmala were the major species in heavy grazing area.Soil properties including N, P, K, OC, EC and pH were measured. According to the results, nitrogen and soil organic matter were decreased by increasing grazing intensities but P, K, EC and pH were increased. Since grazing pressure causes damage to vegetation and some soil properties, a moderate grazing is recommended for sustainable utilization of rangelands.
Zainab Nurikiya; Akbar Javadi; Akbar Fakhireh; Ali Tavili; Mohammad ali Zare chahouki; Hamid reza Abbasi
Volume 16, Issue 4 , January 2010, , Pages 574-585
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to compare the amount of N, P and K in the soil under three rangeland species i.e. Agropyron tauri, Astragalus ammodendron and Bromus tomentellus and (with) the soil properties of the control area. After identifying the habitats (sites) of the mentioned species, soil ...
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The purpose of this research was to compare the amount of N, P and K in the soil under three rangeland species i.e. Agropyron tauri, Astragalus ammodendron and Bromus tomentellus and (with) the soil properties of the control area. After identifying the habitats (sites) of the mentioned species, soil sampling was done in all key areas at the end of the growing season based upon randomized systematic method. In order to study the features of the mentioned species, 10 plots (1 m2) were established along 4 transects.Soil sampling was carried out in the beginning and in the end of all transects from 0-10 and 10-40 cm soil depths. Soil sampling was also done in the control area and then N, P and K were measured. All data were analyzed and compared by T test. The results indicate that the amount of N, P and K in the first soil depth beneath Agropyron tauri is more than that in Astragalus ammodendron and Bromus tomentellus. In most cases the amount of N and K in the soil beneath (under) the species are more than that in the control area which indicates the increase of fertility in the soil beneath the species in comparison to the control area and it can be due to the litter fall or intensified biological activities of the organisms.