A Comparison of the Methods of Measuring the Density of Caligonum persicum in Mazhanabad Khaf Rangelands

In an attempt to analyze and compare the density measurement methods, a study site with four replications was selected in the rangelands with Artemisia sieberi-coligonum persicum¬ as the dominant plant species in Mazhanabad of Khaf. In each rangeland site (with an area of 5000 m2 & a dimension of 50×100 m), the real density was calculated by counting all caligonum base species. Samples were taken from each rangeland site following a random-systematic design. Four 100-meter transects were established in each replication. Considering the required sample size for each method, some points were randomly selected and the density measurement methods (i.e., Quarter Methods, Closest Individual Method, Nearest Neighbor Method, Random Pairs Method, Point Centered Quarter Method, & Ordinal Methods including the second & third closest individual) were implemented. The difference between the density measurement methods and the control (base counting) method was analyzed by LSD method. According to the results, the closest estimation to the control belonged to Point Centered Quarter Method¬. Quarter Method showed a significant difference to the control. Point Centered Quarter Method was the most accurate while Random Pairs and Nearest Neighbor Methods were the least accurate.