محمود رستمی نیا

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a fruit-bearing species with a long history of cultivation in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Pomegranate production in Iran, as the main pomegranate producer in the world, is faced with different challenges. Fruit cracking is one of the serious disorders in pomegranate that cause significant reduction in the quality of fruit and subsequent economic damages to the pomegranate producers annually. Fruit cracking can be controlled to some extent by appropriate orchard management. Proper orchard fertilization is among the influential cases that can lead to the improvement in the physiological state of trees in favor of reducing the fruit cracking. 

In this study, the effects of silicon and potassium sulfate spraying were investigated on the fruit cracking and some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of pomegranate fruit. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of four levels of silica (0, 100, 300, and 500 ppm) and three levels of potassium sulfate (0, 0.75%, and 1.5%) spraying on the fruit of pomegranate cv. ‘Malase-Saveh’, one of the most important pomegranate varieties of Iran. The treatments were applied three times during the growing season. The experiment was arranged in a factorial experiment based on the completely randomized block design in three replicates. Data analysis was performed using SAS statistical software and the means were compared using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of significance.

The results indicated that most of the qualitative and quantitative traits were influenced by foliar spraying of these substances. Also, the results indicated that foliar application of silica, potassium sulfate, and their interaction significantly affected the fruit cracking. According to the results, the lowest fruit cracking (2.64%) was obtained by spraying 500 ppm silica and 0.75% potassium sulfate, while the highest fruit cracking (27.87%) was recorded from control plants. The highest fruit weight (204 g) was recorded in the treatment of 1.5% potassium sulfate and the lowest fruit weight (144 g) was recorded from untreated plants. Most of the treatments had a positive effect on fruit and aril weight and increased this character compared to the control. Spraying with 500 ppm silica and 1.5% potassium sulfate resulted in the highest (39.69 g) 100 arils weight, while control plants had the lowest (29.14) 100 arils weight. Silica and potassium sulfate treatment also improve the total soluble solid and titratable acidity in the fruit juice of pomegranate.

The data obtained from this study could provide valuable insights into the effects of proper fertilization in reducing one of the main pomegranate disorders. Overall, the results indicated that combined spraying of silica (500 ppm) with potassium sulfate (1.5%) is more effective than their individual use and results in the higher fruit yield and quality, as well as a lower cracking disorder. These findings suggest that there are synergistic effects between these compounds. According to the results of this investigation simultaneous application of silica and potassium is suggested as a practical strategy in orchard management practices that could be beneficial for improving qualitative and quantitative attributes of pomegranate fruit.

Assessing land suitability and determining its production potential to manage soil and land resources is one of the best sustainable agricultural policies. Barley is the second most cultivated crop in Iran after wheat. However, all soils in Iran are equally suitable for barley production. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the suitability of land for barley cultivation using a spatial model integrated with Geographical Information System (GIS).

The suitability of the land for barley cultivation is affected by various factors including (percentage of sand, percentage of silt, percentage of clay, percentage of saturated moisture, structure, percentage of surface gravel, water retention capacity, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, EC, CEC, SAR, CaCO3 and pH) that were identified in the study area. In order to evaluate the suitability of land for the production of barley crops, Cumulative Quality Index (IQI) and Numerical Quality Index (NQI) were used with two series of data sets including: Total Data Set (TDS) and Minimum Data Set (MDS) and the results of this The indices were compared with two indices, storie and square root.

17 measured parameters were used as the total data set (TDS) and 5 parameters (sand percentage, clay percentage, silt percentage, saturated moisture and pH) were used as the minimum data set (MDS). Also, the results showed that using the data set The minimum (MDS) provides a closer estimate to the storied and square-root methods compared to using the total data set (TDS), thus even considering a limited number of effective soil properties with respect to spending less time and money on quality assessment. Soil and agricultural management can provide better results.

By calculating various indices and comparing them with the more common storie and square root methods, it becomes possible to survey and monitor land using new techniques. This helps validate the accuracy of the index performance. With the square root and storie techniques, the value of each parameter is categorised based on sources and conducted studies, and the requirements of the barley plant. Each parameter receives a specific grade. Considering the assigned grades and comparing them with the estimated values from the ground experiments, it is possible to identify which areas of land are more or less suitable for the intended purpose. Satellite images combined with ground observation data provide valuable information for land evaluation. The results showed that most of the units in the storie model and the square root were placed in the medium suitability class (S2) for barley production. Comparing the correlation between land suitability assessment methods and measuring soil quality indices method showed that there is the highest correlation between the NQIMDS method and the square root. In general, it can be said that the soil quality index can provide better results with minimum data set and less time and cost for soil quality assessment and agricultural management. The soil maps produced for agricultural suitability analysis in this research can serve as an effective aid in decision-making processes. Subsequent research should concentrate on employing new predictive tools to enhance forecasting abilities. Most studies have used fundamental GIS techniques for resource allocation. GIS is a potent tool for spatial analysis in resource allocation. Since land resources are decreasing rapidly, land use planning should be accomplished efficiently to recognize new areas for crop production. The use of advanced simulation software assists in the reduction of redundancy within other processes while simultaneously increasing their accuracy. Consequently, researchers must concentrate on carrying out studies concerning new and developed GIS software. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could enhance accessibility, and therefore improve the effectiveness of resource allocation (Yu et al., 2014). Modelling techniques can be employed to evaluate the practical impact of resources.
The results of this research can be useful in managerial decisions. In future studies, the use of new predictive tools should be considered. As land resources are rapidly decreasing, effective land use planning should be considered to identify new crop production areas. The use of advanced simulation software helps to eliminate the redundancy of other processes and increase accuracy (82, 93). Therefore, researchers should focus on conducting studies related to new and improved GIS software. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may increase access to increase the effectiveness of resource allocation (103). Modeling techniques can be used to assess the practical impact of resources.

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of tillage, organic fertilizers and mycorrhiza on quantitative traits and nutrient uptake in maize. The experiment was performed as a split plot with 4 replications in a randomized complete block design in August of the crop year 2017 and 2018 in Ivan city in Ilam province. Tillage at 3 levels (no tillage, tillage to a depth of 10 cm and tillage to a depth of 30 cm), organic fertilizer at 3 levels (no use, vermicompost 30 tons per hectare and bovine manure 30 tons per hectare) and mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae and it was by soil inoculation method (consumption and non-consumption). In a minimal tillage system, seed yield was 7053.2 kg ha-1, an increase of 21% compared to the least amount of tillage-free treatment. In the minimum tillage system and the consumption of cow manure, the highest grain yield was obtained in the amount of 8198.2 kg ha-1. The interaction of mycorrhizae and tillage on grain yield was significant. In the case of minimal tillage and mycorrhizae, the maximum grain yield was707.1 kg ha-1, which was significantly different from the treatment without tillage and deep in both mycorrhizal and non-amycorrhizal states. According to the results obtained in this study, it was found that soil application at least relative to the deep system has increased plant yield.

In recent years, due to the large amount of agricultural wastes, the production and use of biochar as a carbon-rich material has become very important in order to recycle plant residues, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve nutrients and remove pollutants and heavy metals from the soil. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of pyrolysis temperature, type of biomass and modification with mineral salts on the characteristics of produced biochars.

To carry out the research, a factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with three replications. The experimental factors include the type of feedstock in 2 types (sugarcane bagasse and rice straw), the pyrolysis temperature in 2 levels (300 and 500 ºC) and the type of biochar΄s modification in 4 models (control or without modification, modification with FeCl3, ZnCl2 and KH2PO4). At first, biochars were prepared (16 samples in 3 replicates) and then their physicochemical properties were measured and analyzed.

The results showed that with the increase of pyrolysis temperature in control and all modified biochars, the amount of ash, fixed carbon, electrical conductivity (EC), acidity (pH), specific surface area (SSA), carbon content and C/N ratio increased and yield, volatile matter, cation exchange capacity (CEC), oxygen and hydrogen content decreased. In rice straw biochars (control and modified), oxygen content, O/C and O+N/C ratio at both temperatures and CEC value at 500 ºC are higher than sugarcane bagasse biochars and Its SSA was less. Modification with mineral salts increased the amount of ash, yield, CEC, SSA, EC, oxygen content, O/C ratio and decreases pH, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen content in biochars produced at both temperature levels and two types of biomass. The highest amount of CEC was observed in sugarcane bagasse biochar produced at 300 ºC modified with phosphorus (58.94 cmol.kg-1) and the highest SSA in sugarcane bagasse biochar produced at 500 ºC modified with iron (94.49 m2/kg). The rice straw biochar produced at 500 ºC without modification with a pH of 8.83 had the highest pH value, and the rice straw biochar produced at 500 ºC modified with iron with EC of 9.23 had the highest EC value and the highest percentage of ash (49.07%) compared to other biochars. The most fixed carbon was related to unmodified 500 ºC sugarcane bagasse biochar (51.4%) and 500 ºC sugarcane bagasse biochar modified with zinc (48.7%). Th 300 ºC rice straw biochar modified with iron had the lowest percentage of fixed carbon and the highest ratio of H/C, O/C and O+N/C and in biochar modified with zinc produced at 500 ºC, these ratios had the lowest value compared to other biochars, which probably indicates their greater stability.

The results of this research showed that the biochars produced at 300 ºC, especially the types that modified with phosphorus and iron, have properties that are expected to remove pollutants from water and soil and improve soil fertility, and the biochars prepared at 500 ºC, especially the types that modified with zinc, have the characteristics required for application in order to carbon sequestration in the soil. Of course, more research needs to be done to provide more accurate results. In general, the use of mineral salts to modify biochar can be effective in optimizing its characteristics, according to the purpose of application.

Today, with increasing agricultural production to meet the growing needs of the expanding population, concerns have been raised about the future of food supply for the people. Among the environmental barriers to plant growth and yield, drought is the most important factor in reducing production, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In order to evaluate the effect of mycorrhiza and gibberellin consumption and drought stress on the quantitative and qualitative yield of mung bean, experimental split factorial in the form of a randomized complete block design with 4 replications during two cropping years 2017 and 2018 in Malekshahi region of Ilam province. Experimental treatments included three levels of drought stress (30, 60 and 90 mm evaporation from evaporation pan) as the main factor and three levels of gibberellin including (control, seed, and foliar application) and three levels of mycorrhiza (control, seed and application soil). It was factorial. Comparison of the mean of the three interactions of drought stress and gibberellin and mycorrhiza hormones showed that in 30 mm water evaporation from gibberellin pan and foliar application of gibberellin and no mycorrhiza application, the highest grain yield was obtained at 22255.4 kg ha-1. The highest and lowest polyphenol oxidase in seed treatments of gibberellin acid under 90 mm evaporation from evaporation pan and no consumption of gibberellic acid under 30 mm evaporation from evaporation pan with values ​​of 0.87 and 0.44 μmol of distilled water per gram of fresh weight.The highest and lowest ascorbate peroxidase in mycorrhiza seed treatments under 90 mm evaporation from evaporation pan and no consumption of mycorrhiza and gibberellin acid under 30 mm evaporation from evaporation pan with values of 0.4 and 1.81 μm g-1 water weight, respectively. It was found that the difference between these was statistically significant.

This research was carried out to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the soils obtained from dredging of the drainage drains in Abbas Irrigation channels in Ilam province. The area encompasses 16 thousand hectares. In this study sampling was carried out from two major branches. The drainage No. 1 with 21 km length, is flooded to the Rafahyeh river and drainage No. 2 with 5 km length is flooded to the Chikhab River. Sampling was done from drainage soil, dredged soil and the arable land around drainage. A comparison was performed between the three regions of drainage floor area, drainage agricultural land and dredged soil. Soil physico-chemical properties such as particle and bulk density, potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium and phosphorus, carbonate and bicarbonate, sodium absorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage, organic matter, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, sulfate, base saturation percentage and nitrogen. The results showed that the amount of potassium in dredged soil is more than recommended for soil. Phosphorus concentration was also higher than recommended for soil. Sodium, magnesium and calcium was lower than soil recommended levels. Due to the presence of calcareousmaterial,the amount of limein soils washigh and the amount of gypsum was high as well, due to the warm and dry climate and low rainfall. Soil pH of the region was mostly higher than 7 so they are categorized as alkaline and semi-alkaline soil. The studied soil is classified as saline soil due to high electrical conductivity.Soil texture was sandy clay loam.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of degradation due to traditional forest exploitation on runoff and sediment following the change of some soil characteristics in the Zagros vegetation area in Manesht and Qalarang protected areas in the north of Ilam. Based on the objectives of the study, the treatments of degraded forest, intact forest (control) and agricultural lands in the region were considered in three slopes (15, 25 and 35%) and each in three replications. In this study, runoff and sediment due to rainfall were considered. Analysis of variance test was used to investigate the effect of vegetation cover on runoff and sediment, Duncan's test was used to compare means, and Pearson's correlation method was used to determine the significance and extent of each variable measured in the soil on runoff and sediment. The results showed that with increasing the slope, the amount of water infiltration in the soil decreases and as a result, more runoff and sediment is produced. The results showed that the amount of runoff, sediment and runoff coefficient in degraded forest lands is higher than the treatment of intact forest (control) and agricultural lands. In degraded forest lands, the amount of runoff is 5.43 mm and sediment is 0.3671 tons per hectare and in untouched forest lands (control), the amount of runoff is 0.33 mm and sediment is 0.0019 tons per hectare, respectively, and in agricultural lands, the amount of runoff, and sediment were calculated as 22. 0.00 mm and 0.004 t / ha, respectively. The results of correlation coefficient showed that the parameters of acidity, clay percentage, silt percentage had a positive correlation and sand percentage had a negative correlation with runoff and acidity parameters, silt percentage had a positive correlation and sand percentage had a negative correlation with sediment content. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that eliminating or changing the use of vegetation, especially forest cover reduces the amount of soil permeability and thus increases the amount of soil runoff and sediment. Therefore, by preserving, rehabilitating and developing forest trees and shrubs, as well as preventing the change of use of these lands to agriculture, especially in sloping forest lands, runoff and sediment production can be prevented.

Dust storm is a great challenge worldwide, especially in Iran. West and southwest regions of Iran are more exposed to dust storms due to their geographical position and neighboring countries such as Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Today, scientists have proposed different ways to control wind erosion and dust storm; for instance, construction of live and non-living windbreaks to decrease wind velocity near the ground or covering soil surface through natural or chemical materials to prevent soil particles removal by winds in different intensities. Chemical polymers are one of the most effective methods to reduce soil erosion and dust. In recent decades, using synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl acetate has been considered in order to increase aggregate stability and soil stabilization. These polymers bind the soil particles to make larger aggregates and consequently increase aggregate stability. Moreover, the investigation of different mulches efficiency is essential in dust storm control and sand dune fixation. Therefore, the aim of this project was evaluating the efficiency of biocompatible polymer to decrease dust storms in laboratory conditions.

This project was conducted near Mehran city (Mohsen Abad plain) in Ilam province in 2019. In order to perform soil physical and chemical analyses, soil sampling was randomly carried out from soil surface (0-30 cm) in different places in the study area. These analyses consist of soil texture, soil saturation moisture, soil pH, EC, lime, soil organic matter, and aggregate stability. Moreover, to evaluate polyvinyl acetate, soil loss by wind tunnel, compressive strength, penetration and impact resistance are tested on samples. In this regard, soil samples collected in the study area were poured in trays with 35× 35× 3 cm dimensions. By considering four levels of polymer (C1=1, C2=1.5, C3=2, and C4=2.5 percent) with control (C0) in three replicates, 30 treatments were prepared. In order to evaluate polyvinyl acetate mulch, all tests consist of a wind tunnel simulator test, aggregate stability, permeability and impact resistance were performed after 28 days, and the results were studied. The data were analyzed by conducting one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means comparisons were calculated by using Duncan test at significance levels of P ≤ 0.01 and P ≤ 0.05.

According to the results, the most and the least aggregate stability were observed significantly (P<0.05) in C4 treatment with 85 % and control with 18 %, respectively. The wind tunnel test showed that the highest soil loss belongs to control treatment (C0 =without mulch) with significant differences from other treatments. In terms of compressive strength, C4 treatment with 2.4 kg/cm2 had the highest compressive strength against the penetrometer device compared to other treatments. In addition, the result showed that by increasing the polymer concentration, the penetration rate of polyvinyl acetate polymer significantly decreased into the soil. Furthermore, increasing the polymer concentration, increased impact resistance compared to the control. In addition, based on the results, hit resistance rose by increasing polyvinyl acetate concentration so that the least and the highest hit resistance were observed for control treatment (C0: 3 cm penetration in the soil surface) and C4 (1.35 cm penetration in the soil surface) treatment, respectively.

One of the important soil physical properties is aggregate stability which can protect soil against erosion and erosive forces such as wind and rain. Based on the results of aggregate stability test, by increasing polyvinyl acetate concentration on soil surface, this factor improved significantly. Polymers bind primary soil particles together to form secondary particles or larger aggregates, which in turn increase aggregate stability. In soil conservation studies, wind tunnel simulation is used to monitor different mulch effects on wind erosion. In this study, the least soil loss is found when polymer is used, the reason can be explained by the fact that polyvinyl acetate cover soil surface and avoid wind contact with soil surface directly. Soil compressive strength depends on cementing agents directly and PVA in this study acted as a connection agent for soil particles. Based on the results, by increasing PVA amount, the compressive strength of the soil increased. Based on the given results of this research, polyvinyl acetate mulch from 2 to 2.5 concentration percent increases compressive strength and aggregate stability in laboratory conditions. Furthermore, this polymer attaches soil particles together and penetrates in the soil to increase compressive strength and influence dust storm control.  In general, polyvinyl acetate polymer can be used as a suitable mulch by creating a good physical and mechanical conditions in the soil. Nevertheless, it should be considered that these results have been obtained in the laboratory conditions. So, for application of PVA in the natural ecosystem such as arid land conducting further is research required.

Drought stress is one of the main causes of plant growth limitation that has affected most of the world's agricultural lands. Due to the location of Iran in the almost arid and semi-arid region of the world and also the lack of moisture in such areas, there is a possibility of water shortage stress in most of the growth stages of plants. Mung bean cultivation is severely affected by drought stress, while micronutrients such as iron and zinc nanoparticles can reduce the effects of drought stress. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal and nano-iron and zinc fertilizer coexistence on quantitative and qualitative performance and absorption of mung bean elements under different irrigation regimes.

This test was performed in 2017 in two regions of Mehran and Malekshahi. The experiment was performed as a split-factor in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main factors included irrigation regimes at three levels: no stress, moderate stress, and severe dehydration stress, which were evaporated at 60, 90, and 120 mm, respectively, at these levels. The sub-factor includes nano-fertilizers at four levels (no fertilizers, zinc nano-chelates, iron nano-chelates and the combined application of zinc and iron nano-chelates) with the application of Arbuscolar mycorrhizal fungi on two levels (control and inoculation with fungi). Took. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software.

The effect of irrigation, nano-fertilizer, mycorrhiza and their dual effects on biological yield and mung bean seed yield were significant. The double effect (irrigation × mycorrhiza) and the triple interaction effect on grain yield were significant. The yield of mung bean seeds in the plants of Malekshahi region was higher than the plants of Mehran region. The use of iron and zinc nano-fertilizers increased the yield of mung bean seeds in both Mehran and Malekshahi areas. In the Malekshahi area, iron and zinc nanocomposites combined and increased grain yield at different irrigation levels. The highest grain yield was obtained in the treatment of moderate dehydration stress and combined consumption of iron and zinc nano fertilizers in Malekshahi region with 1184 kg ha-1, which was not significantly different from non-stress. The use of zinc nano-fertilizer and iron + zinc nano-fertilizer increased the amount of mung bean protein (27.38%). Iron nanocode (26.9%) did not have a significant effect on mung bean protein content compared to zinc nano fertilizer and control treatment.

Drought stress led to reduced yields and mung bean yield components, but the use of iron and zinc nanocomposites and mycorrhizal fungi, both individually and in combination, improved grain yield and yield components. Also, the use of iron and zinc nanocodes and mycorrhizal fungi separately and together led to improved grain quality and increased grain protein content.In general, the results of this study showed that drought stress led to a decrease in yield and yield components of mung bean, but the use of iron and zinc nanofertilizers and mycorrhizal fungus, either alone or in combination, led to improved yield and grain yield components.

More than two thirds of Iran's area is covered by arid and semi-arid lands. Lack of rainfall in these areas has reduced its ecological diversity and low-density vegetation has been established on it. Lack of vegetation allows the wind to easily erode the soil surface and annually carry large amounts of topsoil from one point to another (Ahmadi, 1999). Finding the source of sediment is one of the basic principles of controlling and combating soil erosion, because by identifying these areas, instead of addressing the problems, the causes can be identified and control erosion activities can be concentrated in source areas (Feng et al., 2011). Knowing the origin of sand dunes is one of the most important examples of soil management in order to optimize exploitation, reduce degradation and conduct wind erosion control plans. Due to the problems of traditional methods, the fingerprinting method as an alternative and appropriate method has been considered by various researchers. Therefore, the main purpose of this study, considering the importance of land uses in erosion and sedimentation process, is investigating the role and importance of dominant land uses in Abu Ghovir region, in Dehloran city of Ilam province, in producing sediment of sand dunes by using fingerprinting method.

The study area is located in Abu Ghovir plain with an approximate area of 19650 hectares in the southeast of Ilam province and on the banks of Doviraj River, at 47° 31' 29'' to 47° 55' 01'' east longitude and 32° 10' 06'' to 32° 24' 19'' north latitude. First, by studying the wind rose of the Dehloran synoptic station during the 25-year statistical period (1992-2017) for the prevailing wind in the study area and using the images received from Google Earth, the study area was determined.Then, by using Landsat 8 satellite imagery and land use map, the existing land uses in the study area including sandy dunes, agricultural lands, Doviraj River and rangelands were determined. After that, 5 soil samples from each land use including rangeland, agriculture and riverside lands as sources of sediment and from sand dunes as sedimentation area from a depth of 0-5 cm were collected.After drying in the open air, the soil samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and physical and chemical tests of the soil were performed by the following methods. Soluble cations including Ca and Mg by complexometric titration, Na and K soluble by atomic flame emission method (flame photometry) (Rhoades, 1982), soluble chlorine by sedimentation titration using silver nitrate and also carbonate and bicarbonate by simple titration of acid and base were calculated. The elements Fe and Cu were also read by the atomic absorption apparatus (Lindsay, 1979).In order to select the initial detectors, the normality of the data is first checked by the Smirnov Kolmogorov test. If the source characteristics are normal, the quality of the source characteristics of sediment source in the study area is applied by using a two-stage statistical method (Collins et al., 2001) to select the optimal combination of traces in sediment source.

Examination of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test values in the studied land uses shows that the distribution of the studied variables is normal, so parametric statistics can be used to compare these elements in different land uses. To evaluate the ability of detectors in separating work units including rangeland, river and agriculture, Kruskal-Wallis statistical test and stepwise detection function test were performed. The results of Kruskal-Wallis statistical test was not suitable, but the stepwise detection function test was introduced to measure the optimal detector for separating the three sources from the 9 detectors (Na, Cu, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cl, Sulfate, Carbonate, Bi carbonate) in order to select the source of sand dunes including rivers, pastures and agricultural lands. Based on the results, Na and Cu elements were selected as optimal tracers and, in general, 80% of the source samples were correctly classified by these two optimal tracers. To evaluate the different patterns of spatial displacement of the three sediment sources, the distribution diagrams of the first and second functions calculated by the regression method of detection analysis based on the optimal combination of two geochemical tracers were used. The results showed that all three sediment sources were well separated based on these detectors.

The results of granulation and studies conducted showed that there was a very close genetic relationship between sediments in the source area and wind deposits, which indicated the localization of the particles origin and their displacement in the field. Statistical tests showed that Cu and Na detectors have the ability to distinguish different land uses; therefore, these elements are the best source characteristics for the region. The elements in this composition are geochemical elements, so only these elements can be used for source origin studies and determining the share of land uses, and there is no need for other elements used in this research. Finally, by using this combination and hybrid models, the contribution of each land use in the sediment producing process was determined. The results of hybrid models showed that the share of river, rangeland and agricultural land uses was 99.24, 0.76 and 0%, respectively. The relative error of the hybrid model was calculated to estimate the share of different land uses for sediment samples, which was equal to 1%, and the efficiency coefficient of the model was 99%. Due to the fact that the calculated relative error was low and the efficiency coefficients were close to 1, the accuracy and efficiency of the model was confirmed. According to the results, river, rangeland and agricultural land uses had the highest and lowest share in the sedimentation of sand dunes in Abu Ghovir region, respectively. In general, the method of wind sediments origin was able to determine and properly separate the share of land uses in the study area.

Tillage intensity and tillage system can affect biological, physical, and chemical properties of the soil. Suitable soil management is essential to achieve sustainable agricultural production especially in drought-prone regions. More application of machineries in a tillage system will result in more soil compaction which in turn increases soil bulk density and decreases its air and water permeability. Additionally, it has been well documented that the compact soil hampers the downward growth of the crop roots. The soil with good physical quality will provide aeration and water as well as non-impeditive mechanical resistance for root proliferation. Moldboard plowing is currently applied in around 65% of tillage practices although the agricultural extension services have tried to convince farmers to apply reduced tillage system by replacing moldboard plow with chisel plow to mitigate adverse effects of moldboard plowing especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Conservation tillage practices, especially reduced tillage, have been introduced to Iranian farmers since 1999. Mycorrhiza is the product of an association between a fungus and plant root that enhance the tolerance levels of plants against the drought, salinity and high heavy metal contents. The aim of the present study were to evaluate the effects of tillage systems, nitrogen levels, and mycorrhiza inoculation on yield and yield components of mung bean and soil criteria.

The experiment was conducted in Darehshahr research field in two growing seasons (2017 and 2018). The experimental layout was split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments consisted of three tillage systems as conventional, conservation and no tillage as main plot, four nitrogen levels including 0% (as control), 33%, 66% and 100% of recommended fertilizer as sub plot, and two levels of mycorrhiza fungi inoculation (Contains arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi of Glomus mosseae strains, counting 107 to 108 (CFU / g.) Prepared by Soil and Water Research Institute) (no symbiosis (as control) and with symbiosis) as sub-sub-plot. Studied traits were yield components (such as 1000-seed weight, No. of seeds per pod, No. of pods per plant), seed yield and harvest index of mung bean and moisture content, cone index and organic carbon percent of soil. For analysis of variance SAS 9.4 was used. All the means were compared according to Duncan test (p≤0.05).

The results revealed that the highest 1000-seed weight (57.48 g) was obtained from no-tillage and the highest number of seeds per pod (10.64 seeds per pod) and the number of pods per plant (61.04 pods per plant) were obtained from conservation tillage. The highest seed yield was obtained from conservation tillage + application of 100% N fertilizer with 2941 kg.ha-1. The highest seed weight, number of seeds per pod, and number of pods per plant were obtained from 66% N fertilizer application. Mycorrhiza inoculation increased harvest index, seed yield and its components. The soil bulk density in the no-tillage system had the highest value. The maximum and the minimum soil moisture contents were observed for non-tillage and conventional tillage systems, respectively.highest soil cone index (2.25 MPa) was obtained from no-tillage and 66% N fertilizer and the lowest (1.07 MPa) was for conventional tillage system+ without nitrogen application. The highest and the lowest soil organic carbon were related to no-tillage and conventional tillage systems with 0.68% and 0.32%, respectively.

In general, the conservation tillage system+ application of 66% N fertilizer and inoculation with mycorrhiza had a relative advantage impact on yield and related traits. In addition, the soil physical traits and organic carbon content were improved affected as declined tillage systems. The long-term field experiment points out the beneficial impacts of reduced tillage and no tillage systems that, in addition to preserving both soil physical (such as cone index) and chemical criteria (and organic carbon), fertility and biological activity, could increase yield and exhibit a comparable yield over a long-term period as in conventional plough. Currently, there is no mung bean variety appropriate to Iran. Improving some varieties with higher yield which are tolerant to warm climate and water deficiency seems essential to improve the sustainability of local seed production. Investigating into the effect of mung bean tillage and fertilizer consumption on the weed type and density is also suggested for future studies.

The complex relationship between soil and vegetation is difficult to be simulated by mathematic and statistical models. Since soil, vegetation, and atmosphere are interrelated, they cannot be separately compared. As an important basic factor with regard to soil, vegetation greatly affects ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Therefore, the restoration and recreation of this complex phenomenon is much more difficult in arid and desert regions. On the hand, considering the fact that plants generally affect the soil both physically and chemically, it is necessary to know how these parameters interact, the knowledge of which could significantly help restore the vegetation. As a natural, resistant and desert-friendly plant, Capparis spinosa has been known as a multipurpose species in recent years. Because of its deep roots, this species is resistant to wing and its wide canopy can cover a wide range of the soil’s surface and stabilize sand hills. Therefore, it could be an appropriate choice for preserving soil and water, and anti-desertification programs. It could also help control dust storms in different regions. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the effects Capparis spinose on soil characteristics of the Eyne-Khosh desert area in Dehloran, southern Ilam province, offering it to the relevant officials and decision makers as an effective plant for anti-desertification programs. 

As a part of desert areas in southwest Iran, the study area is located in Dehloran city, Ilam province. To investigate the effects of Capparis spinosa on soil characteristics, this field study used satellite images, GIS, laboratory analysis, and the date obtained from a statistical software. To this end, first the species’ distribution map was prepared, using field observation and liner transect for calculation of coverage percentage in the growing season. Then, other characteristics including canopy percentage, soil preservation percentage, and other factors were measures, using sixty-nine species randomly selected for the study. As for investigating the effects of Capparis spinosa on soil’s physical and chemical characteristics, a soil profile was dug, and the intended samples were collected from two layers (surface and subsurface) of fifteen points including the surface soil of the existing bushes (near the stem) and control areas (bush-less), which were then moved to the laboratory (totally 30 samples) where chemical factors including N, K, P, OC, ESP, CEC, Ca, Mg, Caso4, Caco3, Cl, HCO3, pH, EC, and SAR were measured.

The study’s findings showed that the highest values of all chemical factors (N, C, P, K, Na, Ca, C/N) belonged to the bushes’ subsurface soil. On the other hand, there were statistical differences between land use (control areas, Nebka bushes, and natural bushes) and land depth for other seven parameters (OC, ESP, Ca, Na, EC, pH, SAR). There were 5% difference between EC and PH in terms of land use, and 5% difference between CA, OC, and CI in terms of land depth. For physical soil factors, actual soil moisture and saturated soil moisture show a strong relationship to depth and they are more in both depth, comparing to control part, although for the other parameters (clay, silt, sand, field capacity and wilting point) there were not statistical different. It was also found that the presence of the study bushes decreased salinity and increased alkalinity of the soil. Moreover, the highest number of variations of the organic matters of the control points’ deep layers occurred in subsurface layer of under-bushes, indicating that this species had increased the organic carbon of its sub-soil compare to the surrounding areas. The findings also showed an increase of OC, Na, Cl, and HCO3 in under-bushes soil. 

According to the study’s results, Capparis spinosa has significant effects on soil characteristics and may change soil texture, increase the soil’s organic matter, maintain the soil’s moisture, and in general, preserve the soil and control its erosion. It could also positively affect chemical parameters such as decreasing the salinity, increasing the alkalinity, and increasing OC, Na, Cl, HCO3, and nutrients of the soil. Therefore, this species could be an appropriate choice for anti-desertification programs in this region and similar areas.

Today, land degradation and declining of soil and vegetation quality around industrial areas have become a challenge. The purpose of this field research is to evaluate the environmental effects of Ilam Cement Factory on the surrounding areas. In this regard, a systematic sampling network established around the cement factory, then 20 soil samples were taken in different directions and using atomic absorption apparatus, the concentrations of manganese, molybdenum, zinc, cobalt, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium Soil samples were measured. Then the methods of Geoaccumulation Index, Contamination Factor, and Pollution Load Index were used to determine the distribution of the studied metals. On the other hand, using ETM satellite images for the periods of 1984, 2007 and 2014, the trend of land use change in the region was examined. Then, using Mann-Kendall test, the precipitation trend in the mentioned periods was investigated and the effect of climate change and its role in vegetation changes were investigated. The results showed that the cement factory in the form of both direct land degradation and land quality degradation in the long term due to the accumulation of heavy elements can lead to land use change, land degradation and air pollution in the region. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of industry on the surrounding environment.

Changes in land uses are of the human interventions influencing ecosystem processes. In this study, some soil properties and clay mineralogy have been studied in three land uses including a combination of oak forest and dry farming, dry farming and 20-years-old abandoned dry farming in Karezan region. Soil samples were taken from control profiles of each land use and the soils were classified based on key soil taxonomy 2014. The results of soil properties showed that the highest ρb is 1.59 gr/cm3 in surface horizon belonged to 20 year- old abandoned farming. The lowest soil pH in surface horizon belonged to combination of oak forest and dry farming usage with amount of 7.28 and the highest belonged to 20 year- old abandoned farming usage with amount of 7.61. OM in combination of oak forests and dry farming usage was 1.15 % which was higher than other usages. The highest percentage of lime in surface horizon belonged to 20 year- old abandoned dry farming usage .The highest CEC in surface horizon belonged to a combination of oak forest and dry farming usage with amount of 24.56 cmol+/kg. In all land uses, all measured metal oxides except calcium oxides were decreased from surface to the depth of soil. Also, except calcium and magnesium oxides, the rest of metal oxides had a decreasing trend from the top of slope downwards. Clay mineralogy by X-ray indicated that Vermiculite, Kaolinite, Illite and Chlorite composed the main parts of clay minerals and different usages did not affect the type of identified clay minerals.

High-accuracy of soil maps is a powerful tool for achieving land sustainability in agricultural and natural resources. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different feature selection methods with machine-learning algorithms to prepare digital mapping of soil classes at two taxonomic levels from subgroup down to family in the interest region, i.e. Vargar lands of Abdanan city, related to the Ilam province.

Study area is 1027 hectares with 628.6 mm and 22.6 ºC mean annual precipitation and temperature, respectively. Three major physiographic units including Hilland, Piedmont plain and Alluvial plain were considered. Soil moisture and temperature regimes are calculated based on the Newhall model in JNSM 6.1 version software. A total of 44 soil profile observation with random sampling pattern was determined based on standardized soil surveys then digging, description and after sampling from all genetic horizons then soil samples were transferred to the laboratory. Finally, all of the soil profiles were classified based on the soil taxonomy system (2014) down to the family level. Geomorphometric covariates as a representative of soil-forming factors were prepared from the digital elevation model (ALOS PALSAR Satellite,2011) with 12.5 m resolution in SAGA GIS 7.4 version software. Three feature selection approaches included Boruta, Variance inflation factors (VIF) and Mean decrease accuracy (MDA) with two Random forest (RF) and Fuzzy logic data mining algorithms were applied for relating soil-landscape relationship by using “random-forest”, “caret” packages in R 3.5.1 and SoLIM solution version 2015 software’s. Sample-based project used for predicting soil classes in Fuzzy logic modeling process. In total observation profile split into two data set included 80 percent (n=36) for calibrating and 20 percent for validating (n=8) based on bootstraps sampling algorithm random forest. Internal validation of the random forest algorithm was done based on out of bag error percentage (OOB%). The best model performance was determined based on overall accuracy (OA) and kappa index, also for each individual class user accuracy (UA) and producer accuracy (PA) were applied.

The results have shown that from a number of 40 geomorphometry covariates, six covariates included Terrain classification index for lowlands, Annual insolation, Topographic position Index, Upslope curvature, Real surface area, and Terrain surface convexity were selected by MDA as the best environmental covariates. Also, the RF-MDA method with overall accuracy of 84% and Kappa index of 0.56 had the best performance compared to other methods (RF_VIF, RF-BO, Fuzzy-MDA) in the subgroup level with 58, 55, 50 and 0.3, 0.67 and 0.18 respectively. Out of bag error results (%OOB) for RF-MDA, RF-VIF and RF-Boruta were obtained that 72.42%, 67.86%, and 82.76% for subgroup level and 93.10%, 93.10% and 86.21% for the family level respectively. while there was little difference between the accuracy of the method at the family taxonomic level and performed similar results in the modeling of soil classes process. The results of the fuzzy approach showed that the kappa index values ​​and overall accuracy of this method were similar to the other three scenarios and there was a slight difference between the accuracy of the results at the soil family level. In the fuzzy method, it was observed that the kappa and overall accuracy values ​​at the subgroup level were lower than the other scenarios. Fuzzy approaches in contrasted to RF modeling prevented continuous spatial variability by generating fuzzy maps for each of the soil classes in the landscape. These results indicate that the random forest method is superior to the fuzzy method in family class mapping and soil subgroups. Based on the MDA sensitivity analysis index, similarly, three geomorphometry covariates included Terrain surface convexity (convexity), Terrain classification index for lowlands (TCI_Low) and Real surface area (Surface_Ar) had the highest importance for predicting soil classes at two taxonomic levels. With regarded to final soil predicted maps area, two classes (Fine-silty, carbonatic, hyperthermic Typic Haplustepts) and Typic Calciustolls with 32.70% and 48.90% and (Fine-silty, carbonatic, hyperthermic Typic Calciustolls) and Typic Haplustepts with 0.18% and 1.85% had the highest and lowest content at family and subgroup maps respectively.

In general, using different variable selection approaches in situations where soil classes have a relatively imbalanced abundance can increase the accuracy of digital mapping in soil studies. Increasing the number of field observations and the use of other environmental variables affecting soil formation can also be used for graduating in prediction low-accuracy soil classes.

Soil pollution and accumulation of heavy metals is one of the most important environmental issues threatening plants, animals and humans being. The aim of this research is to study the sorption of heavy metals of copper, lead, nickel and cadmium by soil clay particles around Ilam cement factory. This research was carried out based on the topographic maps, field examinations and satellite images of the Earth, and 5 soil profiles were drilled in the agricultural land, forest and pasture. Soil samples were taken from the surface and subsurface horizons of the profiles, as well as from the factory's output dust in different months, and the amount of heavy metals was measured by the atomic absorption spectroscopy. Clay mineralogy was studies using x-ray diffraction method (XRD). In order to separate the clay particles standard sieve series was applied. The sorption of metals by the clay samples was performed using a mixed solution of multi metals in three replicates (21 samples), and 7 different concentrations of nitrate salts of copper, lead, cadmium, and nickel. The results showed that vermiculite, illite, kaolinite and chlorite were formed in fine clay minerals and kaolinite, illite and chlorite in coarse clay minerals. The amount of heavy metals in the soil samples around the factory, as well as in the factory's output dust, was less than the global standard, so it can be said that the Ilam Cement Factory did not have a significant impact on the pollution of the region. Competitive adsorption results showed that in all concentrations the sorption of copper metal by the clay particles was high, but nickel was low, Meanwhile, in higher concentrations (80 and 100 mg/l) sorption of cadmium and lead showed a sharp decrease. Generally the results revealed that, the amount of metal sorption is reduced as follows: Cu> Pb> Cd> Ni.

Climate is the most important factor that determines the plant yield and soil microbial activity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the soil biological properties in three different climate zones including Eyvan (humid), Ilam (semi-humid), and Syrvan (semi-arid) under seed-origin and coppice oak trees. To this purpose, three plots (100 × 100 m dimension) randomly prepared in less undisturbed forest consist of both growth types. Soil sampling took place randomly at 0-20 cm of soil depth under each seed-origin and coppice oak trees in three regions. The results showed that growth type had no significant effect on microbial biomass carbon in the Ilam and Syrvan climates. However, in Eyvan forest soils, the amount of microbial biomass carbon under seed-origin was 1.71 times higher than the coppice trees. The highest amount of microbial biomass nitrogen (5.32 mg.kg-1) was observed in the Eyvon climate, which did not have a significant difference with the Ilam climate and it was the lowest (2.90 mg.kg-1) in the Syrvan climate. The highest metabolic quotient (qCO2) was observed in coppice type in the Eyvan and Syrvan climate and the least amount was observed in the Ilam climate. Growth type had no significant effect on the metabolic quotient of the soil in the Ilam climate. The highest basal and substrate-induced respiration was obtained in the Eyvan climate, while the Syrvan soils showed the least amount of these parameters. The highest amount of organic carbon and nitrogen were observed in the Ilam forest soils and the least amount was obtained in the Syrvan forest soils.

Digital soil mapping plays an important role in upgrading the knowledge of soil survey in line with the advances in the spatial data of infrastructure development. The main aim of this study was to provide a digital map of the soil family classes using the random forest (RF) models and boosting regression tree (BRT) in a semi-arid region of Ilam province. Environmental covariates were extracted from a digital elevation model with 30 m spatial resolution, using the SAGAGIS7.3 software. In this study area, 46 soil profiles were dug and sampled; after physico-chemical analysis, the soils were classified based on key to soil taxonomy (2014). In the studied area, three orders were recognized: Mollisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols. Based on the results of the environmental covariate data mining with variance inflation factor (VIF), some parameters including DEM, standard height and terrain ruggedness index were the most important variables. The best spatial prediction of soil classes belonged to Fine, carbonatic, thermic, Typic Haploxerolls. Also, the results showed that RF and BRT models had an overall accuracy and of 0.80, 0.64 and Kappa index 0.70, 0.55, respectively. Therefore, the RF method could serve as a reliable and accurate method to provide a reasonable prediction with a low sampling density.

Dust phenomenon is one of the important climatic and environmental hazards in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The aim of this study is to determine the mineralogical and physicochemical properties of some soil samples in Iraq and dust particles in Ilam province in order to find out the origin of dust. Dust samples were collected from Ilam, Mehran and Dehloran cities. In addition, some surface soil samples were collected from different parts of Iraq as the source of dust. Physico-chemical and mineralogical analysis of dust and soil samples was fulfilled. The results revealed that the highest percentage of particles forming Iraqi dust and dust in Ilam province are sand and silt and clay was the least. Electrical conductivity in all samples was more than 4 dS/m in both samples meaning as saline classes and pH of the samples was similar in dust of Ilam and Iraqi soils, and showed the neutral to alkaline range. The lime content of all samples was more than 25%. Different regions had low organic carbon percentage, the highest rate was in the Iraqi margin (1.18%), and the lowest was in Najaf (0.16%). The SAR of most Iraqi soils was more than 13 and showed severe alkalinity in dust particles, SAR is also relatively high. Mineralogical results showed that dominant minerals in Iraqi soils and dust of Ilam province are calcite, gypsum, quartz and palygorskite. The results of XRD studies in clay samples of Iraqi soil and Ilam province dust indicated the presence of minerals such as kaolinite, chlorite, ilite and smectite. Overally, the results of physical, chemical, and mineralogical analysis indicated that desert regions in Iraq are the sources of dust production in Ilam, and that dust storms can lead to salinity and alkalinity of the surface soil in Ilam province.

Fire is a big threat to natural resources in the world and is an important factor in changing the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of fire on the physical and chemical properties of the soil in oak forest of Badreh located in 70 km of Ilam province and to compare it with unburnt (control) areas. Soil sampling carried out in two topsoil (0-5cm) and subsoil (5-20cm) depths. Five plots in 50×50m dimension designed in burnt and unburnt forests and in each plot 5 soil samples were collected randomly from topsoil and subsoil and were transferred to the laboratory to soil physical and chemical analyses. According to the results fire increased the amount of sand and silt by 15.56%, 15.18% respectively, compared with unburnt forest. But, the percentage of clay decreased under burn condition. Fire declined aggregate stability in soil 0-5 and 5-20cm depths by 10.61 and 17.81 respectively. The most CEC content (20.98 cmol/kg) and the least one (16.56 cmol/kg) was observed in unburnt forest comparison with burnt forest respectively. Burned increased soil organic carbon but by increasing soil depth decreased it. In the study area, fire affected significantly K and P available in forest soil. To sum up, fire changed soil physical and chemical properties of oak forest in Badreh region in Ilam Province as well as this phenomenon increased essential nutrient elements resulting from soil fertility improvement in the study area.

Among the soil forming factors, climate by effect on weathering severity and parent material degradation plays a basic role on soil evolution. In order to investigate the effects of climate on soil physicochemical properties and evolution in Ilam province, two regions from a climosequence were selected. The purpose of this study was to compare soil evolution in a climosequence according to the soil indices of clay, iron, aluminum, manganese, and 5 profiles in each land units of Salehabad and Ilam plains were dug, described and sampled. The results of physicochemical analysis of Salehabad and Ilam soil profiles in two regions were different and significant difference were observed within the all parameters except pH and silt. In addition, electrical conductivity increases in Salehabad soils with ustic moisture regime and hyperthermic temperature regime comparing to Ilam soils with xeric moisture and thermic temperature regimes revealed the climate effect on them and changes in soil orders from Inceptisols in Salehabad to Mollisols in Ilam were related to the changes in moisture and temperature regimes. Soil classification showed that Salehabad soils were placed in Gypsic Haplustepts and Ilam soils were placed in Gypsic Calciusteps, Typic Calcixerolls and Typic Haploxerolls subgrops. Based on obtained results the iron, aluminum and manganese amounts in Ilam soil profiles were higher than those in Salehabad ones and less weathering in Salehabad region were happened by drier climate, lower humidity and higher temperature. Additionally, the results showed that the horizons with gypsum did not have potential to store clay and metal oxides, and the soil evolution according to the distribution and amount of iron, aluminum and manganese offered a better understanding of the soils and their forming conditions and the Ilam soils showed further evolution.

Knowledge of the soils capacity to utilize them in the form of different major uses in agricultural ecosystems and natural resources requires the accurate recognition of the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil, ensuring the sustainable use of the lands. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate the soil quality using quantitative models in the Kane Sorkh lands of Mehran as a part of arid and semi-arid lands of Ilam province (Iran). Soil samples were taken from the depth of 0-30 cm and weighted average for the depths of 30-100 cm of the soil profile. Physicochemical properties were measured based on the standard methods. Using principal component analysis (PCA), among a total 16 soil characteristics (TDS), eight properties were selected based on the eigen values and the correlation coefficient as the least properties affecting soil quality (MDS). Then, soil quality assessment was performed using two models of integrated quality index (IQI), Nemoro Quality Index (NQI), and each in two sets of TDS and MDS. The results showed that the top layer (0-30 cm) have a moderate quality class and the sub layer (30-100 cm of the profiles) have poor quality with severe constraints. According to the results, the most important factors limiting soil quality were organic matter deficiency, high percentage of calcium carbonate, gypsum, gravel and soil salinity. Determination coefficients (R2) for the top and sub-layer samples between the two TDS and MDS sets in both IQI and NQI models were 0.79 and 0.79, 0.95 and 0.94, respectively, indicating the reliability of using MDS set instead of TDS in both models. Therefore, the use of most effective soil properties in the soil quality assessment studies is not only time consuming but also it is cost-effective for sustainable monitoring of agricultural land use.

Dust storm phenomenon is one of the most damaging natural disasters in arid and semi-arid regions of the world especially in Iran caused problem on human health and environment. The main reason of dust storm event can be climate change, destruction of natural ecosystems, deforestation, and destruction of rangelands in Iran and neighbor countries like Iraq. Ilam province due to adjacent to vast deserts such as the Iraq Sahara is exposed to severe dust storm continuously. The aim of this study was to identify the critical points of dust sources in Ilam province. At first step, long-term climate data (8 synoptic weather stations), vegetation cover, and physiography of study area were collected. In the second step, soil sampling was carried out at 0-30 cm soil depths in some places in Ilam province and then these soil samples were transferred to the soil laboratory for chemical and physical analyses. In the third step, by using USEPA model, soil and the maps of climatic parameters were prepared and finally critical and high critical dust source points were mapped through integration of different maps in Ilam province. The results showed that the Bahram Abad area in the central Mehran and Abu-Ghoraib and Abu-Ghovayr areas in Musian part, Dehloran city were selected as high critical sources of dust storm in Ilam province due to the highest corresponding with dust storm identification criteria. This project could be useful for prevention and control of dust storm via identification and dust storm maps.

In order to evaluate the effect of the combined system of biological and chemical inputs on different characteristics of winter barley, the three-factor factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted at Sarableh Research Station of Ilam, during the 2014-2015 growing seasons. Treatments contain the application method of biofertilizer factor that include, Soil inoculation at the depth of 4 cm in the soil and Seeds inoculation, the second factor was phosphorus (P) fertilizer as triple super phosphate include three levels of P fertilizer (0, 50 and 100 kg P ha-1), the third factor involves the use of bio-fertilizers (1. Azotobacter 2. Pseudomonas 3. Azotobacter + Pseudomonas 4. Control (no inoculation)). Mean comparison of treatments showed highly significant differences between different levels of P fertilizer. The comparison of means showed that significant differences exist between different levels of bio-fertilizers and grain yield (4206 kg ha-1) of the third level (Azotobacter + Pseudomonas) achieved a 26% increase compared to the control. The results of this study showed that the use of biofertilizers potentially reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and decreasing potential human, animal and environmental impact. Finally, according to the survey results, it seems that seed inoculation method with biological fertilizer is more effective than terrestrial insemination.

Limitations in conventional soil identification methods and the advances made in information technology in soil science have attracted more attention to new approaches to soil mapping in order to improve the purity of soil maps. The present study was carried out in a part of Ilam province to identify and prepare soil maps of this region. At first, 46 profiles were identified. Then, based on the morphological characteristics of each profile, soil samples were taken from all genetic horizons and analyzed for chemical and physical properties. Then, the soils were classified based on the Soil Survey Staff keys (2014). A multinomial logistic regression model was used for spatial prediction of soil taxonomic classes. The geomorphometric features were extracted from digital elevation model with a resolution of 30 m2 by SAGAGIS2.2 software. The classification results of each soil control profile in the studied area showed that, in general, the soils were in three order categories: Mollisols, Inceptisols, Entisols, and six classes at the family level. The correlation between the features of digital elevation model showed that the parameters of the mid slope position, spatial solar radiation, index of moisture content, ground roughness index, surface curvature, and profile curvature had the most effect on the formation of soil family classes. The overall accuracy and Kappa index of spatial prediction map from the regression model was 60% and 0.38 at the familial level, respectively. Finally, the results of this study showed that geomorphometric variables had a significant influence on the prediction of soil classes. Therefore, it is suggested that in future studies, other covariates derived from remote sensing data should also be used to improve the quality and accuracy of soil maps.