جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "استان سیستان و بلوچستان" در نشریات گروه "کشاورزی"

In this research, population characteristics and length-based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR) of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) were investigated. For this purpose, information was collected from 4 fishing areas on the coasts of Sistan and Baluchistan province, including Bris, Pasabandar, Pozam and Kanarak. In total, more than three thousand fish were bio-measured in the research stations, and the growth indices were infinite length L∞ = 92(cm), annual growth coefficient K = 0.68, annual natural mortality 0.7 = M, the annual fishing mortality F=0.37, the total annual mortality Z=1.07 and the annual exploitation coefficient E=0.35 and the time of zero length to=-0.17 and the amount of growth performance index Φ'=3.76. The ratio of length-based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR) in 2022 for this species was LBSPR=0.42 (0.38-0.45). This research showed that this species has medium vulnerability and medium stock status, and also the annual harvesting rate of this species is lower than overfishing.

In this research, population characteristics and length-based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR) of longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) were investigated. For this purpose, information was collected from 4 fishing grounds on the coasts of Sistan and Baluchistan Province, including Bris, Pasabandar, Pezam and Kanarak. In total, more than 700 fish were bio-measured in the research stations (catch loading areas), and the growth indices were infinite length L∞=132(cm), annual growth coefficient K=0.39, annual natural mortality M=0.61, the annual fishing mortality F=0.88, the total annual mortality Z=1.49 and the annual exploitation coefficient E=0.59 and the time of zero length to=-0.28 and the amount of growth performance index Φ'=3.84. The ratio of length-based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR) in 2022 for this species was LBSPR=0.21(0.16-0.27). This research showed that this species has medium vulnerability and medium stock status, and also the annual harvest of this species is in the stage of overfishing.

Evaporation, the process by which water molecules escape a surface after absorbing sufficient energy to overcome vapor pressure, is a major contributor to water scarcity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions where heat readily facilitates this escape. Accurately estimating evaporation losses is crucial for effective water resource management, crop water demand prediction, and irrigation scheduling. Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a powerful tool for tackling the complex and stochastic nature of environmental problems. ML models excel at identifying relationships between predictor variables and outcomes (predictands), often surpassing traditional methods. However, their performance can vary depending on input factors and climatic conditions. Recently, hybrid techniques that combine multiple models have gained traction in climate and hydrology studies. These techniques leverage the strengths of different approaches within a single algorithm, potentially capturing more complex patterns in data series. This research will explore the potential of various individual ML models and propose a novel hybrid approach for estimating pan evaporation in Sistan and Baluchistan Province.

This study investigates pan evaporation simulation and prediction in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran. Synoptic station data (1980-2019) served as model inputs, while pan evaporation measurements from these stations provided the observed values. In this research, in the approach of individual performance of data mining models, eight data mining models were used to simulate and predict evaporation from the pan. In addition to the individual performance approach, the combined VEDL approach was used to provide a hybrid model (a combination of the mentioned eight individual models of deep learning). In this hybrid approach to regression issues, the estimators of all models are averaged to obtain an estimate for a set called vote regressors (VRs). There are two approaches to awarding votes: average voting (AV) and weighted voting (WV). In the case of AV, the weights are equivalent and equal1. A disadvantage of AV is that all of the models in the ensemble are accepted as equally effective; however, this situation is very unlikely, especially if different machine learning algorithms are used. WV specifies a weight coefficient for each ensemble member. The weight can be a floating-point number between Zero and one, in which case the sum is equal to one, or an integer starting at one denoting the number of votes given to the corresponding ensemble member. the weight of each model was selected based on the accuracy of the model's performance using the evaluation criteria obtained from the training implementation section of individual models. the model’s performance was assessed using statistical measures, including R2, RMSE, MAE, and Taylor diagram.

The results showed that all the models had very good results in both the training and testing stages. All models exhibited excellent performance during training and testing. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) achieved the highest accuracy in both phases at the Zahedan station (R² = 0.89, RMSE = 45.95 in training; R² = 0.96, RMSE = 44.18 in validation). It emerged as the best model for monthly pan evaporation prediction at this station. Other models also performed well, with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) models achieving R² values of 0.89 and 0.88 in training, respectively. Notably, the BART model ranked second in validation (R² = 0.96). The Tree Model (TM) had the lowest accuracy (R² = 0.84 and 0.93 in training and validation, respectively). Across all stations, ANN, SVM, and RF consistently delivered the best results in both training and testing. In the test phase, the SVM model outperformed others in Khash, Iranshahr, and Chabahar stations (R² = 0.94, 0.96, and 0.94, respectively). At the Saravan station, the RF model achieved the highest R² (0.94) during testing. To develop a hybrid data mining model, the Voting Ensemble for Deep Learning (VEDL) technique was employed with weighted voting in the training stage. The combined model significantly improved upon the best individual model. RMSE decreased from 45.95 to 33.1, R² increased from 0.89 to 0.94, and MAE improved from 32.92 to 23.9. Evaluation using the Taylor diagram further confirmed the superior performance of the VEDL model compared to the individual ANN model.

The results showed that among all the models, ANN, SVM, and RF models had the best performance in the two stages of training and verification. In the validation stage, the SVM model with R2 values equal to 0.94, 0.96, and 0.94 performed best in the Khash, Iranshahr, and Chabahar stations. At the Saravan station, in the Sensji validity stage, the RF model with an R2 value of 0.94 had the best performance among the models. The excellent performance of the models in the two stages of training and validation is another finding of the research, These results are consistent with the results of researchers who have expressed the appropriate efficiency of machine learning models in estimating evaporation/evaporation and transpiration in different climatic regions of Iran. The results of the combined model showed that the combined model improved the results compared to the best individual model so that the RMSE values increased from 45.95 to 33.1, the R2 values increased from 0.89 to 0.94, and the MAE value improved from 32.92 to 23.9. The use of the VEDL approach to estimate evaporation from the pan was a new approach that has not been used in past studies. Therefore, according to the results of this research, the proposed deep sensing model is proposed to estimate the evaporation of arid and semi-arid areas for water resources management and agricultural planning.

Environmental management, as a broad and dynamic system, should consider preventive approaches to face environmental pollution and destruction. On the other hand, in order to an effectively integratation of protection and development in coastal areas, various approaches have been proposed such as regional environmental planning and integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). ICZM should ensure the existence of balance in the use of coastal areas. So, in this study, which is a part of the environmental management program of the coastal area of Sistan and Baluchestan province, in the precision plan of ICZM, development conditions were formulated in the protection classes of the coastal area of this province. According to the essence of the subject, descriptive-inductive method was selected based on referring to existing documents related to environmental protection The development conditions were formulated for the protection zones of coastal area, shore area, coastal waters and offshore area, and by assigning a special code to each of the conditions, spatial mapping of the assigned codes was carried out in ArcGIS software. The results showed, the areas in the class 1 of protection, need ecological protection due to their ecological importance and environmental sensitivities, and development in them is conditional and with the approval of the Department of Environment. Areas in class 2, are not declared non-developable. These areas are developable by observing engineering considerations and technical and management solutions, within the framework of ecological capability. Areas in class 3, which have been set as restoration and rehabilitation, can be developed in the case of preparing a restoration and rehabilitation plan and within the framework of ecological capability. The results of this study will contribute to the balanced and consistency development in the coastal areas of the Oman Sea to create sustainable value added. Also, the results of this study can be used in the preparation three-zone thematic programs of the coastal zone (coastal area, shore area, coastal waters and offshore area).

The research method of the present study is a combination (qualitative-quantitative) with an exploratory approach. In the quantitative part of the statistical society, there were 655 cooperative companies with 19,901 thousand cooperative members in Zahedan city, out of which 8 cooperative companies with 300 members were randomly selected as a sample. Then, based on Morgan's table, 169 questionnaires were completed randomly and with proportional assignment in all eight companies. In order to analyze the data in the qualitative part, the meta-combination method was used through the seven-step method of Sandelowski and Barroso. Based on this, 47 articles in the field of cooperatives were analyzed and research indicators were identified. In the second stage of the research, in order to validate the research model, structural equation modeling technique was used with Smart PLS software version 2, and AHP method was used with Expert Choice software version 11 to prioritize the identified indicators. In this research, the data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis. The reliability of the questionnaires was calculated using Cronbach's alpha test of 0.91, which indicates the appropriate reliability of the research tool. The results of the research data analysis indicated that the marketing index with a weight of 0.88 has the highest priority in the empowerment of cooperatives,

The COVID-19 crisis was first regarded as a threat to public health, but it gradually started to threaten different sectors. One of the sectors influenced by this crisis, which is the topic of this research on the effects of COVID-19, is the fisheries sector in the coastal cities of Sistan and Baluchistan province. Diverse hazards jeopardize these cities and most have environmental origins. The present research was an applied study in terms of the goal and aimed to investigate the factors related to the improvement of environmental resilience in the coastal cities of Makran. The statistical population was composed of all residents of the studied areas (Chabahar, Konarak and Dashtiari), Fisheries experts, and environmental activists. The factors underpinning the improvement of environmental resilience were determined with factor analysis, and the environmental resilience of the study site was assessed with a combination of maximum entropy and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Based on the results of factor analysis, the factors were divided into three categories named “pollution control”, “waste management”, and “access to services and conservation of resources”. “Pollution control” was found to be the main factor in accounting for the variables of coastal pollution, so it was recognized as the first factor in improving the environmental resilience of the coastal cities against COVID-19. The next factors were “waste management” and “access to services and conservation of resources” with the weights of 0.347 and 0.141, respectively. Also, the results of the combined maximum entropy and AHP revealed that the coastal areas of Makran were, in total, lowly resilient and that among the coastal cities, Konarak had the highest environmental resilience (0.46).

This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of environmental factors (temperature and chlorophyll) on monthly and annual changes in catch per unit effort (CPUE) of caught Parastromateus niger using gillnet in the Gulf of Oman (Pozm, Ramin and Brise) in Sistan and Baluchestan province.The data of caught fishes were analyzed separately for determined centers (Pozm, Ramin and Brise) different months, from 2013 to 2018. Remote sensing data were used to evaluate the information of environmental factors (temperature and chlorophyll) during the study years. The amount of fishing in three fishing areas was recorded from 0 to 1346 tons during 2013 to 2018.The highest amount was related to April 2015 in the Pozm region. The maximum and minimum amount of catch per unit of effort during 2013 to 2018 is related to the Pozm region, which in 2015 was calculated as 0.73 kg roll net per day and in 2018, 0.01 kg roll net per day. Due to the non-normality of the data, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the data and the Nemeny test was used to compare the means. The analysis results showed a significant difference between the CPUEs of the three regions, during different months and years (P <0.05). According to the results of the mean comparison, the amount of catch per unit of effort was not significantly different in Pozm and Ramin areas but they had significantly different with Brise port. The amount of catch per unit of effort in 1993 was significantly different from 1995 and 1996, while no significant difference was observed between other years. Effect of environmental factors on the catch of black Pomfret was investigated using the regression analysis method and no relationship was observed between them.

Medicinal plants are the natural treasure of any country. It has a great impact on improving the health and cultural indicators of Socio-economic. Drought and water shortage crisis has introduced the development of production and processing of medicinal plants with low water requirement as one of the most important areas of agricultural development in Sistan and Baluchestan province. Due to the limited public financial resources and the importance of the role of the private sector, the goal of the research was to identify the Entrepreneurial Investment priorities in this industry and its research priorities in this province.

In this research was used mixed research method. It is the approach of qualitative and quantitative research method. The statistical population was researchers and experts in the field of medicinal plants in the province. The study sample was 10 medicinal plant experts for qualitative section and 30 researchers and experts in the field of medicinal plants in the province in the quantitative section. The research tool in quantitative was a structured questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed in the quantitative section. The 27 medicinal plants in the country have a more comparative advantage and the private sector can invest in 21 areas in the qualitative sector. The "compiling a comprehensive program of research on medicinal plants" and "preparing an Entrepreneurial Investment and employment map in the medicinal plants industry" are the most important infrastructure programs for the development of this industry in the province. Also, the two research topics are "Market Development and Export" and "Processing". On the other hand, Moringa peregrina, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Terebinth (Pistacia atlantica), Teucrium polium, Nigella sativa, Ferula Assa-Foetida and Glycyrrhiza glabra were the top seven and most talented medicinal plants in the province for Entrepreneurial Investment. Also, improved seed production, creation of a marketing and sales network, and increased outdoor production performance were Entrepreneurial Investment priorities in the development process of the province's medicinal plants industry. According to the research results in order to organize and increase the productivity of the medicinal plants industry in the province, need to be developed and implemented. "Comprehensive Medicinal Plants Research Program", "Investment and Employment Plan in Medicinal Plants", "Comprehensive Medicinal Plants Production Plan", "Comprehensive Export Program Medicinal plants”, “Comprehensive program to promote the use of medicinal plants" and "Special research program for the production of new herbal medicines". Also in the next 10 years, the private sector will invest in improving the quantity and quality of the international marketing and sales network, producing improved seeds, establishing a marketing and domestic sales network, managing the production and harvesting of pastures and greenhouse production of medicinal plants: Moringa peregrina, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Terebinth (Pistacia atlantica), Teucrium polium, Nigella sativa, Ferula Assa-Foetida and Glycyrrhiza glabra.

Over the past two decades, Studies have been done on the inland water resources of Sistan and Baluchistan province, which was one of the areas studied in the first phase of the Biodiversity Project, approved by the Fisheries Research Institute. Sampling was performed on river with using electroshocker and Salic. After fishing, the specimens were fix by formalin and biometric measured in the Morphology Laboratory, based on morphometric and meristic characteristics. The results of this study showed that 9 fish species belonging to 5 family Comprising of Cyprinidae ,Cyprinodontidae, Poeciliidae, Chaniidae and Nemacheilidae have been identified. This species were found in the Province and they can be used as Ornamental fish.

Yellowing disease of greenhouse and open-grown cucurbits by whitefly-transmitted viruses is dramatically rising in the world and Iran. To study the viral infection of cucurbits in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, 195 leaf samples with viral symptoms were collected and tested for infection of some prevalent cucurbit viruses by RT-PCR using specific primers and some expected amplified DNA fragments were sequenced. Results confirmed the presence of viral infection (%59) in all surveyed areas. Including CABYV, CYSDV, CCYV, CVYV and WmCSV. The most infection of collected samples were %43, % 28 and % 8 of WmCSV, CVYV and CYSDV respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the CYSDV isolates were divided into two sub-groups of East and West and two SB and SB2 isolates with 12 Iranian isolates and 4 Saudi Arabia isolates were clustered in eastern subgroup. Also genetic studies on the part of the coat protein gene showed that in Iranian isolates and Eastern subgroup the CGA had changed to CCA which led to the substitution of Glutamine by arginine at the codon position 73 of coat protein. Therefore, the nucleotide differences of Iranian isolates than the isolates from different regions indicate high genetic diversity and long dating of this native virus in Iran. 

Potassium occurs in soils in various forms. The behavior of potassium in soil can be difficult due to its interaction with the intrinsic properties of the soil. Although most soils contain large quantities of potassium, but most soils are not able to provide proper amounts for plant nutrition, so that the equilibrium reactions occurring between different forms of potassium have a profound effect on potassium nutrition. This research was carried out with the aim of investigating the relationship between different forms of potassium (soluble, exchangeable, non- exchangeable and construction) with physical and chemical properties of soils in citrus areas of Iranshahr and Khash towns in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

First, according to previous studies, 30 samples of soils in Iranshahr and Khash towns with different characteristics. Then samplings were taken from depths of 0 to 30 cm. Physical and chemical properties of soil and various forms of potassium (soluble, exchangeable, non- exchangeable and construction) with total potassium were measured and relationship between different forms of potassium with each other and physical and chemical properties of soil were investigated.

Soils were in general light in texture, non-saline and calcareous. Organic carbon values in soils ranged from 0.6 to 1.6 percent, cation exchange capacity ranged from 7.0 to 10.5 centimoles per kilogram, and the pH ranged from 7.0 to 7.4. The amounts of different forms of potassium in the city of Iranshahr, potassium soluble ranged from 1.4 to 20.4, exchangeable from 122 to 315, non- exchangeable from 177 to 388, construction from 5709 to 13987 and a total 8420 to 14200 mg kg-1 soil. In Khash city, potassium soluble ranged from 5.7 to 14.3, exchangeable from 129 to 273, non- exchangeable from 293 to 493, construction from 5412 to 14085 and a total 9892 to 13850 mg kg-1 soil. Correlation test showed that there was a significant positive correlation between soluble potassium and sand (r= 0.5*) and negative correlation with silt (r= -0.5*). There was a significant positive correlation between exchangeable potassium and organic matter (r= 0.7*), significant positive correlation with clay (r= 0.5*) and significant positive correlation with cation exchange capacity (r= 0.7*). Between non- exchangeable potassium and calcium carbonate there was a significant negative correlation (r= -0.8*). Significant positive relationships among various fractions of soil K indicated existence of a dynamic equilibrium between different forms of K.

The amount of potassium available in the plant (soluble, exchangeable, non- exchangeable potassium) is good in citrus growing areas in Sistan and Balouchestan province of Iranshahr and Khash, and therefore does not require potassium fertilizers in these two regions

Yellowing diseases of field and greenhouse-grown cucurbits caused by whitefly-transmitted viruses are increasingly becoming important and cause economic losses in many cucurbits growing areas of the world. In this research, 195 samples with symptoms yellowing, stunting and deformation of leaves were collected from fields of cucurbits in the South-East Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan). In order to detect CVYV and CYSDV, cDNAs were prepared using Random Hexamer primer and total RNAs extracted from the collected samples.Then, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed using exteracted RNA and specific primers (CYSCPf and CYSCPr for CYSDV, CV+ and CV- for CVYV). The results revealed that a 450 bp fragment from the CVYV-CP and a 700 bp fragment from CYSDV-CP were amplified from 55 and 17 samples, respectively. About 7% of the samples had simultaneous contamination with the two viruses. Based on the Phylogenetic studies CVYV were divided into two main groups I (subgroups IA and IB) and II: the first group belongs of isolates from Lebanon and Jordan, Tunisia and Spain, but the second group contained only isolates of Iran (Chabahar) which indicates the high diversity of this isolate. The results of the genetic diversity and selection indices showed that the gene flow from Europe to Asia is very small and the genetic difference is high between them. The CP region is under severe pressure a negative choice, and has caused variation and evolution of the CVYV. Generally, based on the results, the most diversity molecular and host are in Asia group.

The purpose of this study is to identify and investigate the investment fields in the medicinal plants of Sistan and Baluchestan province. A structured questionnaire was used for the validity and evaluation of the findings by a panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by Aloha Cronbach index. The sample included 30 medicinal plants experts. The research findings showed that there is a significant difference between the current status of attention to different investment areas and the impact of these areas on the development of the medicinal plants industry, in such a way that the current level of attention is much less than its impact. The results confirmed that in pre-planting stage, “production of organic fertilizers” and the “production of modified seeds” were the highest priorities. On the other hand, at the stage of harvesting and storing the highest investment priorities were in two areas: "Production of special equipment and machinery for harvesting medicinal plants" and "Technology for the detection of the most appropriate harvesting time, taking into account the highest quality and most effective ingredients". At the processing stage of medicinal plants, there are also two priority areas for the “production of aromatic, oral and medicinal products and medicinal plant extracts” and “the production of equipment and processing plants for medicinal plants”. Also, two important investment priorities in packaging and transportation of the medicinal herbs  determined the standards required in the field of packaging and transportation", "technologies for assessing the compliance with international standards for the packaging of medicinal plants", in the marketing  at export stage, "Training of pharmaceutical marketing and exporters", "Development of marketing and sales of medicinal herbs", "Creation and development of marketers and exporters (with guaranteed purchasing systems, etc.)" and the "Creation of Medicinal herbs markets in each of the cities" are recognized as the main investment priorities.

The global demand for plastics is increasing due to it wide applications. About 60 to 80 percent of the waste of the marine environment belong to plastic class. There is a lack of information and research on the presence of plastic and micro-plastic contamination in aquatic animals, The present study, therefore examined the frequency, distribution, size, color and type of micro-plastic (MPS) in the gastrointestinal tract of 5 species (n =10) from the coasts of the Chabahar Bay, the Oman Sea in spring, 96. The total number of MPS found in the studied species varied and highest percentage of MPS in the gastrointestinal tract of the fish belonged to fiber (55%), fragments (26%) and pellets (18%). The results of the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis from suspect samples were shown the microplastic samples were found. The most commonly detected polymers were polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and nylon. The results showed that all fish sampled from Chabahar Bay contained MPS. Considering the importance of MPS pollution, it can be suggested by studying this contamination By monitoring the release of plastics on the shores of tourism and fishing in the Chabahar of bay, as a subject of future studies.

This research was aimed to investigate Hirmand River morphology alterations through the estimation of suspended loads transported by floods. The sediment samples were collected and suspended loads were estimated. The alterations of sediment load along Sistan reach was investigated, spatially and temporally. The suitable reaches for sedimentation inspected through   the high resolution Satellite imageries of Spot-5 (with the spatial resolution of 2.5-5 m). Through the geo-referencing of aerial photos and satellite images in GIS environment, the changes of river width, meander angel, and sinuosity index were estimated during the last 50 years. The t-student test was employed to assess the changes of river width during time. Results showed that the average suspended sediment load of Sistan River was 32 grL-1 and approximately 7.3 million tones sediment load entered to the study reach. According to the results, the river width has been changed, significantly. The river width in 2016 has been decreased by 0.33 of that in 1965 and 73% of the river has no capacity for flow transport and shows a high density of suspended load. This study established that the hydrology parameters (sediment and flood), biologic and slope changes are the main causes of sediment load and the changes of river morphology from a disorganized sinusoidal meanders to limited meanders. During the period  of 1965-2016 the pattern of flow changed from meander to the sinusoidal. The average angel of river from 287.94 changed to 295.26 degree. The average of sinusoidal index changed from 1.39 to 1.18 and the average of flooding bed width from 160.79 m changed to 41.32 m in 2016.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of development of cities in Sistan and Baluchestan province by using multi-criteria methods and presenting appropriate and effective strategies in this regard. In this study, in view of the diversity of existing criteria, the combination of three multi-criteria approach FAHP, TOPSIS and ENTROPY was used In evaluating the degree of development of the cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. For this purpose 65 sub-criteria in the form of education, Sanitary-therapeutic, agricultural, religious-cultural and infrastructural-welfare criteria were selected. Also, among all sub-criteria, public parks area has greatest importance with weights of 0.048. The results indicate that infrastructure-welfare criteria with relative weight of 0.335 paramount importance in the evaluation the degree of development. Based on the results of the different aspects of health care, cultural-religious-welfare infrastructure Zahedan city was recognized as the most advanced city. According to the agricultural and educational sub criteria respectively Zehak and Zabul is the most developed city in Sistan and Baluchestan with a score of 0.526 and 0.691. Final ranking also showed that Zahedan on all criteria with a score of Ci=0.728 by far the most developed city compared to other cities in Sistan and Baluchestan.Zabol city ranked second with and hirmand city with in the most deprived cities in sistan and balouchestan province. The findings indicate that the need for decentralized planning based on resources and constraints is essential and inevitable in order to regional development.

For study CPUE, Catch composition and length frequency in surface narrow-barred Spanish mackerel gill net (Costal region of Sistan Va Baluchistan Province), a study was done in 6 fishing grounds in four months. 778 specimens belong to 25 species was catch and identified. Tuna fish (Auxis rochei rochei) with 135 specimens and 100% probability in all sampling places, is the large number and Nemipterus japonicus, Rachecentron Canadum and Epinephelus coioides with 3 species and 33% probability are the lowest number. Also, Sphyraena putnamiae with weight average of 3672 gr, has maximum weight and Acanthopagrus cuvieri with 271.4 gr has minimum weight.

In this study, the neural network demand System and the quadratic almost ideal demand system are used to estimate food demand in Sistan and Bluchestan province. For this purpose, micro data of urban household consumption in 2011 were used. The accuracy of two systems was estimated. The food items were classified into nine groups by COICOP to estimate demand. The NNDS results which are estimated using feedforward artificial and multilayer perceptron shows that MSE of all groups using this system has an equal MSE or even a smaller one comparing to QUAIDS. The results indicated that in most groups Engle curves for the NNDS was closer to the real curves. The expenditure elasticity of NNDS was almost equal to QUAIDS. The results of both systems showed that expenditure elasticity for the groups of bread-grains, milk products, vegetables-cereals, sugar-confection, flavoring-spices and different kind of beverages were less than one and groups of meat, fat-oils and fruit-nuts were more than one.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of economic, social and technical factors on the success rate of all executives in implementing combat desertification participatory projects in Sistan and Baluchistan province, 2013. The results of correlation coefficients showed that there was a statistically significant and positive relationship between the success rate of the executives in the implementation of combat desertification participatory projects in the province and variables including residence status of the executive in the region, executive and managerial skills, communication with expert and state supervisor before implementing the project, and the level of technical, regulatory and managerial support of natural resources experts in the province. Furthermore, the results of linear regression model estimation showed that three variables including the amount of bank facilities, personal investment of the executives in the implementation of the project, and the level of executive and managerial skills had a positive significant effect on the success rate of the executives in the implementation of combat desertification participatory projects. According to the results, it is suggested that the Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of the province should provide needed facilities with appropriate lending conditions to increase the willingness of individuals to implement the aforementioned projects. Secondly, in order to enhance the executive and managerial capability, the Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of the province should conduct training and practical courses on implementation of combat desertification projects.