Effects of super-absorbent application and irrigation period on the growth of pistachio seedlings (Pistacia atlantica), (Case study: Dr. Javanshir nursery, Piranshahr)

Plantation and forest rehabilitation projects in the Zagros forests have been unsuccessful due to insufficient water supplies and problems in water availability. So, it is crucial to look for alternative methods not only to decrease water consumption but also increase soil moisture and seedling maintenance over a growing season. A new technique is using super-absorbent. We have used factorial experiment based on completely randomized design to examine the effect of applied super-absorbent on the growth of pistachio seedling. The treatments applied were: 1-super-absorbent in 3 levels (0, 50 and 100 gr), 2-irrigiation in 2 levels (5 and 10 lit) and 3-period in 3 levels (10, 20 and 30 days). Overall 18 treatments with 3 replications in each and 3 individuals in each replicate were examined. Furthermore, 9 individuals were considered as control samples as well. Results show that using 50 gr super-absorbent halved irrigation amount (5 lit) in 10-day period intervals. Using 100 gr super-absorbent with 10 lit water increased period of irrigation from 10 to 20 days. Also applying super-absorbent increased the height growth and diameter at collar growth compared with controls. We concluded that super-absorbent can diminish water consumption and irrigation frequency by 50%. We recommend this method to be economically justified and suggest it for restoration ecology projects in arid and semi-arid regions such as Zagros forests of western Iran.