Verification of soil surface indices evaluation using LFA (Case Study: Mazrae Amin rangeland, Yazd province)

LFA (landscape function analysis) is a rangeland ecosystem potential assessment procedure that its application is increasing in Iran. Our objective was to verifying soil surface indices evaluation using LFA at an arid coold season rangeland (Mazrae Amin rangeland). The study area is in Yazd province with 188 mm annual mean precipitation in centeral part of Iran. The LFA monitoring procedure generates three principal indices: soil stability, infiltration and nutrient cycling. LFA had been done with 10 replications then we tested those indices by regressing them against the field and laboratory measurements. Infiltration, stability and nutrient cycling, respectively measured using Cylinder infiltrometer, Emerson test and Wet oxidation. The results showed that all of LFA soil surface indices have moderately verification (R: 0.4-0.6). Stability index has highest verification (59.6%) and infiltration index has lowest verification (49.2%). The verification of nutrient cycling index was 53.4% too.