Effect of irrigation intervals on establishment of Ziziphus spina-christi saplings

In southern parts of Fars province in Iran, Christ's Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) is considered as the dominant species amongst other woody species. However, the lack of its ability for natural regeneration is coupled with high mortality rates of cultivated individuals. Moreover, a common drought within the arid areas of Iran contributes to those limitations. In order to investigate the effect of irrigation intervals on establishment of Z. spina-christi saplings, a complete randomized blocks design with 4 treatments and 3 replications was conducted across a study area near Lar, Fars province. Treatments included irrigation intervals of 0, 15, 30, 45 days, where irrigation was solely done in the first year. Following this, the healthy saplings as well as the heights were inventoried in the second year to determine the sapling establishment as a function of the most appropriate irrigation. The results showed significant effect of treatments on sapling height. However, no significant effect was observed for number of saplings. Therefore, the irrigation intervals 30 and 45 days during the first year, each with 30 litters are suggested for establishment of Z. spina-christi saplings.