Vegetative and soil characteristics of natural and plantations stands of Nitraria Schoberi L. on the western shore of Lake Urmia

The purpose of this study is to investigate the vegetative and soil characteristics of ‎natural and ‎plantation stands of Nitraria schoberi on the ‎western shore of Lake Urmia. In this study ‎in ‎natural stands of N. schoberi (Jabal Kandi region) 40 plants and in plantation stands of ‎N. ‎schoberi (Jabal Kandi and Seporghan regions) seven transects with unequal lengths (containing ‎‎15 ‎individuals) were randomly selected along the planting rows. The characteristics of total height, ‎collar ‎diameter, large and small diameter of the crown, and the health of seedlings were then measured. ‎In natural stands of N. schoberi, seven soil samples were randomly taken from ‎‎the vicinity of the seedlings. In plantations stands with sampling in each transect, adjacent to the ‎‎first, eighth (middle), and last seedlings of each sample line, soil samples were taken from 0-20 cm ‎‎depth, and after mixing these three soil samples, a sample was prepared, and soil physicochemical ‎‎properties were examined in the laboratory. Results showed that there was a significant difference ‎between the vegetative characteristics of total height (m) and the average crown diameter (cm) of N. ‎schoberi seedlings in Jabalkandi natural stand (7.1±3.0 m and 463.20±0.91 cm) with two other ‎plantation ‎stands, Jabalkandi (99.03±0.0 m and 287.5±87.37 cm) and Seporghan (50.01±0.0 m and ‎‎90.4±50.31 cm). Plantation ‎ and natural habitats of N. schoberi in Jabalkandi region had poor soil ‎fertility, high pH and lighter soil. The results of this study showed that in planting N. schoberi ‎species to control the wind erosion, it is very important to pay attention to the physical and chemical ‎properties of the stand soil, and this species reacts negatively to heavy texture and high amounts of ‎clay.