Journal of Rangeland Science
Volume:11 Issue: 4, Autumn 2021

The study was conducted to collect germplasm and identify appropriate seed treatment technique to enhance germination of Bouffordia dichotoma syn. Desmodium dichotomum, which is self-generating wild legume forage growing in eastern Amhara (North Wollo, South Wollo and Oromia Special Zones), Ethiopia. Twenty six Desmodium dichotomum seed populations (1000 seeds from each) were collected in 2018 from fields using Ethiopian biodiversity institute sample population collection format by considering agro ecological similarity and physical barrier to genetic mixing. The samples were collected from sorghum growing farm-lands. Breaking of dormancy in seeds of Desmodium dichotomum collections was investigated through laboratory experiment to elucidate the best method that can be used to enhance germination of the seed. To test the effectiveness of pre sowing treatments on germination of Desmodium dichotomum collected seed lots, the following treatments were imposed under a completely randomized design with 3 replications of 60 seeds each: mechanical scarification by sand paper; boiled water at 100oC for 4 minutes; and untreated seeds as control. Germination percentage was highest (p < 0.05) for scarification (99.4%) followed by boiled water (79.15%) and untreated seeds (36.58%), respectively. Mechanical scarification greatly reduced germination time as most seeds (68.7%) sprouted in the first 5 days and germination was completed at day 9. Similarly, boiled water made sprout the seeds in the first 5 days (65%) and completed germination at day 10. However, non-treated seeds had started to germinate at day 12 (1%). Scarification by sand paper was quite effective in increasing germination of Desmodium dichotomum collected seeds. Further improvements in germination of Desmodium dichotomum could be expected in different boiling water temperature with different minutes and acid treatment methods.

Annual climate fluctuations cause changes in production, condition, trends and grazing capacity of rangelands. The present study investigated effect of climatic factors on the vegetation dynamics in Jashloobar, summer rangeland of Semnan province, Iran, in two vegetation types: Festuca rubra in Margesar and Stipa lessingiana in Sefiddasht during 2011–2015. Climatic parameters included temperature (mean daily, absolute maximum, absolute minimum, monthly maximum and monthly minimum), monthly humidity (absolute maximum, absolute minimum and average) and monthly precipitation. These factors were determined by Inverse Distance Weighted method using 19 meteorological stations in Semnan province due to an absence of climatological and synoptic stations on this site. Vegetation cover percent and production were measured within two 400m transects and 20 plots (1×1m2) along transects. Means comparisons were made between the years in terms of vegetation production and canopy cover using Duncan test, and the relationship between climatic factors with vegetation parameters which were determined using linear regression. Results show that production varies significantly over years (P<0.05). The lowest production rates in Margesar and Sefiddasht were observed in 2013-2014 with 254 and 213.3 kg/ha respectively. Although the precipitation significantly decreased from 293 mm in 2011-2012 to 173 mm in 2013-2014(P<0.05), but stepwise regression indicated that finally in Margesar, absolute maximum temperature and absolute minimum humidity in December and in Sefiddasht, absolute maximum temperature in June and absolute minimum temperature in August were entered in production forecasting model. This indicates that forage production is highly sensitive to absolute mentioned climatic parameters in addition to rainfall. Also, due to short period of growing season in these years, grazing period should also be limited; therefore, ranchers and the government should optimize rangeland management and reduce the length of the grazing period, decreasing grazing capacity or alternative livelihoods such as ecotourism, beekeeping and exploitation of medicinal plants.

Reduction in vegetation cover and increasing land surface temperature are the most important consequences of drought which leads to land degradation. Therefore, the evaluation of drought effects on vegetation cover and its relationship with land surface temperature is very important. To that end, the objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship among vegetation cover, drought and land surface temperature in the north-west of Iran during 2001-2014. The annual (12 months) Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was calculated using monthly precipitation time series from 26 meteorological stations in the study area. Then, the interpolated maps of drought were produced using the Kriging method in the GIS environment. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) index were calculated from 2001-2014 using MODIS satellite images. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient (R) was calculated to investigate the relationship among NDVI, LST and SPI. According to the results, the changes trend of mean NDVI was similar to drought trends over the years (2001-2014) and the NDVI values have experienced its greatest reduction in 2008 (NDVI=0.087). The results also showed that LST values had a significant inverse relationship with SPI and NDVI indices (P<0.05). So, Land Surface Temperature (LST) was the highest (LST=22.3) where SPI and NDVI were the lowest (SPI=0.04 and NDVI=0.087) and there was the most severe drought in these conditions. Therefore, mean NDVI and LST could be suitable alternatives for climate indicators in the monitoring and evaluation of drought events in semi-arid areas.

There is growing concern about severe rangeland degradation caused mainly by the overstocking and overgrazing of these lands, especially in developing countries. Since ranchers’ behaviors and practices are crucial determinants of rangelands conservation, this study was conducted to clarify the underlying constructs of ranchers' intention to conserve rangelands. It is based on an extended theory of planned behavior. The extension was implemented by adding environmental concern. The survey was conducted in 2020. Data were collected through questionnaires completed by a sample of 120 ranchers in the Angoshteh watershed in Borujerd county, Iran. The questionnaire validity was confirmed by faculty members and experts in the field, and its reliability was confirmed in a pilot study by Cronbach's alpha. Data were analyzed through the partial least squares structural equation model method, using SmartPLS 3.2. The results indicated that the extended TPB explains 0.79% of the variance of ranchers’ intention to conserve rangelands. According to the results, all three of the TPB’s psychological variables, namely attitude towards conserving rangelands (β = 0.58, p < 0.01), subjective norms (β = 0.20, p < 0.01), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.17, p < 0.05), were related significantly to ranchers’ intentions to conserve rangelands. Further, environmental concern had a positive and significant relation to attitude towards conserving rangelands (β = 0.55, p < 0.01), subjective norms (β = 0.31, p < 0.01), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.73, p < 0.01). In addition, environmental concern was related indirectly and significantly to ranchers’ intentions to conserve rangelands through its antecedents. Therefore, policymakers, experts, and extension agents of natural resources can influence the behavior of ranchers with respect to conserving rangelands by emphasizing these variables.

Pastoralism contributes significantly to the national economy and livelihoods of pastoralists in Ethiopia. However, socio-ecologically considerable variations exist between pastoral systems of the country in terms of the drivers they are currently experiencing and the impact of these drivers. This study was conducted in Fentale district, Ethiopia, to understand the perceived transitions of the pastoral system and the key factors driving this transition over the last two decades. Data were collected through a household survey (n = 60), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The results showed that the decline in livestock holding per household (4.90) and livestock mobility (4.41), expansion of cultivation (4.83), degradation of rangeland (4.79), and migration (4.26) were perceived to occur. The perceived transformations in the pastoral system were primarily driven by population growth (4.81), land (4.76) and water shortage (4.29), adoption of cultivation (4.67), and climate change (3.78). The complex nature of pastoral development makes the isolation of root causes of transformation in the pastoral systems more difficult. The combined effects of the observed transitions and their drivers had been driving pastoralists into non-livestock-based livelihood strategies. Such diversification indicated that livestock alone would not sustainably maintain the livelihood of pastoralists. The intensification of livestock production is also being adopted by pastoralists as a coping strategy for the perceived transitions. The pastoral system needs to be supported by policies that are consistent with existing situations and future expectations. Therefore, an enabling policy environment considering livestock intensification and economic diversification need to put into place. However, a holistic understanding of a pastoral system and its transition and the likely trade-offs associated with different livelihood strategies in this system is a prerequisite.

Trees and shrubs can act as nurse plants that facilitate the growth and development of other herbaceous species under their canopies and induced the autogenic development of soil parameters. Therefore, we studied the effect of Crataegus pseudomelanicarpa on carbon sequestration (total carbon and particulate organic matter) in two grazed and ungrazed areas during the two seasons (spring and autumn) in central Alborz, Pasperes village, Noor rangelands, Iran. Fifteen individual trees (according to the surface of each region, five in the ungrazed and ten in the grazed areas) were selected. Soil samples were taken in spring and autumn in 2017 under woody canopy (patch) and outside the canopy (interpatch) of individual trees. Soil samples were tested for total carbon (TC) and particulate organic matter (POM). The results showed that the value of TC was higher in the autumn than the spring and conversely, POM was significantly higher in the spring than the autumn. Generally the results showed that the presence of the shrubs in both grazed and ungrazed areas improved the values of TC and POM in both seasons. In the grazed area, POM (24.43 g kg-1 vs. 15.41 g kg-1 in the spring and 11.71 g kg-1 vs. 8.59 g kg-1 in the autumn) and TC (1.53% vs. 1.35% in the spring and 1.61% vs. 1.58% in the autumn) had significantly higher values in patches than interpatches, while in the ungrazed area, these differences were less pronounced or not significant between patches and interpatches. It was concluded that the facilitated role of woody species in the conservation of soil carbon is more prominent in the grazed compared with ungrazed grasslands. It was emphasized on conservation of woody species in the rangelands particularly in the grazed areas.

The rangeland potentials in Kupang regency, Indonesia, were evaluated by determining forages distribution, forages nutritional value, and growth performance of the cattle grazed or fed with forages grown in the area. Several rangelands namely Amarasi, Mamar Kering, and Selobua were evaluated for its forages’ distribution from November to December 2015, while the reared cattle growth performance was observed for 12 months, starting from May 2016 to April 2017. A purposive sampling method was done to determine the forage distribution and a total of 22 cattle that fed in the areas were evaluated for its growth performances. The observed variables include forages distribution, nutritional value of the forages and cattle ration, feed intake (FI) and average daily gain (ADG) of the cattle. The forages distribution data were analyzed descriptively, while forages nutritional value and cattle growth were analyzed with nested ANOVA followed with LSD test to determine significant differences. The results showed that Mamar Kering had more plant species (77 species) compared to Amarasi (62 species) and Selobua (53 species) rangelands. The combination of Amarasi and Mamar Kering provides better forage availability (91.64%) compared to individual rangeland utilization (58.67 to 79.8%). The results also showed that different rangelands had a highly significant difference (P0.05) difference was found for crude protein, feed intake and ADG of the cattle. Moreover, the highest ADG cattle were found for Amarasi and Mamar Kering which reached 0.30 kg/cattle/day. The research concludes that the combination of Amarasi and Mamar Kering rangelands provide higher forage availability and better cattle growth compared to individual or another rangelands combination, with adjustment of forages and cattle ratio should be done to achieve efficient cattle production.

The plants can absorb nutrients and reduce water in face to drought stress. These conditions reduce plant growth rate and change physiological traits. In this study, the effect of drought stress on morphological and physiological characteristics of Thymus vulgaris L. was investigated under water deficit condition. A field experiment was conducted using three irrigation levels as 90% Field Capacity (90%FC), 50% FC and 25% FC based on a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in four replications. The seedlings of T. vulgaris were moved to the field and planted in early spring. The field was irrigated for each treatment for 3 months (June to August 2019). The soil moisture for each treatment was determined by the pressure plate method. At the end of the experiment, three plants in each plot were taken with their roots. The results of ANOVA showed significant differences between treatments for all the traits (P<0.05). For shoot length, the highest and lowest values of 43.2 and 19.9 cm were obtained in 90% FC and 25% FC, respectively. The highest shoot weight (13.66 g) and the lowest root weight (7.33 g) were obtained in 90% FC treatment. The highest and lowest values of both (total nitrogen and potassium) were obtained in 90% FC and 25% FC, respectively. The highest and lowest proline contents with values of 4.2 and 2.3 μmol/g FW were obtained in 25% FC and 90% FC, respectively. The highest values of soluble carbohydrates, Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activity were obtained in 25% FC compared to other treatment. Based on the results of present study, T. vulgaris L. is a suitable plant species for cultivation under drought stress conditions.