Plantation of fodder shrubs in arid and semi-arid zones of Iran

Transcription

1 Pantation of fodder shrubs in arid and semi-arid zones of Iran Nazari-Dashibrown P. in Etienne M. (ed.). Dynamics and sustainabiity of Mediterranean pastora systems Zaragoza : CIHEAM Cahiers Options Méditerranéennes; n pages Artice avaiabe on ine / Artice disponibe en igne à adresse : To cite this artice / Pour citer cet artice Nazari-Dashibrown P. Pantation of fodder shrubs in arid and semi-arid zones of Iran. In : Etienne M. (ed.). Dynamics and sustainabiity of Mediterranean pastora systems. Zaragoza : CIHEAM, p (Cahiers Options Méditerranéennes; n. 39)

2 Pantation of fodder shrubs in arid and semi-arid zones of Iran P. Nazari-Dashibrown Forest & Range Organization, Department of Range, Box , Tehran, Iran SUMMARY - Iran's rangeands occur in the steppe, substeppe and xerophious zones occupying 90 miion hectares of the country. Topography is varied from 22 m beow sea eve up to 5670 m eevation. Precipitation ranges from 25 mm (centra desert) to 1600 mm (forest) per annum. Rangeands of the country have been in a poor condition for many years. current production provides ony 20-25% of the tota feed requirements of existing herds and focks which amounto 115 miion sheep equivaents. Fodder shrub species such as: Atripex spp, Artemisia herbaaba, and Erotia ceratoides are used for revegetating degraded rangeands. words: Rangeand, Atripex canescence, Atripex entiformis, Atripex haimus, Artemisia herba-aba, Erotia ceratoides. RESUME - "Pantation d'arbustes fourragers dans des zones arides et semi-arides en Iran". En Iran, es pâfurages se trouvent dans a steppe, a substeppe et es zones xérophyes répartis sur 90 miions d'hectares dans e pays. La topographie varie entre 22m. au-dessous niveau a de mer et 5670 m. d'éévation. La précipitation varie entre 25mm. (désert centra) et 1600 mm. (forêt) par an. Les parcours du pays ont été dans de mauvaises conditions pendant beaucoup d'années. Leur production courante fournit seuement 20-25% des besoins aimentaires totaux des troupeaux exisfants qui représentent environ 115 miions d'équivaents moutons. Les especes arbustives fourragères tees que Atripex spp., Artemisia herba-aba, et Erotia ceratoides sont utiisées pour reformer a végétation des parcours dégradés. Mots-cés : Parcours, Atripex canescence, Atripex entiformis, Atripex haimus, Artemisia herba-aba, Erotia ceratoides. Introduction The rangeands in Iran have been in an extremey degraded condition requiring urgent and drastic action to return the nation's soi resources and ivestock industry. A massive effort has been required to dea with the probem on a nationa scae. Therefore, to overcome the situation, the Range Department, as a Governmenta agent, has started to draw up and conduct integrated pans for the appication of suitabe range rehabiitation techniques that wi to ead an overa improvement in vegetation cover, increase the avaiabiity of forage for ivestock and aeviate the grazing pressure on exhausted range sites of the country. Materias and methods In order to aim at conducting a sound range management poicy, various range improvement and rehabiitation projects and techniques were and are being appied. In this paper, due to imited time and space, ony shrub panting on arid and semi-arid rangeands wi be discussed briefy. Information presented here are either observationa or the resuts gained from works during the past 26 years of experience in the fied. For most areas it is essentia to estabish shrubs by sowing seeds in the fied (direct seeding). Shrub estabishment by direct seeding into degraded rangeands receiving ess than 300 mm precipitation per annum faced many hazards. Hence, use of seedings raised in pastic bags or trays were favoured. 143

3 Most shrub pantings on degraded rangeands of Iran have been and are from nursery-raised seedings rather than direct seeding. The most common species used were: Atripex canescens, Atripex entiformis, Atripex haimus, Attemisia herba-aba, Eurotia ceratoides. Raising and estabishment of the two atter species were difficut and unsatisfactory, consequenty we to had use the three former species for the time being. Afripex canescence and Atripex entiformis are introduced and Atripex haimus is a native species. Raising seedings Three to four months before the ópening rains nurseries of shrub species were prepared at sites cose to the transpanting sites, preferaby where water was avaiabe for irrigation of the seedings. The size of pastic bags was 10 cm diameter and 20 cm high (currenty cm X 18 cm, and for use of trays 5 X 14 cm). Pastic bags were fied to within 3 cm of the top with a soi mixture 35% of by cay voume oam, 30% manure and 35% sand. For assurance and increasing germination rates the cean and heathy seeds were soaked in water for 24 hours. Then, two to four seeds were paced on the mixed soi surface in each bag and then.covered by about 1 cm of fine sand. Transpanting Three month od seedings (10-20 cm high) raised at the nurseries were then transpanted, by hand, (currenty by mechanica panters) into prepared contour furrows or diggings with the depth in accordance with the ength of pots. The contour furrows were (in genera) 4 m apart and the distance between the pants was 3 m. The seedings were irrigated at the time of transpanting. In waterogged areas Atripex spp. were panted in mounds to overcome the waterogging effects on growth. Resuts and discussion Transpanting of Atripex spp. gave good resuts speciay when the pantations were combined with suitabe water conservation practices and protected from grazing for months. Appication of 2-4 itres of water for each singe seeding once after transpanting assured estabishment of pants. Within four years, under protection, growth of transpanted seedings, on average, reached m high covering an area of m each singe pant. During this period of time forage production of the rehabiitated sites increased from 130 kg dm ha-' to 1200 kg dm ha-'. Their toerance to grazing from mid autumn ti ate winter was good, but after that grazing eft harmfu effects on the bushes. Under controed grazing management, annua growth of bushes showed better resuts when the sites were grazed by combination of sheep, goats, and cames, because sheep and goats graze ower parts of pants and cames browse the higher parts. Consequenty most parts of bushes, virtuay, were stimuated eveny. 144

4 ~ CIHEAM - Options Mediterraneennes Atripex canescens was more drought and cod (-1 to toerant than the Atripex haimus and Atripex entiformis. Vounteering abiity of Atripex canescence was esser than Atripex entiformis and Atripex haimus. In some cases, at panting time the seedings (probaby due to too much irrigation in the nursery) appeared to be very soft. Hardened pants may hande better and be ess ikey to require watering. Estabished stands which were protected from grazing for more 4-5 than years started to dry up from tips. Estabishment by direct seeding especiay with the seeds of Artemisia herba-aba and Erotia ceratoides did not succeed on the areas receiving ess than 250 mm precipitation per annum. Concusion Observations made and experiences gained since ate with the impementation of various techniques for improvement and rehabiitation of rangeands showed that estabishment of nursery raised seedings of bushes in arid and semi-arid zones of the country was more reiabe than direct seeding. Estabishment of bushes and rehabiitation of degraded rangeands in arge scaes require adoption of ow cost methodoogy. Hence, efforts shoud be continued for achievement of success in estabishing fodder shrubs by using direct seeding methods. Recommendations arising from experience Socio-economic context Soving the probems of communa use of common rangeands must precede the appication of technoogica soutions. There shoud be cose consutation with graziers and and users, prior to panting programmes, concerning forage requirements and pans for utiization. Current beneficiary participation in panting programmes shoud be increased, and reiance on i rangeand for fue shoud be reduced. In this regard, the Government shoud endeavour to faciitate the i distribution ofue ois (kerosene) and gas for cooking. In addition, pantations for firewood need to be estabished on suitabe sois. References Macom, C.V. andnazari-dashibrown, A programme for rehabiitation sat-affected rangeands Iran. Consutant Report UNDP, Nazari-Dashibrown, The rangeands of Iran.Department of Range,ForestandRange Organization of Iran. Nazari-Dashibrown, Ley farming system in Iran. In First Conference on Economy of /ran Agricuture, Apri University of Sistan and Baoochestan, Iran. Pabot, H. (1 Pasture deveopment and range improvement fhrough botanica and ecoogica studies. UNDP/FAO Technica Assistance Report No. 145

5 Peymani-Fard, B. (1987). Introducing some important shrubs and semi-woody forage species of Iran. Robertson, (4989). An integrated range deveopment programme. Consutant TCP/IRA/6653(F). 146