Effects of grazed exclosure on some of nutrient elements of aerial and underground organs of Artemisia sieberi , Stipa hohenacheriana and Salsola rigida

<p>Grazing management is increasingly aimed at the restoration of rangelands ecosystems. Animal grazing is a<br>global, dominant land use covering more than 25% of the terrestrial surface of the globe and a larger geographic<br>area than any other land use. Overgrazing reduces the usefulness, productivity, and biodiversity of the land and is<br>one cause of rangelands degradation, desertification and erosion. One of the methods of rangelands management<br>and improvement is Exclosure. Exclosure is one of the simplest methods of rangelands improvement. It is<br>considered as an alternative to restore vegetation in degraded rangelands in this region. We studied the effects of<br>20 years of rangeland exclosure on some of nutrient elements of Artemisia sieberi, Stipa hohenacheriana and<br>Salsola rigida in Roodshoor region, Saveh, Iran. Sampling in exclosure and control treatments was conducted<br>using a systematic randomized method. Four 300-m long transects were randomly located in each area. Plant<br>organs sampling was conducted in first, middle and end of each transect. In both grazing exclusion and control<br>sites two, plant organs samples were taken from aerial (herbage) and underground (roots) organs. Samples in the<br>laboratory were placed in the oven for 24 hours. Then the samples were milled. The plants samples for each organ<br>per site were analyzed in the laboratory of the department of Natural Resources, Tehran University, Iran. In<br>general, results of this study were showed livestock grazing exclosure had no significantly effects on nutrients of<br>NPK and C in plants Salsola, Stipa and Artemisia. Grazed exclosure increase amounts of Na, Ca and Mg on organs<br>of these plants.