Comparison of chemical characteristics of shoot, root and litter in three range species of Salsola rigida, Artemisia sieberi and Stipa barbata

Jafari, M.; Kohandel, A.; Baghbani, Sh.; Tavili, A.; Zare Chahouki, M.A.; Malekian, A.

Comparison of chemical characteristics of shoot, root and litter in three range species of Salsola rigida, Artemisia sieberi and Stipa barbata

Authors

¹ Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

² Jahad- Daneshgahi, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

⁴ International Desert Research Center, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. *Corresponding author’s E-mail: kohandel@acecr.ac.ir

Abstract

Some chemical characteristics of root, shoot and litter of index species such as Salsola rigida, Artemisia sieberi and Stipa barbata commonly used in rangeland development projects were evaluated and compared. Chemical properties of soil under and between the above mentioned species were also studied. For this purpose, vegetation types of Stipa barbata and Artemisia sieberi - Salsola rigida were selected in Zarand-e-Saveh rangelands. Totally, 30 individuals of each species within each type were randomly selected for shoot, root and litter sampling and chemical analyses. Also, values of N, P, K, C and C/N ratio were measured in different parts of the species. Results showed that the highest and lowest C/N ratios were related to Stipa barbata root and Artemisia sieberi shoots, respectively. N and P values of Stipa barbata litter were the lowest while Artemisia sieberi and Salsola rigida shoots had the highest values of P and N, respectively. Litter of Salsola rigida and shoot of Artemisia sieberi had the lowest and highest K, respectively. C/N ratio of A. sieberi soil was lower than rest of the species.

REFERENCES
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Keywords

References

Adams, M.A. , P.M. Attiwill., (1986) Nutrient cycling and nitrogenmineralization in eucalypt forest of south-east Australia. Plant and Soil. 92, 341–362.

Alexander, M. (1977) Soil Microbiology, 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons. New York. pp. 467.

Bertiller, M.B., Sain, C.L., Carrera, A.L. and Vargas, D.N. (2005) Patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus conservation in dominant perennial grasses and shrubsacross an aridity gradient in Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Arid Environments. 62, 209–223.

Blair,J.M. (1988) Nutrient release from decomposition foliar litter of three tree species with special reference to calcium, magnesium and potassium dynamics. J. Plant and Soil. 110, 49 – 55.

Charely, J.L. and Cowling, S.W. (1967) Changes in soil nutrient status resulting from over grazing and their consequences in plant communities of semi – arid areas. Ecol. Soc. Aust. Proc. 3, 28-38.

Carrera, A.L., Vargas, D.N., Campanella, M.V., Bertiller, M.B., Sain, C.L. and Mazzarino, M.J.( 2005) Soil nitrogen in relation to quality and decomposability of plant litter in the Patagonian Monte, Argentina. Plant Ecology. 181, 239–251.

Constantinides, M. and Fownes, J.H. (1994) Nitrogen mineralization from leaves and litter of tropical plants: relationship to nitrogen, lignin and soluble polyphenol concentration. J. Soil Biol. Biochem. 26, 49-55.

Couteaux, M.M., Bottner, P. and Berg, B. (1995) Litter decomposition, climate and litter quality. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 10, 63–66.

Franck, M., Bruce, A., Stuart, F. and Chistopher, B. (1997) Decomposition of litter produced under elevated CO2 dependence on plant species and nutrient supply. J. Biogeochemistry. 36, 223-237.

Hajibaglu, N. (2006). Litter quality of some plants in Taleghan rangelands, MSc. thesis in range management, University of Tehran, pp. 235, (In Persian).

Hartemink, A.E. and. Sallivan, J.N. (2001) Leaf litter decomposition of Piper aduncum, Gliricidia sepium and Imperata cylindrica in the humid lowlands of Papua New Guinea. J. plant and Soil. 230, 115 – 124.

Heal, O.W., Anderson, J.M., Swift, M.J. (1997) Plant litter quality and decomposition: an historical overview. In: Cadisch, G., Giller, K.E. (Eds.), Driven by Nature: Plant Litter Quality and Decomposition, CAB International, Wallingford. pp. 3–45.

Hoorens, B., Aerts, R. and Stroetenga, M. (2002) Litter quality and interactive effects in litter mixtures: more negative interactions under elevated CO2 ,Journal of Ecology. 90,1009–1016.

Jafari, M. and Rahim Zadeh, N. (2004) The project report of C/N ratio in some rangeland species, University of Tehran. pp. 169. (In Persian).

Koukoura, Z., Mamolos, A.P. and Kalburtji, K.L. 2003. Decomposition of dominant plant species litter in semi arid grassland. J. Soil Ecology. 23,13- 23.

Lambers, H., Chapin, F.S. and Pons, T. (1998) Decomposition. In: PlantPhysiological Ecology. Springer, New York, pp. 495–502.

Lupwayi, N.Z. and Haque, I. (1998) Mineralization of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg from Sesbania and Leucaena leaves varying in chemical composition. J. Soil Biol. Biochem. 30(3) 337-343.

Madritch, M. D. and Mark D.H. (2004) Phenotypic diversity and litter chemistry affect nutrient dynamics during litter. Decomposition in a two species mix. OIKOS 105,125 – 131.

Moretto, A.S. and Distel, R.A. (1997) Competitive interactions between palatable and unpalatable grasses native to temperate semi-arid grasslands of Argentina. Plant Ecol. 130,155–161.

Puget, P. and Drinkwater, L. E.( 2001) Short-term dynamics ofroot- and shoot-derived carbon from a leguminous Kohandel et al., 45green manure.Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 65:771-779.Press. New York, pp. 267.

Rauzi, F. (1975) Seasonal yield and chemical composition of creseal wheat grass in south eastern Wyoming. J. Range management. 28, 219-221.

Reyisi, F., Mohammadi, J. and Assadi, A. (2003) The relationship between litter quality of range species with carbon dynamic in Sabzkuh rangelands, 2nd national conference of Iranian Range and Range Management, pp. 280-291. (In Persian).

Romney, E.M. and Wallace, A.(1974) Responses and interactions in desert plants as influenced by irrigation and nitrogen application. US/IBP Desert Biome Res. Memo. RM, 74-17. pp.12.

Salardini, A.A. (2003) Soil fertility. University of Tehran Press. pp. 440. (In Persian).

Saleh Rastin, N. (1996) Soil biology. University of Tehran Press. pp. 480. (In Persian).

Throop, L., Holland, A. and Parton, J. (2004) Effect Of nitrogen deposition and insert herbivory on pattern of ecosystem – level carbon and nitrogen dynamics: results from the CENTURY model. Global Change Biology. 10,092 –1105.

Wedin, D.A. (1995) Species, nitrogen, and grassland dynamics: the constraint of stuff. In: Jones, C.G., Lawton, L.H. (Eds.), Linking Species and Ecosystems. Chapman & Hall, New York, pp. 253–262.

Wedin, D.A. (1999) Nitrogen availability, plant–soil feedbacks and grassland stability. In: Eldridge, D., Freudenberger, D. (Eds.), Proceedings of the VI International Rangeland Congress on People and Rangelands Building the Future. Townsville, Australia, pp. 193–197.