Bayat Z, Sadeghipoor A, Yazdani M, Zolfaghari A. Forage production and morphological characteristics of forage corn (Zea mays L.) under different levels of water salinity and mulch types. مرتع 2020; 14 (2) :248-271
URL:
http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-905-en.html
Department of Combating Desertification, Faculty of Desert Studies, University of Semnan, Semnan
Abstract: (3831 Views)
The lack of forage for livestock for the most parts of Iran is quite tangible. This means high grazing presure on rangelands. In order to mitigate the overgrazing problem, the forage production should be increased and comprehensive management put in placed. In dry areas, to improve the environmental conditions, different types of mulches are used. The effect of mulch types on some morphological characteristics of forage corn was examined in the study. In addition forage production in different salinity levels of irrigation water was tracked in a factorial design based on a completely randomized block design with three replications in the research farm of Semnan University in 2018. Treatments included mulch at four levels of acrylic resin, acrylic resin containing 3% nanoclay, plastic mulch and no mulch, and four levels of irrigation water salinity including 2, 4, 7 and 10 dsm-1. The results showed that the use of mulch has affected the morphological characteristics of forage corn like plant height and number of leaves . Plastic mulch had the most positive effect on height (139.7 cm), the number of leaves (10.33) for each plant and dry matter production rate (15.8 t.ha-1), regardless of the effects of salinity. Polymer with nanoclay has increased the production rate and the acrylic resin polymer has reduced the amount of raw fiber, which indicates improved fodder quality. Increasing salinity up to 10 dsm-1 had a negative effect on growth, production and quality of forage. According to the results of this study, it seems that plastic cover can be used to reduce the water salinity and consequently to improve the growth parameters of the forage corn. It is also recommended to use acrylic resin polymer with or without nanoclay to enhance the quality of forage.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2020/07/29 | Accepted: 2020/07/31 | Published: 2020/07/31