Journal of Rangeland

Background and objectives: Fertilizer management and soil enhancement are among the most critical factors for successful plant cultivation, particularly when implementing rangeland improvement operations in challenging environmental conditions, such as those found along the shores of Lake Urmia. This study aims to examine the effects of various organic fertilizers, mulching materials, and their combined application on the morphological traits of Tamarix hispida, including plant height, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, and the number of lateral branches, in the Lake Urmia region.

Methodology: This study was conducted using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with four replications on the shores of Lake Urmia in 2023. The effects of various types of mulch and fertilizers were examined across 16 treatments, including light mulch (1 kg per shrub), dark mulch (1 kg per shrub), straw and stubble (2 cm thick per shrub), chicken manure (1.5 kg per shrub), cow manure (1.5 kg per shrub), vermicompost (1.5 kg per shrub), a combination of mulch and fertilizer (1.5 kg per shrub), and a control treatment. At the end of the active growth period, several plant morphological characteristics, such as plant height, root length, dry weight, fresh weight, and the number of lateral branches, were measured and recorded across 12 periods at 10-day intervals. Data analysis were performed using SPSS version 22 software.

Results: The results of variance analysis and comparison of means showed that the effect of vermicompost on plant height was significant at the 1% level, and the highest shrub height of 3.45 m was observed in the vermicompost fertilizer and the lowest of 2.88 m was related to the control treatment. The effect of mulch types on shrub height was significant at the 1% level. The highest species height (3.19 m) was observed in the straw and stubble treatment. The dry weight and fresh weight yield of the Tamarix shrub under the influence of vermicompost fertilizer were 991.66 and 564 grams per shrub, respectively, which was the highest compared to other treatments. Among the combined treatments, the combination of straw and stubble and vermicompost treatment had the highest plant height (3.14 cm). The highest plant dry weight was observed in the bright mulch + chicken manure treatment (534 grams per plant). The combination of chicken manure and straw and stubble treatment also resulted in the highest fresh weight of the Tamarix species (1055.3 g per plant).

Conclusion: Overall, the results indicated that incorporating vermicompost and straw-and-stubble amendments into the planting bed of Tamarix hispida yielded favorable outcomes for the growth of this species. Consequently, these materials can be recommended for land reclamation efforts along the shores of Lake Urmia and for larger-scale planting projects involving Tamarix hispida and similar plants.