Journal of Rangeland

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Persian shallot (Allium hirtifolium Boiss.), one of Iran^'s endemic medicinal rangeland species, is endangered to extinction due to over utilization. The purpose of this research is investigation and modelling of habitat and ecological characteristics of Persian shallot in Fars province of Iran. Sampling was conducted from aerial plant parts and soil of effective root zone (12 to 15 Cm from soil surface), 6 samples from Arsenjan site and 4 from Sepidan. The environmental information such as geographic position, habitat conditions, topographic features and accompanying plants species were deliberated. Each soil sample after air drying was passed through a 2 mm sieveand then prepared to determining soil texture, organic matter, pH, EC, gypsum, lime, N, P, K, and micro elements (Mn, Zn, Cu and Fe). The comparing of soil characteristics among 2 sites was done through independent T test and determining the most important soil properties in relation to the plant was done through PCA. The map of regions which have potential of shallot production was made through GIS software and by creating a spatial query. The results showed that this plant is growing in cold semi-arid to very humid moderate climates with average annual temperature of 9 to 17º C, average annual precipitation of 250 to 700 millimeters, altitude ranges from 2200 to 2600 meters above sea level, the geological formations includes Pabde- Gurpi, Bangestan and Quaternary and often in understory of Pistacia khinjuk, Acer monspessolanum and Pyrus syriaica woodlands. In addition, the density and frequency of Persian shallot stands is assessed sorely rare in study habitats. Generally, in case of lacking emergency planning to protecting and conserving its habitats, there is the probability of extinction in Fars province.Persian shallot (Allium hirtifolium Boiss.), one of Iran^'s endemic medicinal rangeland species, is endangered to extinction due to over utilization. The purpose of this research is investigation and modelling of habitat and ecological characteristics of Persian shallot in Fars province of Iran. Sampling was conducted from aerial plant parts and soil of effective root zone (12 to 15 Cm from soil surface), 6 samples from Arsenjan site and 4 from Sepidan. The environmental information such as geographic position, habitat conditions, topographic features and accompanying plants species were deliberated. Each soil sample after air drying was passed through a 2 mm sieveand then prepared to determining soil texture, organic matter, pH, EC, gypsum, lime, N, P, K, and micro elements (Mn, Zn, Cu and Fe). The comparing of soil characteristics among 2 sites was done through independent T test and determining the most important soil properties in relation to the plant was done through PCA. The map of regions which have potential of shallot production was made through GIS software and by creating a spatial query. The results showed that this plant is growing in cold semi-arid to very humid moderate climates with average annual temperature of 9 to 17º C, average annual precipitation of 250 to 700 millimeters, altitude ranges from 2200 to 2600 meters above sea level, the geological formations includes Pabde- Gurpi, Bangestan and Quaternary and often in understory of Pistacia khinjuk, Acer monspessolanum and Pyrus syriaica woodlands. In addition, the density and frequency of Persian shallot stands is assessed sorely rare in study habitats. Generally, in case of lacking emergency planning to protecting and conserving its habitats, there is the probability of extinction in Fars province.

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 Evaluating the ecological capability and determining the natural capacity as well as appropriate planning and management actions ensure the sustainable utilization of the ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the ecotourism potential of the middle Taleghan located in the Alborz province. According to the importance of the ecotourism potential criteria, two groups of highly important factors (distance from attractive places, accessibility and path and topography) and less important factors (vegetation, soil erosion, distance from water resources and temperature) were determined. The spatial variables were classified, rated and overlaid for the whole studied area using geographic information system (GIS). According to the results, 3936/1 hectares (10/36%) classified as S₁ class, 12309 hectares (32/42%) classified as S₂ class, 14797/52 hectares (38/96%) classified as S₃ class and 6934/5 hectares (18/26%) categorized in N classes. Results indicated that distance from attractive places, road and paths availability and vegetation in some vegetation types were the main limiting factors. Temperature, distance from water resources, topography and soil erosion were identified as the important factors to enhance the ecotourism capacity of the studied area.

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Due to the lack of sufficient knowledge on other potential and capabilities of rangelands, they are overgrazed to provide livestock feed. This is the ignorance of many aspects of benefites one can make of rangeland’s species. Chhar-Bagh summer rangelands have high diversity in terms of medicinal plants. The aim of this therefore, is to study the potential of medicinal, industrial and ediblability of the plants in Chhar-Bagh summer rangelands, Golestan Province. Which will endup with multiple and more sustainable use of the rangelands. Final rangeland’s suitability map for 2015, which is the combination of the vegetation and environmental factors, was generated as the result of the study using the overlay function in the Geographic Information System's environment and by incorporating the limiting factor in each polygon. Samplis were taken from different vegetation types (each as a work-unit) by establishing 3 transect of 100m length based on the Randomized-Systematic method. Alongside of each transect the following factors were considered: species frequency, canopy cover and composition. Production of the medicinal, industrial and edible plants were also recorded in quadrats adjusted to the type of vegetation in the area. The results showed that from 184 plant species identified, 87 species are categorized as medicinal, industrial and/or edible plants. These species belong to 26 families, of which Lamiaceae, Astraceae and Fabaceae with 22, 19 and 10 plants species respectively had the highest frequencies. Having three classes of suitabilities, outcome of the suitability model showed that the potential of 2.72 % (221.02 ha) are high (S₁), 57.7 %( 4686.72 ha) are medium (S₂), 24.28 % ( 1972.89 ha) low (S₂) and 15.3% (1242.84 ha) are non suitable lands for usage of medicinal and/or industrial and ediabilities. Generally, Production economic index and percentage of medicinal plant composition are positive factors for the total suitability assessment, while slope gradient and the mountainous nature of the region are among the limiting factors. The results showed that economic benefits of medicinal plants not only mitigates the process of overgrazing but also improves the general economic status of the local peoples. 

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Background and objectives: This study aimed to identify and prioritize areas suitable for perennial alfalfa cultivation in low-yield dryland areas of the Hirab basin, Borujerd County, using Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Alfalfa, often referred to as the "queen of forage plants," is of particular importance in agriculture. Dryland areas, which are subject to wind and water erosion due to poor management, present an opportunity for alfalfa cultivation due to the plant's adaptability to water scarcity conditions.
Methodology: Initially, information, layers, and maps of the region were collected. Natural factors affecting alfalfa cultivation were extracted from scientific sources, and a questionnaire was prepared to determine the coefficients of importance of these factors. These coefficients were entered into the Expert Choice software for weighting criteria and sub-criteria. After obtaining the normalized weights, the information was entered into ArcGIS software, and the layers were weighted and combined accordingly.
Results: The region was classified into four classes in terms of alfalfa cultivation potential: highly susceptible, susceptible, semi-susceptible, and non-susceptible. The results indicated that over 70% of the region has high to medium potential for alfalfa cultivation. This suggests that most parts of the Hirab region are suitable for alfalfa cultivation based on the studied climatic and topographical variables. More than half of the areas in the region possess favorable conditions for alfalfa cultivation, highlighting the high potential of the Hirab region for cultivating this crop as part of crop rotation and pasture restoration.
Conclusion: By examining the weight values obtained for the factors affecting alfalfa cultivation, it was determined that soil factors (soil texture, soil depth, salinity, and acidity) have the greatest impact on alfalfa cultivation with a weight value of 0.637. Following soil, the topographic criterion (including slope, direction, and altitude) has a weight value of 0.258, and the climate criterion (including temperature and precipitation) has a weight value of 0.105. Soil texture and soil salinity of the region have the least impact with weight values of 0.170 and 0.073, respectively. Areas with altitudes above 2500 meters have the least potential for alfalfa cultivation with a weight value of 0.048. Among the directional options, the south and southeast directions have the greatest impact on alfalfa cultivation with a weight value of 0.546, while the west and north directions have the least potential with a weight value of 0.084.