Soil variables affecting growth of Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) in the hyperarid region of Sistan plain

Author: Saeed Pourmorteza*, Majid Ajorlo** and Ahmad Pahlavanravi**

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Abstract

In Sistan plain, 120 days of wind, drought and lack of vegetation cause erosion and soil degradation. Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides L. Robert) is widely used worldwide for soil stabilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the soil variables affecting germination of vetiver in the hyperarid regions of Sistan, Iran. The treatments in this study were degraded soil along a riverbank, soil around drainage areas, agricultural land, saline land and waterlogged soil in the vicinity of a wastewater treatment plant. A total of 30 bases of C. zizanioides with three repetitions per treatment were planted in March 2015. With care and watering, germination and establishment of the plants were studied in the treatment soil types for six months. The electrical conductivity, pH, moisture content, nominal specific weight and porosity of the soil in the study areas were measured and recorded. The data was analyzed in SPSS Statistics using Duncan's test and ANOVA. The results showed the compati

Keywords

Sistan, Hyperarid, Vetiver, Soil Degradation, Germination, Growth

Conclusion

In Sistan plain, 120 days of wind, drought and lack of vegetation cause erosion and soil degradation. Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides L. Robert) is widely used worldwide for soil stabilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the soil variables affecting germination of vetiver in the hyperarid regions of Sistan, Iran. The treatments in this study were degraded soil along a riverbank, soil around drainage areas, agricultural land, saline land and waterlogged soil in the vicinity of a wastewater treatment plant. A total of 30 bases of C. zizanioides with three repetitions per treatment were planted in March 2015. With care and watering, germination and establishment of the plants were studied in the treatment soil types for six months. The electrical conductivity, pH, moisture content, nominal specific weight and porosity of the soil in the study areas were measured and recorded. The data was analyzed in SPSS Statistics using Duncan's test and ANOVA. The results showed the compati

References

The Sistan plain is depositional sediment without structure that has been exposed by erosion due to lack of suitable vegetation as protection against the wind and monsoons in areas subjected to drought (Comprehensive Consulting Engineers of Iran, 2004). The characteristics of the desert in the Sistan region causes moisture from the lower layers of the soil to rise to the underlying surface, depositing harmful salts from the subsoil at the surface and leading to high salinity and alkalinity in a large portion of the plain (Soil and Water Consulting Engineers, 2009). Vetiver (previous name: Vetiver zizanioides L. Nash) has recently been reclassified as Chrysopogon zizanioides L. Robert (Truong et al., 2010). This plant is known in warm and dry regions at the macro level (Sanei Dehkordi et al., 2011). Vetiver can control desertification with the production of biomass and prevention of dust transport (Nilforooshan Dardasht et al., 2011). Vetiver is an important salt-resistant and alkalin

How to cite this article

Saeed Pourmorteza, Majid Ajorlo and Ahmad Pahlavanravi (2017). Soil variables affecting growth of Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) in the hyperarid region of Sistan plain . Biological Forum – An International Journal 9(1): 158-161.