Comparison of growth performance of Lolium perenne L., Dactylis glomerata L. and Agropyron elongatum (Host.) P. Beauv. for erosion control in Turkey.

This study was carried out in plastic containers to compare growth performances of perennial ryegrass, orchardgrass and tall wheatgrass to be given priority in revegetation studies in Turkey. Three pre-germinated seeds of each grass species were planted separately into the soil in the black plastic containers. Seedlings were harvested 2, 4 and 6 months after planting pre-germinated seeds and measured for percentage of seedling emergence, rooting depth, height growth, leaf and tiller development and shoot and root weights. Germination percentage was 97.8% for perennial ryegrass, 64.1% for orchardgrass and 11.6% for tall wheatgrass and perennial ryegrass had the greatest whereas tall wheatgrass had the lowest seedling emergence. Two months old rooting depth was 25.66 cm for perennial ryegrass, 20.56 cm for orchardgrass and 30.10 cm for tall wheatgrass. At the end of the study, perennial ryegrass developed about. 104 tillers per plant while they were 21.4 and 3 6 6 tillers per plant for orchardgrass and tall wheatgrass, respectively. Orchardgrass produced greater shoot and root biomasses than tall wheatgrass and similar to perennial ryegrass. All these meant that perennial ryegrass had a better growth performance than orchardgrass and tall wheatgrass to be used for erosion control

Grass Seedling Recruitment in Cattle Dungpats

Livestock seed dispersal (fecal seeding) is gaining recognition as a method to reintroduce desirable species to degraded rangelands. A field study was conducted to determine the influence of cattle dungpat thickness on the recruitment of Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda Presl.), bluebunch wheatgrass (Psuedoroegneria spicata [Pursh] A. Love), and ‘Hycrest’ crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fisch. ex Link] Schult. × A. cristatum [L.] Gaert.) in naturally and artificially deposited dungpats. Four Holstein heifers each were fed 60 000 seeds of each species. Twenty-four hours after feeding seeds, dung was collected from 2 animals receiving each plant species and formed into uniform, artificial dungpats (2 kg in mass) with thicknesses of 1, 2, and 4 cm, and respective diameters of 40, 28, and 20 cm, and deposited on bare soil. The other 2 animals receiving each plant species were used to deposit natural dungpats, varying in mass, thickness, and diameter, on bare soil. Seedling recruitment in all dungpat types was greatest for crested wheatgrass, followed by Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass. Recruitment for all species was generally greatest in 1-cm-thick artificial dungpats, followed in order by 2-cm-thick artificial dungpats, natural dungpats, and 4-cm-thick artificial dungpats. Most seedlings, regardless of species, emerged and survived in the interior region of 1- and 2-cm-thick artificial dungpats and at the periphery of 4-cm-thick artificial dungpats. Most seedlings of crested wheatgrass and Sandberg bluegrass emerged and survived in cracks and depressions in the interior region of natural dungpats, whereas more bluebunch wheatgrass seedlings emerged and survived at the periphery of natural dungpats. Results indicate that the efficacy of cattle seed dispersal is influenced by the seedling vigor of species (seeds) consumed and the thickness of dungpats in which the ingested seeds are deposited. Grass species with weak seedling vigor (Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass) have lower recruitment than species with strong seedling vigor (crested wheatgrass), particularly in dung > 2 cm thick.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Effect of timber harvest on physical water quality characteristics

The effect of 11% thinning on selected stream water properties in an oak-beech forest ecosystem in the Belgrad Forest of Istanbul, Turkey was studied with a paired catchment experiment. Regression equations for some physical properties of the stream water were developed between control (W-I) and treatment (W-II) watersheds for calibration (with their 95% confidence limits) and treatment periods. The study discovered significant linear regressions between control and treatment watersheds for color, turbidity, air and water temperatures, suspended sediment concentration, pH and electrical conductivity in the calibration period but not turbidity and suspended sediment concentration in the treatment period. The impact of the timber removal was calculated as the difference between measured and predicted values derived from calibration equations. Results showed that timber harvest caused significant decreases in the color, turbidity, temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity values of the stream water and air temperature under the canopy but did not affect the suspended sediment concentration in the stream water

Effect of selective cutting on streamflow in an Oak-Beech forest ecosystem

Calibration equations for streamflow between the control (W-I) and the treatment (W-II) watersheds as an integral part of a paired experimental watershed study in Belgrad Forest are presented. Correlation coefficients of the calibration equations were found to be highly significant. The effect of 11% removal of the standing volume by regular selective cutting in old-growth oak-beech forest ecosystems was discussed. Streamflow hydrographs were developed for March, April, May, and June of 1986, and for the long-term period from 1986 to 1996. Increase in water yield immediately after the treatment was detected as the difference between measured and predicted values. Significant increases occurred in streamflow in March 1986 and in the long-term period (1986-1996)

Cover and management factors for the Universal Soil-Loss equation for forest ecosystems in the Marmara region, Turkey

The Universal Soil-Loss Equation (USLE) predicts annual soil loss from agricultural uplands under specified land use and management conditions. Recently, some attempts have been made to apply USLE to forest lands in Turkey. This regional application of USLE and its reliability should be tested against measured data, especially for forest ecosystems. Our objective was to compute the cropping management (C) and the support practice (P) factors of the equation together in a single numerical value as a cover and management factor (CP) for forest and pseudo-maqui ecosystems using the local watershed and plot experiments carried out in the vicinity of Istanbul. CP factors were computed using known (rainfall erosivity factor, R) and estimated numerical values of other factors (average annual soil loss, A; soil-crodibility factor, K; combined slope-length and slope-steepness factor, LS). The CP factors were found to be 0.021 for old-growth oak-beech forest ecosystem in watershed-I and pseudo-maqui ecosystem and 0.011 for forest ecosystem in watershed-II. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Investigation of Salt Diffusion in Soil by Using Radiotracing Technique

In this study, it is aimed to observe diffusion of sodium in soil samples by using radiotracing technique. To produce the radiotracer Na-24, sodium-carbonate compound was irradiated at ITU TRIGA Mark II Research reactor at Energy Institute of Istanbul Technical University. The irradiated sodium-carbonate samples were sprinkled to the surface of soil columns. Then soil was watered with representative amounts of water according to selected rain regimes in Istanbul. Radioactivity measurements were carried out by using high efficiency gamma-ray measurement system at the outside of the column for different soil depths in different times