Identification and possibility of development of salinity resistant rangeland plants in salt lands of Rahmanloo region Ajabshir

The identification of resistant plants to salinity and alkalinity is important significantly for preventing soil erosion and salt dispersion in the margin of Urmia Lake. So, to identify the plants with different resistance to salinity, the zonation of land was carried out in the southeast lands of Urmia Lake (Rahmanloo) using geographical information system (GIS). Accordingly, the lands were classified into five zones of salinity and alkalinity. The results showed that there is a completely inverse correlation between plant coverage and salinity. As the distance from the lake, salinity decreased linearly. Based on multivariate analysis, the presence of plant species was under the control of electrical conductivity, exchangeable sodium percent, clay content, pH, organic carbon, with weights of -0.276, -0.356, 0.074, 0.112 and 0.096. Also, the level of surface coverage and shoot development are under the control of EC with the weight of 0.196 and ESP with the weight of -0.253. Therefore, soil alkalinity and salinity were the most important factors in the distribution of rangeland plants. Using remote sensing and field studies showed the presence of Chamomile, Atriplex, Tamarix, Suaeda, and Salicornia, respectively in 5 different regions with increasing salinity. For example, the population of chamomile was 30% in low salinity lands, it was 3% with a decreasing trend in the saline area. While about salicornia, the status was inverse. Therefore, considering the possibility of life of any species, cultivation of these plants could prevent salinity effects of Urmia Lake in each salinity zone.

Keywords:

Zoning , Tolerate , Urmia lake , Remote sensing