Download (nappes d`alfa). It has a dense woodland with significant

Managing Agro-pastoral Rangelands’ biodiversity activity:
NARs team
Name
Surname
Speciality
Institution
Sonia
Bedhiaf
Animal breeding and INRAT INRAT
coordinator
[email protected]
Salah
Benyoussef
Agronomy
production
[email protected]
Aziza
Zoghlami
Genetic resources of forage INRAT
and pasture legumes
and
Forage INRAT
Email
[email protected]
The cropping systems of Zoghmar community have many constraints and the main ones recorded are: degradation of natural range land, limitation of local feed
resources and bad crop management practices (dominance of barley monoculture under dry land, under use of legumes, bad choices of varieties and adapted
species, unavailability of seeds, no convenient rotations even under irrigation). So, in order to enhance sustainability of these systems and crop livestock
integration, some activities were proposed such as:
- Update the inventory of local forage and pastures legumes genetic resources
- Trial adaptation of new cultivars and species of forages legumes and seed increase of local interesting material
- Implementation of on farm seed multiplication unit in order to enhance the use of promising lines and/or ecotypes
- Assessing the performance of major pasture and forage species (seed collection and multiplication).
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Methodology
•
For assessing the performance of major pasture and forage species in zoghmar community, seed multiplication trials of some forage and pasture legumes
have been implemented in November 2013 at OEP and INRAT stations for seed increase. The planted material consisted of 7 local and introduced
forage and pasture legumes (table 1).
Table 1. Material implemented at OEP and INRAT stations for seed increase
Species
Accession/variet Origin
y
Medicago Littoralis
41
local
273
173
Medicago polymorpha 327
Local
114
Vicia
sativa 139
amphicarpa
Vicia sp.
103
32
Vicia sativa
INRAT303
Local
commercial
varieties
Mghila
VS8
ICARDA
VS15
Vicia narbonensis
VN9
VN1
Lathyrus cicera
156
local
Lathyrus sativus
Jerba
The sowing was done by hand at OEP station and by seed driller at INRAT station.
Plots size was, on average, 400 m² (10 m X 20 m) using 50 cm as line intervals (See photos). Both sites have an irrigation system which would make
sure for seed increase (table 2)
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Table 2. steps of trial implementation at OEP and INRAT stations for seed increase
Sowing at OEP station in November 2013
Weed removing by hand at OEP station
Harvesting of germoplasm at OEP station in may 2014
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Seedling emergence at INRAT station
flowering and growing stages at Mornag
trial harvesting of vetches in INRAT station
The output of seed multiplication
The quantities of seeds harvested in both sites are listed in table (3).
Table 3. Quantities (kg) of seeds and pods of forage legumes harvested in 2014 in both stations
Species
Accession/variety
Medicago Littoralis
241
273
173
INRAT sation
OEP station
3
3.8
1.5
4
Medicago polymorpha (2)
V. sativa amphicarpa
Vicia sp. (2)
Vicia sativa (4)
Vicia narbonensis
Lathyrus cicera (1)
Lathyrus sativus (1)
327
114
139
2
2.3
0.2
103
32
INRAT303
Mghila
VS8
VS15
VN9
VN1
545
0.5
0.3
15.8
23.5
18
24.5
18.5
20
Mixture
mixture
15.8
13.8
63
23
mixture
156
Jerba
23
0.7
8.3
The implemented activities for 2015
•
Trials for seed increase of some species such as (Lathyrus sativus (two origins), Narbon vetch (1 accession from ICARDA) and common vetch (two
accessions) were implemented at OEP station in November 2014.
•
Trial adaptation was established at Zoghmar site for species such as lathyrus, Narbon and common vetch (one accession each) as well as sulla de sousse.
•
A new nursery of forage shrubs (purchased from OEP and CRDA Sidi Bouzid and CRDA kairouan) as periploca, medicago arborea and ceratonia
silliqua was implemented at zoghmar salah jawadi farm in December 2014 (table 4).
Table 4. Purchasing and transporting forage shrubs from forest nursery of El Green to Zoghmar site
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Ceratonia silliqua plants purchased from the Ceratonia silliqua (left) and Medicago arborea
forest nursery of El green
(right) trees to be transported to Zoghmar site
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The plots design prepared by salah jawadi’s farmer for shrubs implementation at Zoghmar site
In situ Biodiversity:
The ‘In situ Biodiversity’ activity has two actions:
a) Assessment and monitoring of crop wild relative species diversity and their threats, including the use of GIS/RS tools.
b) Assessment of the contribution of rangelands and protected areas to the conservation of crop wild relatives.
For the Assessment of the contribution of rangelands and protected areas to the conservation of crop wild relatives, two objectives were addressed:

Assessment of status and threat to dryland agrobiodiversity in natural habitats using eco-geographic and botanic surveys.

Assessment of local knowledge and status of landraces.
Methodology of the botanical and geographical surveys
The methodology of the botanical and geographical surveys of the biodiversity developed by ICARDA was implemented in different ecosystems in
Zoghmar community to cover the prevailing systems (rangeland, followed area, forest area, areas where some kind of management is applied such as differed
grazing, water harvesting, rehabilitation with plantation of new species, etc.) and in Bouhedma Park. This methodology was based on transect-quadrate method
in the selected sites:
-
Mghila Mountain as an important morphological unit.
-
Zoghmar site (including plains and glacis which constitute others morphologic units in Zoghmar as: Alley cropping, Fallows, Crops and
Rangelands).
-
Protected area of Bouhedma park.
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For each ecosystem visited, four surveys forms were filled in the field (Annex 2) and gathered in a data base (Annex 3):
- Project site form (general geographic and socio economic information, degradation factor, etc.).
- Monitoring area form (climate, topography, land use, target sp, )
- Monitoring plot form (direction, alt, lat, long, slope, etc)
- Species survey form (species name, cover & density)
1.1.
Mghila mountain
The methodology used for the inventory of Mghila mountain is the methodoly of line transect with a series of quadrates (table 1). The transect line is laid out
across the area to be surveyed and a quadrate is placed; it can be made using a nylon rope marked and numbered at 5m intervals all the way along its length.
The position of the transect line is very important and it depends on the direction of the environmental gradient you wish to study. It should be thought about
carefully before it is placed. In our case, the line consisted of 200 m long. A line transect is carried out by unrolling the transect line along the gradient identified.
The species touching the line may be recorded along the whole length of the line (continuous sampling). Alternatively, the presence, or absence of species at
each marked point is recorded (systematic sampling). If the slope along the transect line is measured as well, the results can then be inserted onto this profile
(table 1). GPS coordinates are in the excel forms below.
Table 1. Photos related to the methodology in Mghila mountain
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(a) Putting the line transect by the team
( b ) the team is sampling the trees
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1.2.
Zoghmar site including plains, which represent the glacis, alley cropping, fallows, crops and rangelands.
Four monitoring areas were surveyed using the GPS and the quadrates. Two transects were done covering each one two monitoring areas: Huda and Lassaad
Plot (Transect 1), AIC and Army (Transect 2) (see photos below). In Huda and Lassaad areas, soils are brown calcareous.
All these transect except those of Army and Mghila mountain are on plains. For alley cropping system, the line intercept was used along with quadrates
because of difficulty of working under cactus. Along the 50m intercept line, each quadrate is separated by a distance of 20 m. Line intercepts method (table 2).
Table 2. Photos related to the methodology in Zoghmar site
(a)
Fixing the intercept line with iron rope
(b)
The intercept line along the cactus alley line
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( c) counting the species within the quadrat in a crop (d) counting the species within the quadrat in a fallow
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(e) sampling method using the quadrate and the line (f) filling the syrveys forms in cactus alley
intercept in rangeland
1.3.
Bouhedma Park
Three visits were done to the protected area of Bouhedma in January, March and April 2014.
-
A first visit in January 17th 2014 was to evaluate the state of native pastures and forage legumes distribution and occurrence.
-
A second visit in Mars 7th 2014 to the village around Bouhedma park to make contacts with local farmers asking them about their knowledge on
benefits of agro biodiversity.
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-
A third visit to Bouhedma park from Marsh 30 to April 2 was for the eco geographical and botanical survey. The methodology used was the sampling
transect – quadrate method using GPS (table 3).
Table 3. Methodology of the transect in bouhedma park
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the
photo of the group in the park
counting within te quadrat within the park
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The
counting of the species inside the quadrate
the line transect method
The Output of the surveys (species inventoried)
The species and vegetation inventoried in the three ecosystems selected were compound by melliferous, medicinal and aromatic plants, wild relative trees and
shrubs.
1.
Mghila mountain
The Mghila mountain consists of a calcimorphic soil complex and undeveloped land. The vegetation is open forest dense with alfa plies (nappes d’alfa). It has
a dense woodland with significant biodiversity. This sector is threatened by water erosion (important) and anthropogenic action as: cutting firewood, uprooting
of alfa and rosemary (table 4, Annex 1).
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Table 4. Species inventoried in Mghila mountain
The species inventoried
Pistacia atlantica
Pinus halepensis
Juniperus cupressus
Stipa tenecissima
Nerium oleander
Joncus
Ceratonia siliqua
Olea europea
Periploca angustifolia
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rhus tripartum
Number of trees
25
27
13
13
11
17
1
4
1
84
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The dominat species in Mghila mountain are: Pinus halepensis, Pistacia atlantica and Rosmarinus officinalis.
2.
Zoghmar site including plains, which represent the glacis, alley cropping, fallows, crops and rangelands.
This region is characterized by colluvial-alluvial plains and alluvial plains with undeveloped land and located in the outlets of the rivers. Douars are located on
the glacis where the majority of good agricultural land is fragile and threatened by erosion. Vegetation is compound by shrubs and Natural grassland and no
crops. In this area, land degradation and biodiversity is very important. The dominant taxa are: Vicia sativa, astragalus sp; Diplotaxis, Eruca, Peganum harmala.
-
In rangelands, we found gypsum soils. The vegetation is mostly based on cactus and Alfa (stipa for pasture).
In Fallows, dominant species in the quadrat are: Eruca, Cynodon dactylon, Astragalus, Asteracea, Medicago littoralis
In Cactus alleys, dominant land use is cactus, over grazing is abundant; dominant species in the quadrat are: Lavendula, Allium, Asteriscus;
associated species are: Artemesia sp and Lotus edulis
In Crops, dominant annual crops are: Durum wheat and oat; perennial crops are represented by cactus; dominant species in the quadrat are: Crepis,
Medic, Poacea, Plantago, Tesium, Filago; Atractylis, Cynodon, Bromus
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