Survey
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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). 1 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) 2 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 3 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 5 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 6 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. 7 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 8 (a) Putting the line transect by the team ( b ) the team is sampling the trees 9 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 10 ( c) counting the species within the quadrat in a crop (d) counting the species within the quadrat in a fallow 11 (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. 12 - 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 13 the photo of the group in the park counting within te quadrat within the park 14 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). 15 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 7 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 16