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Background: Traditional herbal medicine has a long history in the Persian communities of Fars province, especially in Fasa County. Despite the longstanding history and robust culture of traditional medicine in this region, there is no comprehensive study on the ethnobotanical knowledge of this unique region with residents historically dependent on medicinal plants. Objective: Hence, the main objective of this study was to identify and record medicine plants and traditional herbal knowledge of the ethnic communities of Fasa County in the Fars province of Iran. Methods: Ethnopharmacological data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, guided walks, and group interviews during a period of two years (2021-2022). 45 local informants were selected and interviewed for data collection. We calculated quantitative factors including informant consensus factors (ICF), and use reports (UR) for each species. Medicinal plant species were identified through standard taxonomic methods by botanists. Results: The local communities have documented 62 medicinal plants across 58 genera from 27 families, which are used to treat 12 different categories of ailments. The most common preparation method was infusion, followed by decoction and poultice. Dermatological (ICF = 0.93), neurological (0.92), and digestive (ICF = 0.91) diseases were documented as the most common ailment categories in this area. Conclusion: The study results indicated that the traditional herbal knowledge of Fasa County is still rich and it revealed an obvious relationship between the ancient medicinal culture of this region and Iranian Traditional Medicine. Therefore, evaluation of the pharmacological activity of highly utilized medicinal plants could result in new herbal drugs.

IntroductionRangeland provides numerous ecosystem goods and services. Most rangeland management decisions focus on forage production, and this can lead to the loss of other rangeland ecosystem services. One of those services is carbon sequestration, the removal of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere and its storage in the ground. Rangeland, which covers approximately half of terrestrial ecosystems, is one of the most important sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition are the main processes in the ecosystem that determine how carbon is stored in the soil. Anthropogenic activities like livestock grazing can significantly alter soil carbon storage. Unfortunately, human activities have resulted in lower soil carbon and increased global climate change. Livestock grazing is one of the most significant factors affecting the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Grazing livestock can affect the amount of carbon in the soil through reduced vegetation cover, altered species composition, soil degradation, urination and defecation. On the other hand, changes in the quantity and quality of forage production by livestock grazing have a strong effect on the welfare of the beneficiaries. Consequently, knowledge of the relationship between forage production and other ecosystem goods and services such as soil carbon is essential to the sustainability of ecosystems. It is important to study the quantity and quality changes in rangeland production in relation to different livestock grazing intensities on soil carbon. However, this information can assist range managers in providing techniques to promote soil carbon storage. The purpose of the study is 1) to determine annual forage production in rangelands at different grazing intensities, 2) to study the quality of rangeland forages produced, 3) to assess soil carbon content at different grazing intensities, and 4) to assess the relationship between rangeland production and soil carbon content at different grazing intensities. Material and MethodsA rangeland adjacent to Khabr National Park in Kerman province was selected as the study area. The study area is shrub- dominated species Artemisia aucheri Boiss. Three sites with different grazing intensities (for example, exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing) were sampled. At each site, three 100m transects with 50m intervals were set up. Ten quadrats were randomly assigned to each transect. For each quadrat, the species met were recorded and their number of individuals and the amount of forage produced were measured. The annual forage production (forage quantity) was measured using the clip and weigh method. To determine forage quality, crude protein, acid detergent fibre (ADF), dry matter digestion and metabolizable energy were estimated for each species. Additionally, a soil sample was taken from each of the quadrats. The samples were air-dried and sieved with a 2 mm sieve. The organic carbon of the soil samples was determined through wet oxidation with Walkley-Black chromic acid. Then, the species importance index (IVI) was estimated using relative frequency (Fr), relative density (Dr) and relative dominance (Dor). One-way ANOVA and LSD were used to compare different grazing intensities in terms of soil carbon, annual production, crude protein, ADF and metabolizable energy. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the relationship between soil carbon and annual production with the qualitative attributes of production, ie. The primary component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most important species in terms of production at the three sites with different grazing intensities (exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most important species in terms of production at the three sites with differing grazing intensities (exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing). Results and DiscussionThe quantity and quality of forage has been reduced in the livestock grazing sites. The study area has a long history of cattle grazing, which has significantly altered the composition of the vegetation. About 26% of the exclosure site species had been removed from the plant composition of medium pasture sites, most of which are appetizing species. Although the amount of organic carbon in the soil increased at the exclosure site, it was not significantly different from grazing sites. Therefore, despite the improvement in forage quality and quantity, soil organic carbon had shown a lower reaction to the exclosure. Due to the presence of acceptable species, there was a positive relationship between forage quantity and quality at the exclosure site. Although A. aucheri was still dominant shrub species in the site with medium grazing intensity, there was no significant relationship between forage quantity and quality due to the decrease of palatable species. With the increase in the number of non-platable species in the high grazing site, there was a significant negative relationship between forage quantity and quality. There was a positive and meaningful relationship between soil carbon and the amount and quality of forage at the exclos site. The relationship between soil carbon and forage quantity and quality was not significant on grazing sites because of a change in plant composition. In the sites under grazing, palatable forbs such as Tragopogon jesdianus Boiss. and Lathyrus annuus L. were not observed and perennial grasses were significantly reduced. It should be noted that forage production of forbs has not changed much on the site with average grazing compared to the exclosure site. Perennials, especially woody plants, were severely reduced at the site with high grazing intensity. There were no bushes observed at that location. Annual grasses had increased in the site with heavy browsing. As perennials decrease, space and resources become available for the invasion of annual plants, especially annual grasses. Therefore, Bromus tectorum L. had the highest forage production in the high grazing area. In terms of crude protein, the high grazing area had low quality forage. Since livestock grazing and subsequent changes in plant composition do not greatly impact soil carbon, livestock management can contribute to the improvement of plant composition and forage production at this site. Taking into account the impact of grassland management on other ecosystem functions, it is suggested to explore the relationship between the amount of production and other functions of quality rangeland ecosystems in order to sustainably manage rangeland ecosystems.

Lack of rainfall and its high temporal and spatial variation are the main problems of vegetation restoration in Iran. Rainfall harvesting methods can play an effective role in improving soil moisture. Rainfall harvesting operations have a great impact on the structure and function of ecosystems. Therefore, the present study investigates the changes of soil properties as a result of implementing two rainfall harvesting methods (water spreading system and micro-catchment) in arid rangelands of Hormozgan province. First, 45 soil samples were taken from control, micro-catchment and water spreading system sites and their physical and chemical properties were measured in the soil laboratory. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the different sites in terms of soil properties. The rate of change index was used in order to assess the performance of soil properties and the overall performance of each of the rainfall harvesting methods compared to the control. Synergy and trade-off relations between soil properties were investigated using Pearson correlation coefficient. The results showed that except EC, pH, TNV, water spreading system had a significant effect on soil properties. EC, pH, TNV, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen and sand had negative performance in the water spreading system, and the rest of the soil properties had positive performance. The overall performance of soil properties was 31 and 11% in the micro-catchment, and 52 and 25% in the water spreading system. Sand had a significant trade-off relationship with most soil chemical properties. The highest trade-off was observed between sand and silt (p

Abstract Festuca ovina L. (sheep fescue), a perennial grass plant found in mountainous regions, is important from both an ecological and economic viewpoint. However, the variability of biological yield of sheep fescue due to its reliance on different characteristics makes it difficult to accurately prediction using classic modeling techniques. In this study, machine learning methods and multiple regression models (linear and non-linear) are used to investigate the interdependence of various morphological and physiological characteristics on accurate prediction of the biological yield (BY) of sheep fescue. Principal components analysis and stepwise regression were used to select six agronomic parameters i.e. thousand seed weight (TSW), relative water content (RWC), canopy cover (CC), leaf area index, number of florescence, and viability (VA), while the output variable was BY. To optimized the artificial neural network (ANN) structure, different transfer functions and training algorithms, different number of neurons in each layer, different number of hidden layers and training iteration were tested. The accuracy of the models and algorithms is analyzed by root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and determination coefficient (R2). According to the findings, ANN models were more accurate than regression models. The ANN model with two hidden layers (i.e. structure of 6–4–8–1) which had RMSE, MAE and R2 scores of 0.087, 0.065 and 0.96, respectively, was discovered as the best model for predicting the BY. In addition, result of the sensitivity analysis showed TSW, RWC and CC, in that order, were the variables most important for high-quality BY estimation in both models regardless of input combination. Finally, the paper concludes that early flowering sheep fescue genotypes with long maturation and great TSW must be regarded as the most suitable model for increasing BY in breeding projects.

Introduction Precipitation deficiency, its uneven spatio-temporal distribution, groundwater decline, and water loss in traditional irrigation systems, make it necessary to introduce appropriate solutions to improve the soils in arid areas. Meanwhile, the optimal use of rainfall, should be a priority in water-scarce areas. Achieving these objectives can be an effective factor in reduction of irrigation costs in planting projects in desert areas. The effect of these supplements on plant traits has been less studied. In this regard, the effect of Abyar and Absar irrigation supplements on the amount and duration of irrigation and soil properties of planting areas has been investigated. Therefore, this study investigates the efficiency of different concentrations of two irrigation supplements on some morphological characteristics (plant traits) of A. canescens in vitro conditions.Materials and Methods A completely randomized design with three treatments and three replications at concentrations of 1:1000, 1:2500 and 1:5000 in a five-months period under greenhouse conditions. In addition, the structural and biomass traits of aerial and underside of A.canescens rootstocks were measured in different treatments. At the end of the research period and removal of seedlings from the soil, plant traits of aerial parts and subsurface, including; shoot length, shoot weight, shoot dry weight, and increase shoot height and root length, root weight and root dry weight were measured for each replication. The statistical analysis was performed by using Duncan test.Results and Discussion The results showed that the effect of supplements on root length and fresh and dry weight of the plant was not significant. Based on the results, the effect of supplements on root width was increasing and had a significant effect at 95% confidence level. the effect of supplements on the length, weight and dryness of the shoot was significant and increasing. However, the effect of supplements on increasing the height of the aerial part was significantly reduced at 95% confidence level. Overall, an increase in the concentration of the supplements showed a negative effect on the structural and biomass traits of aerial and species. Therefore, the use of irrigation supplements with low concentrations (1:1000 and 1:2500) for structural and biomass of A.canescens transplants is recommended in greenhouse conditions and before their transfer to the natural environment.Conclusion The use of Abyar & Absar, has negative effects on the structural and biomass traits of aerial parts and root of A. canescens. Also, it had a significant effect on root width only among root characteristics. The effect of supplements on the amount of root length and their wet and dry weight was not significant. The effect of supplements on the width, length, weight and dryness of the shoot was significant and increasing. It is suggested to investigate the effects of irrigation supplements on plant traits and characteristics of different species in different field conditions as well as other concentrations.

Oil contaminated soil is a vital threat to the environment. The aim of the present research was to investigate the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), and heavy metals of nickel and vanadium reduction using Prosopis juliflora, under different treatments of biochar and compost in pots. One-year-old P. juliflora seedlings were planted in pots containing oil sludge. The pots included 1 and 2% of compost and biochar. Furthermore, two control treatments including with and without P. juliflora were used for the study. This study was conducted in the complete randomized plot sampling with three replications. After six months, soil samples were taken from the pots and transferred to the laboratory. Then, the concentration of TPH, nickel, and vanadium was determined. The results indicated that the least TPH belonged to the compost 2% treatment (10.63 ppm), which was significantly different compared with other studied treatments. The highest value belonged to the control treatment without P. juliflora (22.57 ppm). The highest value of vanadium belonged to the control treatment (69.50 mg/kg). Compost 2% had the least values of vanadium (47.66 mg/kg). Comparison between treatments showed no significant differences among compost 1% (117.17 mg/kg), compost 2% (118.00 mg/kg), and biochar 2% (116.67 mg/kg). The highest reduction of nickel was observed within the mentioned treatments. Therefore, using biochar and compost can improve the phytoremediation capacity of P. juliflora.

Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. is a medicinal species native to Iran. The goal of this research was to determine the environmental factors important for the distribution of K. doratissima in Iran using BMLR modeling. Six random transects were established throughout the species’ habitat, and 220 quadrats with an area of 4 m2 were plotted. The canopy cover percentages of K. doratissima were estimated in each quadrat. Topographic factors, including elevation, slope, and aspect maps, were generated by creating DEM images. Land use, land evaluation, evaporation, temperature, and precipitation maps of the area were created accordingly. The data collected from the experiments were analyzed using the Minitab and R statistical packages. To determine the effect of the studied factors in the distribution of K. doratissima, we ran a set of backward multiple linear regressions. The results showed that the effects of evaporation, elevation, and slope were significant in the species’ distribution, with elevation having a positive effect and evaporation and slope showing negative effects. Further, elevation had the highest effect on distribution (greatest absolute value of beta at 9.660). The next most significant factors in the plant’s distribution were evaporation (beta = 8.282) and slope (beta = 0.807), respectively.

Economic valuation of natural resources and patterns of payments for ecosystem services may help reduce environmental degradation and its consequences. The aim of this research was to estimate the value of decreasing environmental pollution in the Beshar River using conditional valuation method. The Logistic regression model was used to measure the willingness to pay of the individuals. The model's parameters were estimated based on the maximum likelihood method. The number of individuals who had been selected randomly in the city of yasuj and filled the questionnaires was 388. Results showed that 229 individuals (about 60.7%) were willingness to pay a fee to reduce the environmental pollution of the river. Also, the results of estimating Logit model indicated that the coefficient of variables of financial ability, being well-informed about the items in the questionnaire, gender, household income, the recreational activities in the river, and bid were significant at the 0.05 level, the responsibility variable was significant at the 0.01 level. The willingness to pay of each household for reducing the environmental pollution of the river according to the Logit model was 61819 Rls per month, and the monthly value of the pollution reduction in the Beshar River was estimated at 2493.16 million Rls.