Soil physicochemical properties of Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.) sites in Ilam province

Abstract

This research was conducted to study the site demands of Tamarisk (Tamarix romosissima Ledeb.) in Ilam province. At first the sites that tamarisk was dominat, including Zoheiri, Darbalut, Cham jangal, Pol-e Saymereh, Banroshan, Golan and Konjancham regions were recognizes. In each selected site, five soil samples were taken randomly from the depth of 0-30 cm and soil physicochemical properties including pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, texture, moisture, bulk density and particle density were determined. Our results indicated that T. romosissima can tolerate 0.92 to 9.03 ds/m salinity, pH between 6.9 and 8.0, organic carbon between 0.09 and 3.39%, total nitrogen between 0 and 0,29%, phosphorus between 17.17 and 23.14 ppm, potassium between 2,35 and 402.35 ppm and soil moisture between 0.06 and 30,56%. One-way ANOVA results revealed that sand, silt, clay, moisture, electrical conductivity, pH, phosphorus, potassium, total nitrogen, and organic carbon were significantly different in the studied sites. The principal component analysis and TWINSPAN results revealed that distances from river, organic carbon content, electrical conductivity, soil moisture, phosphorus and silt are among the most important factors affecting the presence and distribution of T. romosissima.

Keywords

• environmental factors
• Principle Component Analysis
• saline regions