Iranian Journal of Forests and Rangelands Protection Research
Year:2019 | Volume:16 | Issue:2 (32) |Papers Count:10

Recently, forest decline has outburst in Zagros forests region in the west of Iran, especially in Ilam province. In this research, we selected an 83 ha infected forest area in Zarab, Ilam and the dried trees were fully investigated for variables including dbh, height, drought intensity, crown cover, origin and Cartesian coordinates. Their spatial structure, spatial patterns and spatial correlation were analyzed using variogram analysis, O-ring statistic and Mark correlation function (MCF), respectively. Results showed that the density of dried trees was 27 N/ha which is more comprised of coppice trees in small and medium diameter classes. A cluster spatial pattern of dried trees was determined up to 35 m and after that it was uniform, implying dried trees created patches with 3850 m2 surface area. Variogram analysis showed that only dbh and drought intensity of dried trees had strong spatial structure which was mapped using Kriging interpolation method of Geostatistics. Mark correlation function graph showed that adjacent dried trees were similar according to drought intensity while were not similar based on their dbh. In general, the results illustrated that all of the trees in the studied area were infected by drought with different biometric characteristics as well as at different geographical aspects. These results can be used as an instruction for sustainable management of the stands based on their spatial characteristics.

In order to study and identify powdery mildew in Lorestan province, Erysiphales were collected from parks and natural habitats. After identification of the plants and micrometerics of the fungal organs and recording the morphological characteristics, they were identified using the identification valid key and articles of powdery mildew. In this study, the following species were identified: Erysiphe pisi var. pisi (on Lathyrus annus L., Astragalus alpinus L., Medicago hispida L. ), E. rayssiae (on Spartium junceum L. ), E. ligusteri (on Ligasterum vulgare L. ), Golovinomyces ambrosiae (on Zinnia elegans L., Verbascum thapsus L. ), Leviellula cylindrospora (on Spinacia oleracea L. ). The species E. ligosteri was reported for the first time in mycoflora of Iran. Also the hosts of Ligastrum vulgare L., Spinacia oleracea L., Verbascum thapsus L., Spartium junceum L., Lathyrus annus L., Astragalus alpinus L., and Medicago hispida L. were reported as the new hosts for Erysiphales in Iran.

Abstract Khuzestan is the largest source of internal dust in the country. Ahvaz dust is not a new phenomenon, and what made it to a major environmental problem, is the increase in occurrence of critical conditions due to internal sources of dust. In order to identify the role of the internal recoil center on the creation of critical conditions, daily data on wind direction and wind speed and the minimum horizontal visibility of Ahwaz synoptic station during the 1987-2016 statistical period were extracted, and for the identification of spatial and temporal distribution of the relative contribution of wind speed and wind direction, long-term annual and seasonal wind rose and Golghobar was drawn from the eight primary and secondary directions. . To identify the role of internal and external dust sources, events associated with internal origins, i. e. the sources around the station (Code 07) and outside of the station (Code 06) were maped and their seasonal Golghobar were drawn. Dust events with internal origin overlaid on the layer of internal dust sources and flowing sands. The results showed that the dominant wind direction is west and then North West and general Golghobar follows it. Seasonal Golghobar with external sources comply with general Golghobar but Golghobars with domestic resources change which prevails to South and South East direction in the cold season. Monthly and annual distribution of critical views of the South and South-East were extracted and the results revealed their higher frequency in the cold season. SPI drought index was calculated for the cold season and its relationship with critical views showed demonstrated that their occurrence follows the winter drought. Suitable protective measures should be taken in different parts of the recoil centers, marshes, drylands, grasslands, poor rangelands, etc.

Fungal endophytes are a known part of biodiversity associated with plants. They can colonize all parts of the host plant tissues and play an important role in enhancing plant health. Also, they can compete with the pathogens for the same niches and thereby reduce disease severity in plant. In order to identify endophytic fungi of oak trees, healthy plant samples including twigs, stems and leaves were collected from forest regions of Kurdistan province. Samples were cut into 2-cm-long segments. Then, pieces of samples were surface sterilized in 5% sodium hypochlorite and 70% ethanol and rinsed with sterile water three times. Then, samples blotted dry on sterilized filter paper and were cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium amended with Doxycycline antibiotic 25 oC. A total number of 75 isolates were obtained. Based on morphological characteristics and ITS-rDNA regions sequence data, seven different fungal species including Peyronellaea glomerata, Truncatella angustata, Ulocladium botrytis, Microsphaeropsis olivacea, Chaetomium subaffine, Trichoderma citrinoviride and Trichoderma atroviride were identified as endophytic fungi of oak trees in Kurdistan Province. Chaetomium subaffine and Ulocladium botrytis were among the fungi showing the highest colonization frequency (CF%) in all the tissues analysed. The number of isolated taxa was greater in the stem and trunk of oak trees respectively than those in the other organs analyzed.

Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve is the ninth Biosphere Reserve in Iran with a total area of 78759 hectares in northwest of Iran. Most of it is forest, pasture and agricultural lands. The difference between the height of 265 m and 2868 m above sea level, the presence of physiographic, soil and microclimates have created different habitats that have made its unique flora richness. Vegetation of lowlands of this area was carried out using Braun-Blanqet method. Data analysis (releves and plant species) was performed based on the Corrospondence factorial analysis (AFC) method in anaphyto software. In the lowlands of the Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve, Five associations and four subassociations including 176 taxa have been identified, of which 7. 9% are phanerophytes, 8. 5% chamaephytes, 25% hemicryptophytes, 4. 5% geophytes and 54% terophytes. Considering the global importance of this Biosphere Reserve for flora, vegetation and fauna, its further conservation is recommended as a natural heritage for the future.

The Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) is one the most destructive defoliator pest of forests across world. The present study is the first report of outbreak and damage of this pest in Northern Zagros forests based on the field observations, sampling and laboratory assays to confirm the identification. In spring the larvae specimens were collected on the Oak (Quercus brantii, Q. infectoria, Q. libani) and other forest trees and shrubs. In order to rapid and accurate identification of the pest, DNA extraction and PCR amplification of the COI gene fragment was performed for ten specimens including eggs, larvae and adults, followed by sequencing of two larvae specimens. The Blast results revealed that two sequences belong to L. dispar species with 99-100% similarity to other GenBank sequences. However, this species is not established yet in many western forests of Iran. But, due to the potential threats of the pest for the forest ecosystems and its widely flying activity, immediate action and efforts must be taken to control the pest population.

In Iran, forest fires often occur as a result of human activities and unknowing and intentional intrusions. There are hidden and hidden issues behind these human activities and communities that have played a significant role in forest fire. The purpose of this research is to investigate the socio-economic issues of forest villages in three provinces of Golestan, Kurdistan and Chaharmahal Bakhtiari, with the highest frequency of firefighting between 2010 and 2014. The present study was a descriptive-correlational study and the required information was collected using a questionnaire. The statistical population consists of rural inhabitants of model regions affected by low and high fire risk in three provinces of Golestan, Chaharmahal, Bakhtiari and Kurdistan. Based on the Cochran formula, 364 residents of the studied areas were selected as sample size. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts and the reliability level of the questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha (0. 817). Statistical analysis of data was performed using t-test and logistic regression in SPSS software. The results showed that the density of human population in the villages of patterned areas with a high fire risk of approximately 3 times the area with low fire risk, the number of livestock in the area with high fire risk is twice as low as the risk area, employment rate, level The income and education of inhabitants in the region with a low fire risk pattern is noticeably higher than the area with a high fire risk. It seems that these factors cause the forest fire, more in the area with a high fire risk, than the low risk area. A survey of the methods and methods of participation of the people showed; holding training and promotion classes The ability to increase the skill of the exploiters, dealing with the factors of destruction and rape of the forest, the selection of honorary soldiers, and strengthening the government's actions in protecting the forest are among the strategies to prevent the occurrence of fire in the forest.

The elm leaf beetle, Xanthogaleruca luteola Mull. (Col.: Chrysomelidae) is one of the most important pests of elm trees in the green urban landscape. According to multiple hazards of chemical insecticides and environmental importance of urban green space, in this study, the effect of botanical insecticides of pepper extract (Tondexir® ) and garlic extract (Sirinol® ) in combination with soap spray (Bartar® ) at two spray stages were investigated against X. luteola larvae. A randomized complete blocks design with 5 replications was performed as experimental design. The trials were carried out with recommended concentration of each compound. The sampling was carried out on the day before treatment and 2, 7, 14 and 21 days after treatment. The results showed the highest and lowest population reduction percentage of larvae as recorded at tondexir + sirinol (78/56 and 64/99%) and tondexir (41/4 and 23. 06%) treatments, at 2 and 21 days after treatment, respectively. The results indicated that sirinol was more effective (15-17%) than tondexir to control X. luteola. Bartar spray soap increased the efficiency of the botanical insecticides of tondexir and sirinol, to 6-18 and 4-28%, respectively, at different post-treatment days. As a result, bartar spray soap showed synergistic effect on these botanical insecticides. Therefore, with respect to the results of this study, these botanical insecticides can be used as safe and suitable compounds in integrated control management of X. luteola in the urban green landscape.

The fauna of ground beetles (Carabidae) in south east of Tehran province (Pakdasht and Qarchak) were studied during 2015-2016. The beetles were collected by pitfall traps and directly by hand from different ecosystems such as farms, orchards, landscapes and rangelands. In this study, 485 specimens belonging to 9 subfamilies, 12 tribes, 17 genera, and 23 species were collected. Among them 14 species are reported for the first time from Tehran province which were marked by asterisk. Based on the collected samples, Distichus planus was recorded as dominant species in the region. The identified species are as follows: Brachinus (Brachinus) ejaculans (Fischer von Waldheim, 1828)*, Brachinus sp, Calosoma (Campalita) maderae dsungaricum (Gebler, 1833)*, Calosoma (Calosoma) sycophanta (Linne, 1758)*, Cylindera (Cylindera) germanica (Linnaeus, 1758)*, Cicindela (Cicindela) asiatica asiatica Audouin and Brullé , 1839*, Harpalus (Harpalus) distinguendus (Duftschmid, 1812)*, Harpalus (Harpalus) rubripes (Dufischmid, 1812)*, Harpalus (Pseudoophonus) griseus (Panzer, 1796), Harpalus (Pseudoophonus) rufipes (Degeer, 1774)*, Ophonus sp., Acinopus (Acinopus) picipes (Olivier, 1795)*, Cymindis (Cymindis) andreae (Mé né trié s, 1832), Calathus (Neocalathus) melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)*, Calathus (Calathus) fuscipes fuscipes (Goeze, 1777)*, Poecilus (Ancholeus) wollastoni. (Wollaston, 1854), Amara (Amara) ovata (Fabricius, 1792)*, Zabrus (Zabrus) tenebrioides (Goeze, 1777)*, Distichus (Distichus) planus (Bonelli, 1813), Scarites (Scarites) procerus eurytus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1828)*, Siagona europaea europaea (Dejean, 1826)*, Trechus sp., Microlestes sp., Elaphropus (Tachyura) diabrachys. Paussus turcicus I. Frivaldszky von Frivald, 1835*, Tschitscherinellus oxygonus radjabii (Morvan, 1974)*.

Life table parameters of Brachycaudus cardui L. (Hom.: Aphididae) on Cynara scolymus L. (Asteraceae) was investigated in laboratory condition at 22± 2° C, 65± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of LD 14: 10. To this end, 20 aphid nymphs were reared in leaf cages and mortality and reproduction rate were recorded daily. The result indicated mean reproduction period and mean generation time as 12. 75± 0. 26 and 18. 92 days, respectively. Mean longevity of the aphid was 33. 70± 1. 01 days. Life expectancy of the aphid was estimated at 33. 03 days in 1st instar nymph stage and decreased gradually in a constant rate. Intrinsic rate of increase (rm), Net reproductive rate (R0) and Doubling time (DT) as 0. 175 (per days), 27. 15 (offspring), 3. 97 (day) and Finite rate of increase (λ ) 1. 19 (day), respectively. The results of this study revealed high longevity and slow mortality trend in this aphid population on C. scolymus.