Abstract
Despite the importance of fodder shrubs to small ruminant diets and production in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, they are often not considered when quantifying grazing land potential. This oversight is mainly due to the time consuming and costly traditional techniques used to estimate shrub biomass. The shrub fodder component should be measured to avoid underestimation of the carrying capacity of rangelands. In this study, we present a fast, reliable and non-destructive method to estimate canopy vegetation cover to obtain aboveground shrub biomass. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in northwest Syria, where seedlings of seven shrub species were monitored for one year: Atriplex leucoclada (Moq.) Boiss., A. halimus L., A. lentiformis (Torr.) S. Watson, A. canescens (Pursh) Nutt., A. nummularia Lindl., Salsola vermiculata L. and Haloxylon aphyllum (C.A. Meyer) Bunge. The experimental layout was a randomized complete block design with five replications. We explored the effectiveness of digital vegetation charting technique (DVCT) for estimating shrub canopy cover. Aboveground shrub biomass was clipped to estimate the dry matter (DM) weight per species and to determine its relationship to canopy cover. In this study, an estimate of greenness (percent green vegetation cover) was extracted by way of greenness algorithms. Simple linear regressions between vegetation cover and biomass for 210 plots were performed. The cover of the seven species differed (P < 0.01): A. leucoclada had the highest vegetation cover (56%) and H. aphyllum the lowest (7%). Vegetation cover and DM biomass were positively correlated (P < 0.01) with R-squared ranging from 0.66 (H. aphyllum) to 0.84 (S. vermiculata). Our method provided reasonable estimations of canopy coverage which could predict aboveground phytomass. We conclude that DVCT offers a rapid, reliable and consistent measurement of shrub cover and biomass provided that shrubs have open architecture. This study shows the potential of digital cameras and image processing to determine cover/biomass in a non-destructive, timely and cost efficient way.
Highlights
Shrubs play a significant, worldwide role in human endeavors, and many indigenous people rely heavily on them for their livelihoods
This study shows the potential of digital cameras and image processing to determine cover/biomass in a nondestructive, timely and cost efficient way
We investigated the relationship between canopy cover and biomass production of seven shrub species commonly used for rehabilitation of degraded rangelands in arid environments using simple linear regression
Summary
Worldwide role in human endeavors, and many indigenous people rely heavily on them for their livelihoods. In many arid and semiarid ecosystems, fodder shrubs are vital for small ruminant production and goats Their major value is that they provide protein, vitamins and frequently mineral elements, which are lacking in grassland pastures during the dry season (Le Houerou 1980; Breman and De Ridder 1991; Breman and Kessler 1995; Ahamefule et al 2006). Despite their importance, they are often not considered when quantifying grazing land potential. The shrub fodder component should be measured to avoid underestimation of the carrying capacity of rangelands
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
