Abstract
The above-ground biomass and floristic composition of Butana rangelands in Sudan were assessed in 2006 with field surveys covering 25 sites. The remote sensing data derived from Spot image for the same period was integrated to the field surveys to map the spatial distribution of biomass production (kg ha-1) using the perpendicular vegetation index. A rainfall map of the region was established from the meteorological data of the season and the digital elevation model. The rain use efficiency factor, which is the quotient of the annual primary production (kg dry matter ha-1) of a season by rainfall (mm) of the same season, was used as a rangeland degradation and desertification indicator in Butana. To test the potential of water harvesting techniques on biomass production, two seasons’ experiments were conducted (2006 and 2007). Their results were used to simulate the potential of biomass production with water harvesting application through a general model that linked remote sensing output, field measurement and water harvesting results.
Highlights
Butana spreads across the central clay plains of Sudan
The spatial distribution of the rain use efficiency factor (RUE) factor in Central Butana rangelands (Figure 4) indicated that it was in the range of 0 to 4 kg dry matter (DM) ha-1 mm-1 with an average value of 2.5 kg DM ha-1 mm-1, which agreed with Le Houérou and Hoste (1977) who reported a value of 2.7 kg DM ha-1 mm-1 in the Sahel zone
In areas grown with sorghum, RUE was higher than 4 kg DM ha-1 mm-1 as farmers tended to maximize water productivity by water management and water harvesting
Summary
Butana spreads across the central clay plains of Sudan. It is located between 14° 23’ and 17° 34’ N, and 32° 32’ and 35° 36’ E, and between the Rahad, Blue Nile, Nile and Atbara rivers, covering a surface area of about 120,000 km (Figure 1). The area is located in the Sahel zone characterized by climatic and ecological transitions from the savannah in the south to the arid Sahara in the north (Akhtar, 1994), with a tropical arid and semiarid climate and a short summer rainy season (Zaroug, 2000). 1. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan. 3. Water Management and Irrigation Institute, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan
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