Semi-arid Climate Zones Research Articles

Detecting drought events over Iran during 1983–2017 using satellite and ground-based precipitation observations

Timely and accurate detection of drought events using reliable data with continuous spatial coverage is of great importance to adapt efficient mitigation strategies. Despite several studies that have been carried out to validate satellite precipitation products in Iran, the performance of satellite precipitation products in precipitation amount estimation and drought events detection has not been assessed yet simultaneously. It is unclear if good estimates of mean precipitation values by satellites can also provide good performance in detecting drought events. Here, we used a comprehensive framework to evaluate the accuracy of the satellite-based precipitation and their performance in detecting drought events against ground-based data. We evaluated three satellite precipitation products, namely, TRMM TMPA 3B43 v7, CHIRPS, and PERSIANN-CDR using multiple evaluation metrics, and three different drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index-SPI, Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index-SPEI, and Multivariate Standardized Precipitation Index-MSPI) over different climate zones of Iran during 1983–2017. Our results indicated that TRMM and PERSIANN-CDR had mainly overestimation while CHIRPS had mostly underestimation in precipitation over the different climates of Iran. The precipitation overestimation (underestimation) in TRMM, PERSIANN-CDR, and CHIRPS were observed in 80.0% (20.0%), 71.4% (28.6%), and 45.7% (54.3%) of stations, respectively. The most overestimation in satellite products was found to be in the arid-related climate regions, while the most underestimation was detected in humid-related climate regions. The average correlation coefficient values of PERSIANN-CDR (0.6) and TRMM (0.6) products against ground observations were higher than CHIRPS (0.4) dataset. Further, we found a lower correlation coefficient (0.3) between monthly satellite-based and ground-based precipitation in arid-related regions (with Root Mean Square Error, RMSE, ~ 10 mm per month) of the country but a high correlation coefficient (0.6) in humid-related climates (with RMSE ~100 mm per month). The results of the drought assessment indicated that the most severe meteorological drought events identified by SPI, SPEI, and MSPI were in 1998–2001, 2008–2009, 2010–2012, and 2016–2017 in all climate zones. The most intense drought events were in arid and semi-arid climate zones. Overall, in terms of the statistical metrics at multiple timescales, TRMM and PERSIANN-CDR outperformed CHIRPS, when compared against ground-based observations, for drought events detection. Also, TRMM and PERSIANN-CDR with higher scores for Probability of Detection (POD) and Critical Success Index (CSI) and lower scores for False Alarm Ratio (FAR) showed a good ability to detect drought events in arid and semi-arid climates compared to other climate zones. Although the CHIRPS estimated precipitation with acceptable accuracy, it did not detect drought events as the TRMM and PERSIANN-CDR did.

Aerosol-modulated heat stress in the present and future climate of India

Heat stress is one of the leading natural causes of mortality in India. Aerosols can potentially impact heat stress by modulating the meteorological conditions via radiative feedback. However, a quantitative understanding of such an impact is lacking. Here, using a chemical transport model, Weather Research Forecasting model coupled with chemistry, we show that high aerosol loading in India was able to mask the heat stress (quantified by the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)) by 0.3 °C–1.5 °C in 2010 with a regional heterogeneity across the major climate zones in India. However, the cooling effect of aerosol direct radiative forcing is partially compensated by an increase in humidity. To understand the potential impact of air quality improvement (i.e. reducing aerosol load) on heat stress in the future, WBGT was projected for 2030 under two contrasting aerosol emission pathways. We found that heat stress would increase by >0.75 °C in all the climate zones in India except in the montane zone under the RCP4.5 scenario with a bigger margin of increase in the mitigation emission pathway relative to the baseline emission pathway. On the contrary, under the RCP8.5 scenario, heat stress is projected to increase in limited regions, such as the tropical wet and dry, north-eastern part of the humid sub-tropical, tropical wet, and semi-arid climate zone in peninsular India. Our results demonstrate that aerosols modulate heat stress and, therefore, the heat stress projections in India and anywhere else with high aerosol loading should consider aerosol radiative feedback.

Assessment of Aerosol Mechanisms and Aerosol Meteorology Feedback over an Urban Airshed in India Using a Chemical Transport Model

The direct aerosol-radiative effects in the WRF-Chem model account for scattering/absorption of solar radiation due to aerosols, while aerosol–cloud interactions result in modifying wet scavenging of the ambient concentrations as an indirect aerosol effect. In this study, impact of aerosol on meteorological parameters, PM10 and ozone concentrations are analysed which revealed (i) that a net decrease in shortwave and longwave radiation by direct feedback results in decrease in temperature up to 0.05 K, (ii) that a net increase due to longwave and shortwave radiation when both direct and indirect effects are taken together results in an increase in temperature up to 0.25 K (where the mean of temperature is 33.5 °C and standard deviation 2.13 °C), (iii) a marginal increase in boundary layer height of 50 m with increase in temperature with feedbacks, (iv) overall net increase in radiation by direct and indirect effect together result in an increase in PM10 concentration up to 12 μg m−3 (with PM10 mean as 84.5 μg m−3 and standard deviation 28 μg m−3) and an increase in ozone concentration up to 3 μg m−3 (with ozone mean as 29.65 μg m−3 and standard deviation 5.2 μg m−3) mainly due to net increase in temperature. Furthermore, impact of sensitivity of different aerosol mechanisms on PM10 concentrations was scrutinized for two different mechanisms that revealed underestimation by both of the mechanisms with MOSAIC scheme, showing less fractional bias than MADE/SORGAM. For the dust storm period, MOSAIC scheme simulated higher mass concentrations than MADE/SORGAM scheme and performed well for dust-storm days while closely capturing the peaks of high dust concentrations. This study is one of the first few to demonstrate the impact of both direct and indirect aerosol feedback on local meteorology and air quality using a meteorology–chemistry modelling framework; the WRF-Chem model in a tropical urban airshed in India located in semi-arid climatic zone. It is inferred that semi-arid climatic conditions behave in a vastly different manner than other climatic zones for direct and indirect radiative feedback effects.

Quantitative Analysis of Bioactive Carbazole Alkaloids in Murraya koenigii (L.) from Six Different Climatic Zones of India Using UPLC/MS/MS and Their Principal Component Analysis.

Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng (Curry leaf) is a commercially important medicinal plant in South Asia, containing therapeutically valuable carbazole alkaloids (CAs). Thus, the quantitative evaluation of these compounds from different climatic zones of India are an important aspect for quality assessment and economic isolation of targeted compounds from the plant. In this study, quantitative estimation of CAs among 34 Indian natural populations of M. koenigii was assessed using UPLC/MS/MS. The collected populations represent the humid subtropical, tropical wet & dry, tropical wet, semi-arid, arid, and montane climatic zones of India. A total of 11 CAs viz. koenine-I, murrayamine A, koenigine, koenimbidine, koenimbine, O-methylmurrayamine A, girinimbine, mahanine, 8,8''-biskoenigine, isomahanimbine, and mahanimbine were quantified using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) experiments within 5.0 min. The respective range for natural abundance of CAs were observed as 0.097-1.222, 0.092-5.014, 0.034-0.661, 0.010-1.673, 0.013-7.336, 0.010-0.310, 0.010-0.114, 0.049-5.288, 0.031-1.731, 0.491-3.791, and 0.492-5.399 mg/g in leaves of M. koenigii. The developed method shown linearity regression coefficient (r2 >0.9995), LOD (0.003-0.248 ng/mL), LOQ (0.009-0.754 ng/mL), and the recovery was between 88.803-103.729 %. The bulk of these CAs were recorded in their highest concentrations in the humid subtropical zone, followed by the tropical wet & dry zones of India. Further, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed which differentiated the climatic zones according to the dominant and significant CAs contents within the populations. The study concludes that the method established is simple, rapid, with high sample throughput, and can be used as a tool for commercial purposes and quality control of M. koenigii.

Assessment on spatial extent of arid and semi-arid climatic zones of India using GIS


 In this study, a quantitative assessment of spatial extent of arid and semi-arid climatic zones of India was performed for the period from 1988 to 2018 using potential evapo-transpiration (PET) calculated by Modified Penman Method, estimated from global climate data sets. Climatic water balances computed for 625 stations across the country are used for classifying to bio-climate types based on moisture index and areas falling under arid climatic zones in India are delineated using ArcGIS 10.5. It was noticed a considerable changes in the country’s arid and semi-arid climatic zones between the two periods; 1992 and 2018. Overall, there has been a net percent change in hyper arid, typic arid and semi arid (dry) areas is 5.62, 1.62 and 7.17 percent, respectively. Dryness and wetness are increasing in different parts of the country. There is also change in rainfall, PET and moisture index over a period of time which is vital to determine aridity pattern of any region. Thus, results are of great significance for studying the assessment of temporal and spatial dry climatic water balance of India, which can help immensely in the management of water resources and sustainability of crop production under changing climatic conditions.

Estimating carbon stocks and biomass accumulation in three different agroforestry patterns in the semi-arid region of Pakistan

Due to higher atmospheric greenhouse gasses concentrations, global warming is undoubtedly the most critical environmental issue that needs an immediate solution. Agroforestry has attained worldwide recognition to cope with this global problem due to its greater potential to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide along with other ecosystem services, including food security. However, quantitative information about the biomass and carbon sequestration in poplar-maize agroforestry systems is not available in semi-arid climatic zones in Pakistan. The current study was carried out to evaluate the vegetation biomass and carbon stocks under three poplar-maize agroforestry planting patterns under semi-arid climatic conditions in a subdivision Jaranwala, District Faisalabad, Pakistan. The data was collected in three agroforestry patterns like; A (192 trees ha−1), B (255 trees ha−1), and C (296 trees ha−1). Allometric equations were used to estimate the biomass and carbon stock in plant species. Results showed that the poplar tree carbon stock among three planting patterns was significantly different, with maximum carbon stock of 35.62 t ha−1 in pattern C, and it was 8% and 33.5% greater than the carbon stock of pattern B and pattern A, respectively. The maximum aboveground biomass assimilated by maize crop was (11.95 t ha−1) in pattern B, and it was 10.3% and 3.6% greater than pattern A and pattern C, respectively. The grain yield was highest in pattern A as compared to the other two patterns. Additionally, the maximum soil carbon stock in soil was estimated (22.72 t ha-1) in pattern C, at 0-15 cm depth, while it was 13.42% and 6.61% greater than pattern A and pattern B, respectively. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggested that pattern C with maximum biomass production and carbon stocks is the optimum poplar maize planting pattern in requisites of both financial and environmental benefits in the form of carbon sequestration.

PERIPHERAL BLOOD T-CELL POPULATION (CD4+) IN MEN LIVING IN THE ARCTIC AND IN THE SEMIARID CLIMATIC ZONES

Introduction: Climatic factors are important determinants of human health acting through different mechanisms including the immune system. Long-term exposure to extreme climatic conditions may result in immune response disturbances manifested by secondary immunodeficiency. Aim: To assess the concentration of T-helpers in the peripheral blood (CD4+) of men living in the extreme climatic conditions of the North and the South. Methods: Altogether, 32 men aged from 20 to 60 years from Arkhangelsk (Arctic Russia) and 30 men of the same age from Aleppo (Syria) comprised the sample. The analysis of immune parameters of lymphoid subpopulations of peripheral blood CD3+ (mature lymphoid cells), CD4+ (T-helper cells) was performed by indirect immunoperoxidase reaction using monoclonal antibodies. Results: A deficiency of mature T-lymphocytes (CD3+) was revealed in 93-100 % of the study participants regardless of age and region of residence (0,27-0,62 -109 cells/l). A reduced content of T-helpers (CD4+) was found in 52,9 % and 46,7 % of men in Arkhangelsk at the age of 20-39 and 40-60 years (0,34-0,43 -109 cells/l), respectively. The deficiency of T-helpers in Aleppo men aged 20-39 and 40-60 was found in 40,0 % and 6,7 % of cases. Conclusion: Severe T-cell immunodeficiency was twice as common in young men in the Arctic compared to the residents of semiarid climatic zone of the same age group. Low T-helper activity was 6,7 times more prevalent among the northerners than among the Syrians in the of the older age group.

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ АРХИТЕКТУРНЫХ РЕШЕНИЙ ПАТИО И ИХ ВЛИЯНИЕ НА ТЕПЛОВОЙ КОМФОРТ ГОРОДСКОГО ЖИЛЬЯ В ПОЛУСУХОМ КЛИМАТЕ АЛЖИРА

The article aims to substantiate the role of the patio and its effect on thermal comfort in urban housing, especially in the semi-arid climatic zones of Algeria. In semi-dry cities, the aim is always to avoid direct sunlight and to seek shade and freshness in the summer season. Indeed, the patio is one of the bioclimatic architectural devices that responds to the field of indoor thermal environments and contributes to the creation of comfortable atmosphere. In this study, authors tried to assess the impact of patio geometry on thermal comfort inside housing in the semi-arid climate of Oum El Bouaghi. The study is based on the method of mathematical modeling implemented in the program ECOTECT. It evaluates the impact of the proportional coefficient H/L (height/width) on the value of PMV (Predicted Mean Vote), and PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied). The results of this study show that the patio plays an important role in thermal comfort in urban housing. The patio significantly improves the PMV value and reduces the PPD value, increasing sunlight in winter and providing passive space cooling in summer. However, for optimal thermal comfort, the proportional H/L value must be greater than 2.5.

The Effects of Different Irrigation Scheduling Approaches on Seed Yield and Water Use Efficiencies of Cotton

This study was conducted in the Aegean region conditions of Turkey in 2020. It was carried out on May-505, a local cotton variety. The study examined the variation of seed yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) of cotton with different irrigation programs and water levels. The field trial, which was designed as two factors and three replications, was designed according to the randomized complete block trial design. Four different irrigation levels (IL) (100%, 67%, 33%, and 0%) and two different irrigation scheduling approaches (gravimetric and pan evaporation) were investigated in the study. Seasonal water use values in treatments varied between 215 (0%) and 746 (100% - Pan evaporation approach) mm during the production period. The average yield values obtained with irrigation levels, which have essential effects on cotton seed yield, are listed as follows; 2057 kg ha-1 (IL-0%), 3471 kg ha-1 (IL-33%), 3771 kg ha-1 (IL-67%), and 5083 kg ha-1 (IL-100%). It was determined pan evaporation applications performed higher yields than gravimetric applications. WUE values were between 0.63 – 1.04 kg m-3. The gravimetric method’s yield response factor (ky) was 0.73, and the pan evaporation method’s yield response factor (ky) was 0.89. These results show that cotton is tolerant of water stress. In conclusion, although the pan evaporation approach with 100% treatment is suggested for cotton production in the parts of the Aegean region within the semi-arid climate zone, while water resources are sufficient. When the results are evaluated in terms of seed cotton yield for a deficit irrigation strategy, IL-67% treatment with a gravimetric approach can be used.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LEISHMANIASIS IN PAKISTAN: EVALUATING SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND RISK FACTORS.

Both cutaneous (zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis [ZCL] and anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis [ACL]) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are prevalent in Pakistan, although the cutaneous form is comparatively more widespread. The present study aimed to spatially map different forms of leishmaniasis in Pakistan. In addition, the risk for acquiring leishmaniasis was assessed in different locations of the country. Previously published literature on leishmaniasis distribution and associated risk factors in Pakistan was obtained from PubMed/NCBI and GoogleScholar using specific keywords. Further, 50 articles that focused on geographical distribution and risk factors of the disease in Pakistan were obtained and systematically reviewed. Data regarding location (used in ArcGIS for spatial analysis), number of cases, and risk factors were identified. The present study revealed a high burden of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the northern and western foci of Pakistan. Leishmania major, chiefly a causative agent of ZCL, was observed to be prevalent in the arid and semi-arid climatic zones of the country with elevations between 45 and 2,837 m (maximum number at low elevation). Leishmania tropica cases, associated with ACL, were recorded at elevations ranging from 551 to 2,837 m (majority cases at high elevation). Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) (reportedly caused by Leishmania infantum) was sporadically distributed in the northern areas at elevations 1,432-2,873 m. For VL, particularly, mountainous communities, farming communities, and the presence of dogs were the most commonly reported risk factors. On the other hand, poor preventive measures, migration, presence of domesticated animals, presence of cattle dung, living in mud houses, and outdoor sleeping habits were the principal risk factors associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This investigation can guide the health experts and medical entomologists toward targeted and cost-effective surveillance and control of leishmaniasis in Pakistan.

Quantitative Assessment of Environmental Sensitivity to Desertification Using the Modified MEDALUS Model in a Semiarid Area

Iran is mainly located in the arid and semiarid climate zone and seriously affected by desertification. This is a severe environmental problem, which results in a persistent loss of ecosystem services that are fundamental to sustaining life. Process understanding of this phenomenon through the evaluation of important drivers is, however, a challenging work. The main purpose of this study was to perform a quantitative evaluation of the current desertification status in the Segzi Plain, Isfahan Province, Iran, through the modified Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model and GIS. In this regard, five main indicators including soil, groundwater, vegetation cover, climate, and erosion were selected for estimating the environmental sensitivity to desertification. Each of these qualitative indicators is driven by human interference and climate. After statistical analysis and a normality test for each indicator data, spatial distribution maps were established. Then, the maps were scored in the MEDALUS approach, and the current desertification status in the study area from the geometric mean of all five quality indicators was created. Based on the results of the modified MEDALUS model, about 23.5% of the total area can be classified as high risk to desertification and 76.5% classified as very high risk to desertification. The results indicate that climate, vegetation, and groundwater quality are the most important drivers for desertification in the study area. Erosion (wind and water) and soil indices have minimal importance.

Deep weathering in the semi-arid Coastal Cordillera, Chile

The weathering front is the boundary beneath Earth’s surface where pristine rock is converted into weathered rock. It is the base of the “critical zone”, in which the lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere interact. Typically, this front is located no more than 20 m deep in granitoid rock in humid climate zones. Its depth and the degree of rock weathering are commonly linked to oxygen transport and fluid flow. By drilling into fractured igneous rock in the semi-arid climate zone of the Coastal Cordillera in Chile we found multiple weathering fronts of which the deepest is 76 m beneath the surface. Rock is weathered to varying degrees, contains core stones, and strongly altered zones featuring intensive iron oxidation and high porosity. Geophysical borehole measurements and chemical weathering indicators reveal more intense weathering where fracturing is extensive, and porosity is higher than in bedrock. Only the top 10 m feature a continuous weathering gradient towards the surface. We suggest that tectonic preconditioning by fracturing provided transport pathways for oxygen to greater depths, inducing porosity by oxidation. Porosity was preserved throughout the weathering process, as secondary minerals were barely formed due to the low fluid flow.

Coupling effects of phosphorus fertilization source and rate on growth and ion accumulation of common bean under salinity stress.

Many agricultural regions in arid and semiarid climate zone need to deal with increased soil salinity. Legumes are classified as salt-sensitive crops. A field experiment was performed to examine the application of phosphorus (P) fertilizer source and rate on growth, chlorophylls and carotenoid content, DNA and RNA content and ion accumulation in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivated under salinity stress. An experimental design was split-plot with three replicates. The main plots included two P sources, namely single superphosphate (SP) and urea phosphate (UP). The sub-plots covered four P rates, i.e., 0.0, 17.5, 35.0, and 52.5 kg P ha–1. All applied P fertilization rates, in both forms, increased plant height, leaf area, dry weight of shoots and roots per plant, and total dry weight (TDW) in t ha−1. The highest accumulation of N, P, K+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ was determined in the shoot and root of common bean, while 35 kg of P per ha−1 was used compared to the other levels of P fertilizer. The highest P rate (52.5 kg ha−1) resulted in a significant reduction in Na+ in shoot and root of common bean. The response curve of TDW (t ha–1) to different rates of P (kg ha–1) proved that the quadratic model fit better than the linear model for both P sources. Under SP, the expected TDW was 1.675 t ha–1 if P was applied at 51.5 kg ha–1, while under UP, the maximum expected TDW was 1.875 t ha–1 if P was supplied at 42.5 kg ha–1. In conclusion, the 35.0 kg P ha–1 could be considered the best effective P level imposed. The application of P fertilizer as urea phosphate is generally more effective than single superphosphate in enhancing plant growth and alleviating common bean plants against salinity stress.

Optimisation of building envelope parameters in a semi-arid and warm Mediterranean climate zone

There has been increased focus across the world on enhancing the efficiency of energy consumption in multiple sectors. The overall aim is to find solutions to eliminate problems caused by the expanding demand for energy while ensuring that natural resources are not depleted. This paper presents an optimisation of the parameters of the building envelope of a single-storey residential building in the semi-arid and warm Mediterranean climate zone of the city of Amman, Jordan. The objective was to achieve a reduction in cooling and heating loads while ensuring that the existing levels of thermal comfort can be sustained through the use of mechanical systems for cooling and heating. A typical Jordanian single-storey residential building with dimensions of 187 m2 was chosen to modify its design variables and examine their effect on the overall thermal performance. The process of optimisation was initiated by performing a simulation using DesignBuilder software, followed by a sensitivity analysis of 12 design variables to evaluate their importance for cooling and heating loads. An optimisation using the genetic algorithm was then implemented. The final results indicated that the total energy consumption could be reduced to 293.74 kWh/year (99.79 kWh/year in terms of the cooling and 193.95 kWh/year in terms of the heating), compared with 5225.97 kWh/year for the reference module (separated into 4075.41 kWh/year for the heating and 1150.56 kWh/year for the cooling).

Salinity shapes food webs of lakes in semiarid climate zones: a stable isotope approach

ABSTRACT In arid and semiarid regions, extreme temperature events and the frequency and duration of drought will increase toward 2050, leading to increased salinisation of inland waters, aggravated by catchment erosion and human activities (e.g., crop irrigation). With salinisation, a decline in biodiversity is expected, with potential negative effects on food web structure and ecosystem dynamics. Our objective was to assess the changes in community and food web structure in 24 lakes along a wide salinity gradient (i.e., subsaline to hypersaline) in a semiarid region in northwest China. Fish, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate communities were sampled for taxonomic determination, size structure, and stable isotope analysis (SIA; δ13C and δ15N). Based on SIA, we calculated the Layman metrics: nitrogen range, carbon range, total area, standard ellipses area, and the trophic position, for each community and for the entire food web. We found a reduced number of taxa of all analysed communities, and the complexity of the entire food web decreased in most saline lakes. In addition, the trophic diversity and trophic position declined, less so in the larger lakes, but these effects were not significant when studying the community food webs separately. Our results suggest that increasing salinisation with ongoing climate warming will have negative effects on lake ecosystems in arid and semiarid regions, emphasising the need to implement management measures at the watershed level to prevent or mitigate future changes in food web structure and biodiversity due to salinisation.

A classic approach for determining genomic prediction accuracy under terminal drought stress and well-watered conditions in wheat landraces and cultivars.

The present study aimed to improve the accuracy of genomic prediction of 16 agronomic traits in a diverse bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm under terminal drought stress and well-watered conditions in semi-arid environments. An association panel including 87 bread wheat cultivars and 199 landraces from Iran bread wheat germplasm was planted under two irrigation systems in semi-arid climate zones. The whole association panel was genotyped with 9047 single nucleotide polymorphism markers using the genotyping-by-sequencing method. A number of 23 marker-trait associations were selected for traits under each condition, whereas 17 marker-trait associations were common between terminal drought stress and well-watered conditions. The identified marker-trait associations were mostly single nucleotide polymorphisms with minor allele effects. This study examined the effect of population structure, genomic selection method (ridge regression-best linear unbiased prediction, genomic best-linear unbiased predictions, and Bayesian ridge regression), training set size, and type of marker set on genomic prediction accuracy. The prediction accuracies were low (-0.32) to moderate (0.52). A marker set including 93 significant markers identified through genome-wide association studies with P values ≤ 0.001 increased the genomic prediction accuracy for all traits under both conditions. This study concluded that obtaining the highest genomic prediction accuracy depends on the extent of linkage disequilibrium, the genetic architecture of trait, genetic diversity of the population, and the genomic selection method. The results encouraged the integration of genome-wide association study and genomic selection to enhance genomic prediction accuracy in applied breeding programs.

Assessing vegetation restoration potential under different land uses and climatic classes in northeast Iran

This study examines the trends in vegetation cover using the Growing Season NDVI (GSN) time series in moderate spatial resolution (250 m) over Khorasan Razavi province, in northeast Iran, during the period 2004–2015. The province is largely desert, with extra-arid, arid, and semi-arid de Martonne climate zones dominating, while rangelands, shrublands and deserts cover most areas, making it an ideal territory for monitoring vegetation trends and implement future restoration projects. Most parts of the province and land-cover classes show no trends in vegetation cover, but large decreasing trends occur in areas covered by sand dunes, previously reforested lands and clay pit areas. Trends in various land-cover types are also examined as functions of the climatic class and the Terrain Niche index (TNI), which is characteristic of the topography, revealing large decreasing trends in the extra-arid climatic zone. In addition, most of the areas exhibit Hurst exponent values around 0.5, implying stochastic time series without any consistency and a likelihood of random vegetation and land cover changes in the future. This study also aims to determine likely future vegetation status and the most favourable areas for restoration projects through analysis of two indexes (Future Restoration Dispersal Index, FRDI and Future Uncertainty Dispersal Index, FUDI). The results show that reforestation, sand dunes and clay pits areas are the most favourable for implementing restoration projects, while the spatial distribution of the potential restoration classes reveals that the southern and northeastern parts of Khorasan Razavi province are the most favourable areas for establishing environmental restoration activities in order to avoid further degradation of ecosystems.

A CASE FOR ASSESSING ALLOCASUARINA AND CASUARINA SPP. FOR USE IN AGROECOSYSTEM IMPROVEMENT IN SEMI-ARID AREAS WITH A FOCUS ON CENTRAL ANATOLIA, TURKEY

<List> <ListItem><ItemContent> • Semi-arid ecosystems have been especially impacted by a long history of clearing, cropping and intensified grazing. </ItemContent></ListItem> <ListItem><ItemContent> • Selection of tree species for assessment for agroforestry needs to consider their utility and effectiveness in provision of ecosystem service, but also the wider consideration of preserving biodiversity. </ItemContent></ListItem> <ListItem><ItemContent> • Imperatives of agroecosystem services and biodiversity conservation (or restoration) will impact on species selection for agroforestry. </ItemContent></ListItem> <ListItem><ItemContent> • The potential of <i>Allocasuarina</i> and <i>Casuarina</i> for wider economic and ecosystem needs an endeavor to achieve demonstrable gains. </ItemContent></ListItem></List> Agroecosystems in water-limited contexts— Mediterranean, semi-arid and arid climatic zones—are too frequently degraded systems that will not provide the needed ecosystem services to ensure a future of sustainable agricultural production. The processes that have created this situation continue and are being accelerated by anthropogenic climate change. Increasing arboreal vegetation in these areas through agroforestry is an important strategy to conserve and improve their agroecosystems. Actinorhizal trees and shrubs in the Casurinaceae have a unique set of adaptations for heat and water stress, and/or infertile to hostile soils. Central Anatolia, Turkey is particularly at risk of increasing aridity and further degradation. Therefore, species of <i>Allocasuarina</i> and <i>Casuarina</i> have been evaluated for their potential use in agroecosystem improvement in semi-arid areas with a focus on Central Anatolia. Based on a semiquantitative environmental tolerance index and reported plant stature, eight species were identified as being of high (<i>A</i>. <i>verticillata</i> and <i>C</i>. <i>pauper</i>) to moderate (<i>A</i>. <i>acutivalvis</i>, <i>A</i>. <i>decaisneana</i>, <i>A</i>. <i>dielsiana</i>, <i>A</i>. <i>huegeliana</i>, <i>C</i>. <i>cristata</i> and <i>C</i>. <i>obesa</i>) priority for assessment, with none of these species having been adequately evaluated for agroforestry deployment in semi-arid agroecosystems in any context.

Investigating net primary production in climate regions of central Zagros, Iran, using MODIS and meteorological data

Rangeland production is sensitive to climate conditions. In this study, we monitored actual and potential production in the climate zones of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in central Zagros, Iran, from 2000-2016. Net primary production (NPP), light use efficiency (LUE) and rain use efficiency (RUE) were extracted from climatic and MODIS satellite data using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) and Miami models. The accuracy of the modeled NPP maps was assessed using regression analysis, based on field data collected at 750 sites under different rangeland conditions. The spatial distribution of NPP and RUE indicated that annual production and photosynthetic efficiency in degraded rangelands with poor and very poor conditions have decreased compared to those of moderate-good classes. The highest relationship between the field and modeled NPP was associated with the Astragalus spp.-Ferula spp. (R2 = 0.865, p &lt; 0.001) in the humid and cold climate zone with good rangeland conditions while the lowest was observed in the annual grasses-annual forbs (R2 = 0.198, p &lt; 0.001) vegetation type with very poor rangeland conditions within the semi-arid and cold climate zone. Furthermore, the highest and lowest NPP values were observed in the Daphne mucronata-Prangos ferulacea (48.38 g C m-2 yr-1) and annual grasses-annual forbs (3.42 g C m-2yr-1) vegetation types with LUE values of 0.13 and 0.02 g C MJ-1 within the humid and cold and the semi-humid and cold climate zones, respectively. According to these findings, remote sensing-based differences between actual and potential NPP can be used as a valuable tool for identification of human impacts on broad rangeland ecosystems.

ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY FOR DRINKING PURPOSE IN CHARKHI DADRI BLOCK IN CHARKHI DADRI DISTRICT, HARYANA

Water is important for living organisms on the Earth. Present development activities have put pressure on water resources. Groundwater is under more stress because of high exploitation for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes. In the arid to semi-arid climatic zones groundwater is very important for sustaining day to day activities and agriculture and industrial purposes. The present study area Charkhi Dadri block in Charkhi Dadri district, Haryana was selected to 0 0 study groundwater quality for drinking purpose. The geo-coordinates of the study area are latitudes 28.49 N to 28.70 N 0 0 and longitudes 76.05 E to 76.47 E and covers an area of 396.57 sq. km. In the study area ten groundwater samples were collected in double capped 250 ml plastic bottles. Geo-coordinates of the sample locations were noted using mobile GPS. Chemical analysis of all the ten groundwater samples were done using Tamilnadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), Chennai prepared Field Water Testing kit for twelve chemical parameters viz. pH, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride, iron, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, phosphate and residual chlorine. Chemical analysis results were entered in excel software and prepared bar graphs. Result of groundwater samples analysis were compared with BIS (IS 10500:2012) drinking water standard to know the suitability of groundwater for drinking purpose. The study shows that pH ranges 7 to 8, alkalinity 200 mg/l to 450 mg/l, hardness 130 mg/l to 800 mg/l, chloride 40 mg/l to 1200 mg/l, TDS 552 mg/l to 2820 mg/l, fluoride 0.5 mg/l to 5 mg/l, iron nil to 0.3 mg/l, ammonia nil to 1 mg/l, nitrite 0.2 mg/l to 1 mg/l, nitrate 45 mg/l to 100 mg/l, phosphate nil in all the ten groundwater samples and residual chlorine nil to 0.2 mg/l. The study is highly useful for planning and monitoring of groundwater for drinking purpose in the study area.