Effects of reseeding of some range plant species on the biomass production of rangelands in sheik an locality-north Kordofan State-Sudan

Abstract EN

This experiment was conducted at El Obeid Research Station Farm at Bannu area, Sheikan Locality, North Kordofan State, over two seasons 2009 / 10 and 2010 / 11.

The objective was to investigate the effect of re-seeding on range plant biomass production, botanical composition, density and vegetation cover percent.

On average, the total plant density at the reseeded range was 307 plant / m² compared with 224 plant / m² in the control.

The vegetation cover percent at the flowering stage at the reseeded site was 74.8 % compared with 43.0 % in the control, while at the seed setting stage it was 70.6 % and 41.8 % at the reseeded and control sites, respectively.

Biomass productivity at flowering stage was 2.13 (ton / ha) and 1.82 (ton / ha) at reseeded and control sites, respectively compared with that at seed setting stage of 1.89 (ton / ha) at the reseeded range and 1.68 (ton / ha) at the control.

These differences were highly significant (P < 0.001).

The differences in biomass productivity between the two sites is probably due to the management system, where broadcasting of seeds of some species increased plant density and led to a reduction in bare soil percent consequence increased biomass productivity.