干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The knowledge of the plant biomass is very important for the assessment of the rangeland productivity. It could help to select the appropriate species for the improvement of natural ecosystems (rehabilitation, restoration and seedling). By examining different correlations between the biomass production and the volume parameters of two North African shrub species of high range value (Echiochilon fruticosum Desf. and Helianthemum kahiricum Del.), we aimed to establish the appropriate regression models, which could be useful for the prediction of the productivity of these species. The data showed a significant relationship between the total biomass (TB) production and the mean diameter (MD) of the studied species (R(2) = 0.65 for Echiochilon and R(2) = 0.75 for Helianthemum). Likewise, annual fresh production (leaves and current-year shoots) was well correlated with MD of Helianthemum (R(2) = 0.82). However, the correlation between these two parameters was relatively low for Echiochilon (R(2) = 0.42).