One of the basic solution of correct management for rangelands is conservation of plant covering together with best exploitation of its potential capacity. This is possible only with nutritive value and animal output determination is fed by rangelands plants. Therefore this experiment was carried out to evaluation of two Aleuropus species of dominant gramineae family plant using eight castrated rams of Dalagh breed sheep. Statistical model of completely randomized design as a factorial with two factors, species and three factor of growth stages were used Alfalfa forage was used as a standard. At first experimental plants were collected and after air drying were cutted in 2 to 3 centimeters, after that were fed to sheep that placed in individual metabolic cages to determine the voluntary intake, nutrients digestibility and energy of experimental plants in three stage of growth including vegetation, flowering and seed maturity. Dry matter daily intake (kg), dry matter intake to live weight ratio (percentage) and dry matter intake to metabolic weight (g/day) for A.littoralis were 1.038, 2.42, 61.88 respectively and for A.lagopoides were 0.802, 2.06 and 51.43. There were significant differences between these two species of plant in mentioned traits (P<0.01). These traits in vegetation growth, were 1.088, 2.70 and 68.12 and in flowering stage were 1.041,2.39 and 61.48 and in seed maturation stage were 0.630, 1.61 and 40.36, respectively. There were significant differences between vegetative growth and flowering stage vs. seed maturity, but no significant differences between vegetative growth and flowering stage (p>0.05). crude protein digestibility of A.littoralis and A.lagopoides were 60.57, 36.62 and 56.55, 45.32 respectively that there was significant differences between two species (P<0.05). Crude fiber digestibility of two species were 45.02 and 34.76 respectively with significant difference between them (P<0.01). There was significant differences of crude protein, ether extraction, nitrogen free extraction and crude fiber digestibility between vegetative and two other stages of growth, but there was no differences between flowering and seed stages (P>0.05). TDN , crude energy digestibility and digestible energy of A.littoralis and A.lagopoides were 37.77, 49.19 , 1.88 and 38.54 , 40.93, 1.61, respectively. There was significant differences between two species in digestible crude energy and crude energy (P<0.01). Also mean of these three traits in vegetative, flowering and seed stages were 44.07, 46.42 & 1.88 ; 35.80, 42.88 & 1.67 and 34.50, 44.87 & 1.68, respectively. There was significant difference between vegetative and two other stages in TDN (P<0.01) and in digestible energy (0.05) . Totally the results of the experiments showed that voluntary intake, nutrients digestibility and energy productivity of A.littoralis was more than A.lagopaides and in both species nutritive value in vegetative stage was better than two others stages. There were in due attention to high nutritive value of two experimental plants. They are suggested to support by seed production and other techniques with preference of A.littoraliy species.

The main objective of this study was to determine seed germination rate of Aeluropus lagopoides and A.littoralis. Accesion. In this Study we have used factorial complete randomized design with Seven salinity rates of 0, 75, 150, 225, 300, 375 and 450 Mm NaCl. The experiment was carried out for germination test with 70% relative humidity at 25°C with a Photoperiod of 14:10 hrs light/dark. Germination percentage was measured, and the data were analyzed by one- way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. The results showed significant effect of salinity on germination percentage. Despite high tolerance of halophyte to salt, the maximum germination occurred in salt free treatment. Aeluropus littoralis was more resistant to salt.

Determination of forage quality is one of the fundamental factors for sound management of rangeland. There are spatial and temporal variations in the nutritive quality of range species. In this study, forage quality of two salt tolerant grasses Aeluropus littoralis and A. lagopoides were measured at two phenological stages: vegetative and seed ripening. Study area was located close to Hamoon lake, Iran-Afghanistan border. Plant samples were collected at two growing stages and were chemically analyzed in laboratory. Data were analyzed by using ANOVA and Duncan’s test.The results showed that the forage quality of both species were higher in vegetative growth in comparison with the seed ripening stage. In both phenological stages, for all factors, A. lagopoides had higher forage quality than A. littoralis (p<0.05).

Aeluropus lagopoidesis a Graminaceae related halophytic plant belongs to Poaceae family that grows in salty soils. In this research, several indicators were studied on plants under different concentrations of NaCl in hydroponic culture. Comparison the fresh and dry weights of roots, shoots, and whole plants under various treatments determined that the highest growth rates occur in the presence of 300 mM NaCl, however, lower and higher salinity reduces the growth rate. While the root length was highly depended on the salt concentration, shoots height did not vary significantly.Variances analysis showed that cations (Na+ and K+) are distributed differentially in the roots and shoots when the control and salt-treated plants were compared, and as a result, salinity had significant effect on roots and shoots Na+ content. In general, it may be stated that Aeluropus lagopoides reacts differently to various concentrations of Na+.Apparently, at low environmental NaCl concentrations the root system is developed and the absorbtion of cations is increased to provide water and essential minerals. In other words, it uses mineral osmolytes that are not toxic for the cell at low exogenous NaCl concentrations in order to maintain intracellular water and osmotic pressure, whereas at medium and high concentrations of NaCl, organic osmolytes like glycine betaine and proline are accumulated, respectively, to regulate osmotic pressure. As a result, the rate of plant growth is reduced in order to stand high salinity for a while. Furthermore, it seems that because of the strongly regulation of Na+ and K+ transport from root to shoot their contents are regulated tightly in shoots.

This experiment was performed to determine salt tolerance in Salsola dendroides, Alhagi persarum and Aeluropus lagapoides. Seeds were collected from Nouredin Abad Garmsar in a hot and dry climate. After determination of optimum temperarure for germination, effect of salt on percentage and rate of germination was measured. Results showed that increment of salt concentration caused delay in germination rate and decreased germination. Despite high tolerance of halophytes to salt, the maximum germination occurred in salt free medium. The highest and the lowest salt resistance were observed in Salsola dendroides and Alhagi persarum respectively.

Determination of forage quality of available species is one of the fundamental factors for the management of rangelands. ADF, CF, CP and DMD are some of the important factors in evaluation of forage quality. The present research was conducted to evaluate the forage quality of three important grasses of Aeluropus lagopoides, Aeluropus littoralis, and Puccinellia distance at saline and alkaline habitats of Incheh-bouron area in Golestan province. The study area has -10 m elevation and 181.5 mm annual rainfall. During the study, samples were collected from three species with five replications from excluded area. The quality indices of acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude fiber (CF), and crude protein (CP), and metabolic energy (ME), dry matter digestibility (DMD) were measured at two stages of vegetation growth and seed ripening. Then, these indices were compared at two stages for every species by applying unpaired t-test and for three species by F- test. Forage quality of three species was higher in vegetation growth than seed ripening stage, because of high value of CP, DMD, ME and also low degree of ADF and CF in vegetative growth. In both phonological stages, for all factors Aeluropus lagopoides was better than the Aeluropus littoralis (p<0.05). In vegetative growth, Puccinellia distance had the same quality as Aeluropus lagopoides, but in seed ripening stage had the same quality as Aeluropus littoralis (p>0.05). In general, Aeluropus lagopoides had better quality than the two other species.

To determine the phenological stages and plant height of three important range species Aeluropus lagopoides, Desmostachya bipinnata and Halocnemum strobilaceum, this investigation was carried out for four years starting in 2007 in Zaminsang Rangelands of Hormozgan province. In this study, the information about the phenology and plant height for 10 individuals of each species in 10-day intervals was measured and recorded. The results showed that phenological stages of three species were different in the study years, so that plant growth started 2-3 weeks earlier in wet years and later in dry years, while the duration of vegetative and reproductive activity of plants was different. The results showed that vegetative growth started with cooling of air and the onset of rainfall. The growth period of A. lagopoides, D. bipinnata and H. strobilaceum was 6, 6. 5, and 10 months, respectively. The vegetative growth of A. lagopoides started from 22 December, whereas the vegetative growth of D. bipinnata and H. strobilaceum started from 20 February. The flowering stage started from April, June, and September, and the seeding stage from 22 April, 22 July, and 15 October, respectively. The dormancy period of plants started in 22 May, 1 September, and 22 December, respectively. Since Aeluropus lagopoides is a palatable and dominant species in the Zaminsang region, the time of arrival and departure of livestock is recommended to be late November to late May.

The active oxygen species are the most important plant stress agents. Superoxide dismutase is a key enzyme which constitutes the first line of defence against oxygen toxicity. This enzyme is necessary for aerobic life and play an effective role in the process of tolerance to stress and plant longevity. Aeluropus lagopoides is a halophyte plant that tolerate high soil salinity and have high activity of superoxide dismutase enzyme. We used the sequences of SOD genes from another plants in Poaceae family for primer designing and isolated genes from halophyte plant Aeluropus lagopoides. In this investigation two novel SOD genes AlSOD1 and AlSOD2 isolated and cloned in E.coli via pTZ57R/T cloning vector. These two genes encoding 152 amino acids and also have high homology with Cu/Zn SOD Aelurous littoralis, Zea mays, Phyllostachys edulis and Oryza sativa with 92, 89, 88 and 87% respectively.

This research has been performed to determine the salt tolerance in three species' Salsola dendroides, Alhagi persarum and Aeluropus lagopoides. These species are native to Iran, prennial and could be used as a forages for livestock's. Completely randomise design used the species in replication. All the seeds were collected form Nouredin Abad Garmsar in hot and dry (xerothermo) climate. Different experiments on germination and vegetative growth stages were carried out in laboratory and greenhouse condition. The effects of salt on percentage and rate of germination were measured. The result showed that increase of salt concentration caused delay in germination rate and decreases of germination. Complete germination was observed in A. persarum and S. dendroides when treated with 100mM NaCl. However the maximum percentage of germination in A. lagopoides was 80% while treated with 50 mM NaCl. This maybe proves that all the species are halophytes. Morphological, physiological and anatomical studies were conducted in vegetative growth stage. Two different aspects in morphological studies were characteristics of appearance (e,g. various effects on leaves' weaknesses in bushes) and measuring parameters such as shoot and root fresh and dry weight, number of leave and leaf surface area. These studies resulted that the optimal growth of S. dendroides occurred in 200 mM NaCl but in two other species (A. persarum and A. lagopoides) it occured in absence of salt. All the three species strctural changes in roots, steam and leaves were observed in anatomical studies. For example decrease of diameter and number of vessels, increase of protective systems' such as scleroid formation' thickness in cuticles, increasing number and length of trichomes. According to these observations, S. dendroides showed the highest resistance to salt   (germination stage: 700mM NaCl and vegetative growth 650mMNaCl and A. lagopoides, showed lowest resistance to salt (200mM NaCl). Probabely S. dendroides could be considered as an obligatory halophyte and A. lagopoides as a salt acclimation plant.