Rangelands can renew itself or go backwards depending on the ecological factors. Rangelands exhibit positive, negative or neutral depending on using properties. The objective of this study was to determine rangeland health and ecological site distribution of grazed rangeland with cattle, sheep and mixed stocking in the Kargapazari Mountain Erzurum province. In the investigated rangelands, vegetation, soil and hydrology properties differed significantly. As a result of this study, it is possible to state that uncontrolled grazing with sheep gives more damage to vegetation and related resources than uncontrolled grazing with cattle in highland steppe rangelands where short grasses are dominated. But forbs of sheep taken under pressure should not be ignored. In conclusion, for sustainable use of steppe rangeland, providing suitable grazing season and grazing capacity, sheep and cattle herds can graze as mixture.

Plant-plant interactions could shift from facilitation to competition or vice versa depending on stress conditions. Many researchers are investigating these interactions among the plant species but knowledge about the effect of these interactions on the establishment and growth is limited. Therefore, the effect of plant-plant interactions on forage yield and quality were investigated in pea-cereal mixtures under Central Anatolia conditions during the 2018 and 2019 years. Forage pea were sown using different densities (80, 100, 120 plants m -2 ) and as binary mixtures with 50-75 % reduced seeding ratio of oat, silage maize, and Sudangrass as a mixture. The highest dry matter yield was 7224.7 kg ha -1 and, obtained from 50 % reduced silage maize + 100 plants m -2 forage pea mixture. All mixtures increased dry matter yield but decreased the crude protein content concerning forage pea monoculture. Sudangrass mixtures negatively affect the crude protein content in the mixture and decreased it down to 14.58 % but it was, nevertheless, considerably high. Forage NDF and ADF contents were generally higher in Sudangrass mixtures. Above-and below-ground relative neighbor effects (ARNE and BRNE respectively) were facilitative under stressful climate conditions of 2018 but they shifted into competition in 2019. The cereals used in the mixtures caused a competitive effect on forage pea in terms of BRNE. The results indicated that plant-plant interactions could significantly affect the forage yield, quality, and competition. Forage pea (100 plants m -2 ) could be cultivated as a second crop when sown as a binary mixture using 50% reduced silage maize (5000 plants m -2 ).

Fire is an important driver of ecological processes and a management tool in humid rangelands, but it is less known in semiarid rangelands at cool temperatures. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fire on some vegetation and soil properties of the highland steppe rangelands of the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Canopy coverage, botanical composition as a functional group, aboveground biomass, litter mass, bacteria and fungi numbers, soil moisture, pH, organic matter, available NO 3 , available NH 4 , total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total calcium, total potassium, total magnesium, total sodium, cation exchange capacity, and calcium carbonate contents were determined at the studied locations in 2012 and 2013. The effects of fire in early autumn had significantly different responses between the locations. Aboveground biomass and litter mass decreased in the year following the fire, but they tended to increase in the second year following the fire. While for perennial grasses the percentage increased in the years after the fire, forbs decreased in burned plots, especially at the university location. Fire did not have an effect on the investigated soil properties because the variation observed between the treatments was not consistent between the locations. These results showed that fire is an undesirable application in semiarid highland rangelands with respect to aboveground plant production, but it can be considered as a tool for changing botanical composition.

Eskişehir ve benzer ekolojilerde kışlık ana ürün yem bezelyesi yetiştiriciliği potansiyelinin belirlenmesi amacıyla 2017-2018 ve 2018-2019 yıllarında yürütülen çalışmada iki farklı ekim zamanı ve üç ekim sıklığının iki yem bezelyesi çeşidinde bitki boyu, dal sayısı, yatma derecesi, yaş ot verimi ve kuru madde oranı incelenmiştir. İncelenen özellikler yönünden yıllar arasında çok önemli farklılıklar belirlenmiştir. Özkaynak ve Taşkent yem bezelyesi çeşitleri ile ekim zamanlarının incelenen özelliklere etkisi bulunmamıştır. Yem bezelyesinin ekim sıklığı yaş ot verimini %1 seviyesinde etkilemiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre bölgede yapılacak yem bezelyesi kışlık ana ürün yetiştiriciliğinde m 2 'de 80-100 tohum, sonbaharda Ekim veya Kasım aylarında ekim yapılmasının uygun olduğu ve çalışmada incelenen her iki çeşidin (Özkaynak ve Taşkent) de kullanılabileceği önerilmiştir.

Intercropping used in modern agricultural systems is designed for growing more plant species in the same field for maximized growth parameters. This two-year study was conducted to understand the effects of row seeding configuration and different Sudangrass ratios on yield, quality, and competitive ability in second crop production. Above and belowground biomass, crude protein content significantly increased in the second year, while other investigated properties decreased. Compared with other row seeding arrangements, aboveground biomass significantly increased in the same row seeding but belowground biomass, crude protein, and NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber) contents were higher in the alternate row seeding. Plant height, ratio, ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) content, AGRNE (Aboveground Relative Neighbor Effect), and BGRNE (Belowground Relative Neighbor Effect) were not affected by row seeding configurations. In order to maximize the utilization from the row seeding arrangements , the same row seeding arrangement can increase the aboveground biomass but mitigate belowground biomass and crude protein content. The row seeding configuration represents a potential for yield, quality, and competitive ability.