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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
29 August 2022

North America’s largest land mammal can double the diversity of native grasses through its grazing.

Home on the range: the American bison’s taste for prairie grasses helps to boost diversity of native flora (pictured, stiff goldenrod, Solidago rigida). Credit: Jill Haukos/Kansas State University

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Grazing animals can shape the grasslands they dine on by preferentially eating certain species, allowing other species to find a foothold. To quantify this effect, Zak Ratajczak at Kansas State University in Manhattan and his colleagues analysed 29 years’ worth of data from plots in an unploughed native tallgrass prairie in eastern Kansas1. Since 1992, the plots have been managed in one of three ways: year-round grazing by bison (Bison bison); seasonal grazing by cattle; or no grazing at all.

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MaterialsStudy areaThe Sinbilawin town is located southeast of Dakahleia Governorate, Egypt. It is bounded to the east by the Timai El-Amded city, west by the Aga city, north by the Mansoura city and to the south by the Diarb Negm city. The Sinbilawin lies between 31° 27′ 38.07″ E longitude and 30° 53′ 1.55″ N latitude (Google Earth) (Fig. 1). The total area of Sinbilawin town is about 304.5 km2 with total cultivated area of Sinbilawin is about 64,362.28 Faddens5. The Sinbilawin town is characterized a flat land.Figure 1Map of the Sinbilawin city, 2015 (study area).Full size imageRice strawThe total area of rice crop in Egypt is 1,215,830 faddan and the production of rice is 4,817,964 tons. The average of productivity is 3.963 tons5. The total area of rice crop in Sinbilawin center is 34,078.12167 faddan and the production of rice straw is 148,376.1417 tons. The rice area map is shown in Fig. 2.Figure 2Rice area map.Full size imageDataGIS is a powerful tool which used for computerized mapping and spatial analysis. GIS is used in many applications such as geology, protection, natural resource management, risk management, urban planning, transportation, and various aspects of modeling in the environment. Also, it is using for decision making22. In this study GIS is used to select the best site to be suggested to collect the rice straw as shown in flowchart of Fig. 3.Figure 3Flowchart of rice straw collecting from Sinbilawin center.Full size imageSoftware programs

a.

Google Earth program
Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, Terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips. It displays satellite images of varying resolution of the Earth’s surface, allowing users to see things like cities and houses looking perpendicularly down or at an oblique angle, with perspective23.

b.

Image Processing and Analysis Software (ENVI) program
It has been used to separate layers from the satellite image as layer of road, layer of urban, layer of canal and layer of sites to the rice crop planting. ENVI 5.6.2 Classic is the ideal software for the visualization, analysis and presentation of all types of digital imagery. ENVI Classic’s complete image-processing package includes advanced, yet easy-to-use, spectral tools, geometric correction, terrain analysis, radar analysis, raster and vector GIS capabilities, extensive support for images from a wide variety of sources, and much more24.

c.

GIS program
ArcGIS Desktop 10.1 will be using in the present study. It is the newest version of a popular GIS software which produced by ESRI. ArcGIS Desktop is comprised of a set of integrated applications. All figure numbers were created using GIS software.

Design a model for assembling rice strawArcGIS10.1 was selected in this study to design a model for selecting the suitable sites to collect rice straw amounts in Sinbilawin center. To achieve the former goal must be gotten the satellite images (landsat 8) for the province of Dakahleia and the Sinbilawin center. These images were called operation land imager (OLI). Thus, layers will be obtained from the satellite images such as water channels, drainages, urban areas, main and sub- roads, rice crop areas and sites. ENVI program has been used to separate layers and place it in a file which named (Shp. file) for easy insertion in ArcGIS10.1 program. In this present study, design a model will be done on the main layers which will be obtained from the satellite image as follows:

Location and the administrative limits of Dakahleia Governorate and Sinbilawin center.

The rice crop area and sites in Dakahleia governorate as the main layer.

Layer of rice area and their sites in Sinbilawin center. Sinbilawin center was selected in the study because it is cultivated largest rice area in Dakahleia and Dakahleia biggest governorate cultivates rice.

Layer of roads network in Sinbilawin center. The network of roads was included the main roads and submain to aggregation rice straw. Given the problems associated with transport cost, disposal, and issues that arise from inadequate agriculture crop residues management, the collect units become essential to be nearest of the network of road to facilitate the process of transportation and minimize cost.

Layer of the urban locations in Sinbilawin center. Crop residues collection sites have an enormous impact on urban in general due to contamination and fires. This study proposes the collecting rice straw sites not be near of the urban, because it causes many health problems for the population.

Layer of the canal locations in Sinbilawin center. Collecting rice straw sites must be nearest from the source of water as canal for safety, protect it from fire and important for any recycle operation.

Layer of the drain locations in Sinbilawin center. Also, drain is important as the source of water but less than canal.

Arc GIS 10.1 to select the suitable sites for assembling rice strawThree Scenarios were suggesting for completing the design of the modeling to select best sites for collecting rice straw. From the three scenarios wall be reached to the best collecting sites for rice straw in Sinbilawin center as follows:

The first scenario: Modeling for Sinbilawin center
In this case, modeling was running on the Sinbilawin center as the whole unit.

The second scenario: Modeling for the village in Sinbilawin center.
The Sinbilawin center consists of 97 villages and some other area surrounding. In this case, modeling was running on each village and each accessory in Sinbilawin center.

The third scenario: Modeling for the best site in each village in Sinbilawin center.
In this case, the modeling was running on each best site which located in each village (on the 97 sites in Sinbilawin center).

MethodsTo achieve the former objective in this study wall be done as follows:

Location and the administrative limits of Dakahleia Governorate and Sinbilawin center were uploaded as map by Google earth program.

The rice crop area and sites in Dakahleia governorate. The data of area and sites to rice crop in Dakahleia governorate were collected from the Ministry of Agricultural—Central Administration of Economy and Statistics as numerical data for each center in Dakahleia governorate. Map for Dakahleia governorate was obtained via satellite image from the Remote Sensing Authority.

Rice production (ton) = Cultivated area(fed)*Average production (4.354 ton/fed)5.

Total rice straw (ton) = Rice production (ton) / 2.5.

Satellite image layersAreas and sites of satellite layers for rice in Sinbilawin centerArea and sites of rice crop in Sinbilawin center as the database were obtained and collected Extraction layer from the Ministry of Agricultural. Central Administration of Economy and Statistics as numerical data for each village. Sinbilawin map as layer of molding was obtained via satellite image from the Remote Sensing Authority. It was used with ArcGIS 10.1 software to inference the sites and area of rice crop in the Sinbilawin center villages.Layer for the road network in Sinbilawin centerThe network of roads is very important factor and effective for collecting rice straw. The network roads map as the layer was extracted from satellite image via the Remote Sensing Authority. It was used with ArcGIS 10.1 software to inference the main and sub roads in the Sinbilawin center.Layer for the urban locations in Sinbilawin centerCrop residues collection sites have an enormous impact on urban general due to contamination, environmental pollution and fires, which are causing many health problems for the population. The urban map as the layer was extracted from satellite image via the Remote Sensing Authority. It was used with ArcGIS 10.1 software to appear all the urban sites in the Sinbilawin center.Layer for the water source in Sinbilawin centerRice straw collection sites must be nearest from the source of water as canal for safety and protect it from fire also water is very important for any recycle operation. The canal map as the layer was extracted from satellite image via the Remote Sensing Authority. It was used with ArcGIS 10.1 software to appear all source of water as canal in the Sinbilawin center.Layer for the drain locations in Sinbilawin centerThe drain is important as the source of water but less than canal. The drain map as the layer was extracted from satellite image via the Remote Sensing Authority. It was used with ArcGIS 10.1 software to appear all drain in the Sinbilawin center.ArcGIS 10.1 to select the suitable sites for collecting rice strawModeling was designed as shown in Fig. 4 to apply with the three scenarios.Figure 4Short form for modeling to select suitable sites to assembly rice straw.Full size imageFrom the three scenarios shall be reached to the best collecting sites for recycling rice straw in Sinbilawin center as follows:

The first scenario was running modeling for Sinbilawin center.

The second scenario was running modeling for the village in it.

The third scenario was running modeling for the best site in each village in it.

Different steps were running with modeling to select the best sites to assembly rice straw in Sinbilawin center: 1- Euclidean distance. 2- Reclassify (or changes). 3-Weighted overlay. Assuming common measurement scale and weights for each layer according to its importance as follows:—Roads 50%, Channels 40%, Urban 10% so that the total is 100%0.4- Select Layer by Location (Data Management). In this step, order of selecting layer sites was given through Arc tool box at ArcGIS10.1 for selecting sites through the Arc toolbox at ArcGIS10.1 software as follow: 1- Intersection with roads. 2- Intersection with canals water.Total cost of collecting rice strawTransportation for collecting crop residues is important factors because it affects the success or failure of crop residues utilization. GIS was used to determine suitable sites for collecting rice straw and converting it through given parameters as:

Total length of road (km).

Total weight of rice straw (ton).

Speed of tractor in sub roads (30 km/h)

Total time of transfer (h).

All experimental protocols were approved by Benha University Research Committee and all methods used in this study was carried out according to the guidelines regulations of Benha University. This work is approved by the ethic committee at Benha University. More