DESCRIPCION Y DINAMICA DE LAS CUENTAS

M. Khalil

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

N. R. Bhat

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

M. S. Abdal

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

R. Grina

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

L. Al-Mulla

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

S. Al-Dossery

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

R. Bellen

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

R. Cruz

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Evaluating the Suitability of Groundcovers in the Arid Environments of Kuwait 413 G. D’Cruz

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

J. George

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

A. Christopher

Agriculture and Biodiversity Department Food Resources and Biological Sciences Division

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

Abstract

Kuwait is an extremely hot, dry country. Kuwait is an arid country with high. The average daily temperature is about 33°C. Temperatures are even higher during the summer months between May and October, while the humidity is very low. It almost never rains during the summer. Temperatures are more moderate in winter. This is when Kuwait receives its annual rainfall of 25 to 175 millimeters. Sandstorms are common and can last several days. There is very little fresh water in Kuwait. Desalination plants, which distill fresh water from salt water, were built in order to provide the country with enough water. Groundcovers are low growing plants that spread quickly to from a dense cover. These groundcovers are used for reducing the loss of ground water through evaporation. This study was conducted on six ground covers and their performance in the climate of Kuwait was evaluated. It was observed that three out of the six selected ground covers could not withstand the varying temperatures in summer as well as in winter. The plant species like Rhagodia spinescens and Furcraea gigantea showed good growth rate and Allamanda cathartica showed a negative growth rate. The ground covers Hardenbergia comptoniana, Duranta repens goldiana and Lonicera japonica had 0 % survival percentage at the termination of the study.

Key Words: Groundcover, desalination, evapo-transpiration, survival percentage, growth rate

Introduction

In the arid land of Kuwait we have extreme climatic conditions accompanied by severe sandstorms due to loose structured, sandy nature of the soil. Simultaneously evaporation is very high in Kuwait particularly during summer. At the same time there is a good interest within Kuwait for soil and water conservation and greenery of the country to improve life and the environment (Suleiman and Abdal, 2002). Conservation of both water and soil is an essential concept for Kuwait’s local environment, as water availability, in arid country as Kuwait, is limited and most soils are eroded and native plants are disappearing. Thus it is obvious to control the loss of soil as well as to conserve water. The ground cover plays an important role in conserving the soil and water. Moreover ground covers add beauty to the landscape.

Ground covers are low-growing plants that spread quickly to form a dense cover. They absorb heat, moisture, dust and control erosion. Ground covers vary in form leaf size, color and in texture.

Ground covers can provide a change in foliage structure or add color to landscaped beds. By covering the ground with a carpet of vegetation the ground cover prevents the germination of weeds (Khalil et al., 2006). It acts as an insulating cover for the soil, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The ground cover is living mulch that helps to build up humus level in the soil. Grass is the best known ground cover, but grass is not suited to all conditions. Other ground cover plants should be used where grass is difficult to grow and maintain. When planted under trees, ground covers reduce the possibility of mower damage to the base of the tree (Relf and Appleton, 1999). Soil erosion models stimulate the reduction in soil loss by incorporating the effect of above ground biomass. But in reality the reduction in soil loss is due to the combined effect of both roots and above ground biomass (Gyssels and Poesen, 2003).

For this study six ground cover species were selected and they were planted in two sites namely, inland site which is away from the vicinity of sea and coastal site near to the sea as the name indicates. They were tested for their growth performance under the harsh climates of Kuwait.