CARAGANA FABR. PROMOTES REVEGETATION AND SOIL REHABILITATION IN SALINE-ALKALI WASTELAND |
| |
Authors: | Lizhen Zhang JingJing Fan Qiuxia Meng Yu Niu Wei Niu |
| |
Institution: | 1. College of Life Science , Shanxi University , Taiyuan , China;2. Institute of Biotechnology , Shanxi University , Taiyuan , China;3. Institute of Soil and Fertilizer , Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences , Taiyuan , China;4. Integrated Review Institute of Agriculture Resources, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Science , Taiyuan , China;5. Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences , Taiyuan , China |
| |
Abstract: | To determine how plantations of Caragana microphylla shrubs affect saline-alkali soil amelioration and revegetation, we investigated the vegetation and sampled soils from saline-alkali wasteland (SAW), perennial Caragana forestland (PCF), Caragana forest after fire disturbance (CFF). Results showed that with the development of Caragana Fabr., highly dominant species of Poaceae family, including Elymus dahuricus, Thermopsis lanceolata, Stipa tianschanica, died out in PCF. Moreover, Papilionaceae family, including Lespedeza indica, Oxytropis psammocharis, and Astragalus scaberrimus, was established both in PCF and CFF. Phytoremediation of saline-alkali wasteland (SAW) was achieved by plantation, resulting in the reduced soil pH, sodium adsorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage, salinity, and Na+ concentration around Caragana shrubs. Greater amounts of soil organic, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium were observed in PCF topsoil than in SAW topsoil. The concentration of mineralized N in PCF soil was significantly lower than that in SAW soil at all sampled depths, indicating that Caragana shrubs were just using N and therefore less measured in soils. Fire disturbance resulted in decreased soil pH and salinity, but increased organic content, total nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen. The improved soil parameters and self-recovery of shrubs indicated that Caragana shrubs were well established after burning event. |
| |
Keywords: | plant species spatial variation soil chemical properties sodium adsorption ratio exchangeable sodium percentage |
|
|