The role of weed invasion in controlling sand dune reactivation in abandoned fields in semi-arid Inner Mongolia, China |
| |
Authors: | Masayuki Nemoto Toshiya Ohkuro Bin Xu |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) National Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences, 305 Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;(2) Institute of Desert Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000 Lanzhou, China;(3) Present address: Department of Geography, Beijing University, 100871 Beijing, China |
| |
Abstract: | The growth of crops and invading weeds were examined at six sites under different cultivation conditions in semi-arid Inner Mongolia, where sand dune reactivation has been controlled by weed invasion. The soil moisture content was not sufficient for crop growth in over-cultivated farmland. The shortage of moisture in the soil suppresses the growth of both crops and weeds. Accordingly, farmers carry out weeding to maintain better soil moisture conditions for crop growth. Over-cultivated farmland is often abandoned when the crop yield decreases to an economically unprofitable level. If weed vegetation before abandonment remains, it becomes a core of vegetation expansion and recovers the entire soil surface. While weedy vegetation is lacking or has been grazed by livestock, sand dune reactivation occurs. |
| |
Keywords: | abandonment over-cultivated farmland sand dune reactivation soil moisture Xanthium sibiricum Patrin ex Widder |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|