Extremely saline soils are very harsh environments for the growth and survival of most plant species, however, halophytes can grow well. The underlying mechanism of halophyte to resist high saline is not well understood by us. This study was conducted at the potash mine near the Lop Nur, China, where the effects of the halophyte Suaeda salsa L. on the saline-alkaline soils and its growth and sustainability were investigated. Four plots(in which the salt encrustation layers were removed), with different soil treatments were evaluated:(1) undisturbed soil, with no additional treatment(T1);(2) the slag soil zone, in which a 40-cm layer of slag was placed on the undisturbed soil surface(T2);(3) slag+sandy soil, in which a 20-cm layer of slag was placed in the lower layer and 20 cm of sandy soil, taken from an area about 70 km away from Lop Nur potash mine, where Tamarix species were growing, was placed in the upper layer(T3); and(4) a 40-cm sandy soil layer taken from the area where Tamarix species were growing was placed on undisturbed soil(T4). Soil nutrient contents increased in the four treatments, but salt content only decreased in the T1 treatment. Salt content in the T4 treatment increased over the two-year period, which may be partly attributed to salt deposition from wind-blown dust within the mine and salt accumulation within the surface soil(0–20 cm) in response to high evaporative demands. The S. salsa plants exhibited greater improvements in growth under the T4 treatment than under the T1, T2, and T3 treatments, which demonstrated that low levels of salinity are beneficial for the growth of this species. The T1 treatment was sustainable because of its low cost and superior soil improvement characteristics. Therefore, S. salsa plants not only reduced soil salinity and increased soil nutrient levels, but also ameliorated the plant growth environment, which would be beneficial for both the ecological restoration of the Lop Nur area and similar areas throughout the world.
LI CongjuanLIU RanWANG ShijieSUN YongqiangLI ShengyuZHANG HengGAO JieDANG YanxiZHANG Lili
Spatial variation is a ubiquitous feature of natural ecosystems, especially in arid regions, and is often present at various scales in these regions. To determine the scale dependence of the heterogeneity of soil chemical properties and the dominant scales(factors) for soil heterogeneity in arid regions, the spatial variability of soil resources was investigated in the Gurbantunggut Desert of Central Asia at the scales of 10-3, 10-2, 10-1, 100, 101, 102, 103and 104m(from individual plant to population or community to ecosystem). Soil chemical properties including pH, electrical conductivity(EC), organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus were considered in the investigation. At a scale of 10-1m, which represented the scale of individual plant, significant enrichment of soil resources occurred under shrub canopy and "fertile islands" formed in the desert ecosystem. Soil EC exhibited the largest heterogeneity at this scale, indicating that individual plants exerted a great influence on soil salinity/alkalinity. Soil nutrients exhibited the greatest heterogeneity at a scale of 102m, which represented the scale of sand dune/interdune lowlands(between communities). The main important factors contributing to soil spatial heterogeneity in the Gurbantunggut Desert were individual plants and different topographic characteristics, namely, the appearance of vegetation, especially shrubs or small trees, and existing sand dunes. Soil salinity/alkalinity and soil nutrient status behaved differently in spatial heterogeneity, with an inverse distribution between them at the individual scale.
