Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (5): 737-746.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.05.06

• Land and Water Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of typical ecological projects of desertification combating on soil physical properties in Ulan Buh Desert

GAO Junliang1,2,3,4(),LUO Fengmin1,2,3,4(),LIU Hongxin5,QIAO Jingran1,3,YU Meng1,3,XU Yaxin1,3   

  1. 1. Experimental Center of Desert Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dengkou 015200, Inner Mongolia, China
    2. Ulan Buh Desert Comprehensive Control National Permanent Scientific Research Base, Dengkou 015200, Inner Mongolia, China
    3. Combat Desertification Engineering Technology Research Center, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Dengkou 015200, Inner Mongolia, China
    4. Inner Mongolia Dengkou Desert Ecosystem National Observation Research Station, Dengkou 015200, Inner Mongolia, China
    5. Ejin Horo Banner Technology Service Center of Water Conservancy, Ejin Horo 017200, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2023-03-09 Revised:2023-05-03 Online:2023-05-15 Published:2023-05-30

Abstract:

To probe into the effects of typical ecological projects on improving soil moisture and other physical properties like water retention in Ulan Buh Desert, the desertification combating projects included straw checkerboard barrier and two native tree species (Haloxylon ammodendron and Hedysarum scoparium), and the shifting sandy land as the research object. The soil mechanical composition, moisture content, bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity, and water storage capacity of different soil layers at a depth of 0-100 cm were analyzed based on field sampling and lab analysis methods. The results showed that the ecological projects have a certain effect on the improvement of soil water physical properties and water retention of the aeolian sandy soil. (1) Compared to the control, the implementation of ecological projects promoted the apparent refinement of the grain size composition of the surface soil, showing decreased bulk density, increased soil porosity, and significantly increased soil water holding capacity and water storage capacity. (2) After the implementation of the typical ecological projects, the soil water retention was significantly improved, and the desertification land management effect was good. The results can provide basic data for the effective evaluation of regional desertification combating, and provide a scientific basis and theoretical reference for the type of selection of regional desertification combating ecological projects.

Key words: soil physical properties, sand fixation plantation, ecological project of desertification combating, Ulan Buh Desert