Abstract: By analyzing the soil moisture content, evapotranspiration and vegetation coverage under 7 modes of planted vegetation in growing season, the preferred modes of planted vegetation were optimized, and these modes could be used to maintain the good soil moisture conditions, efficient vegetation coverage and ideal effectiveness of sand stabilization in the Horqin sandy land. Soil moisture content varied in a range of 2.32%-3.41% and could basically satisfy the water consumption for plant growth at the early stage of sand fixation. It, however, was low in dry season, and the normal growth of vegetation was impacted. The proportion of evapotranspiration under the 7 modes of planted sandfixing vegetation occupied over 94% of rainfall, and the balance of soil moisture content could be basically maintained. The planted sandfixing plantations including the pure Caragana korshinkii shrubbery (525 plants/hm²), mixed plantation of Hedysarum fruticosum (500 plants/hm²) with Artemisia desterorum (2 800 plants/hm²), and Hedysarum fruticosum shrubbery (3 300 plants/hm²) were good for popularize in the study area. The planting density of pure Hedysarum fruticosum (3 300 plants/hm²) was high, but the water consumption was also high, so some measures should be taken to reduce its density. The sandfixing effect of pure Populus simonii Carr. (1 350 plants/hm²) was relatively poor because of its high soil moisture consumption and low vegetation coverage.

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