Title: Response of Seedling Emergence of Three Dominant Plant Species to Soil Type and Sand Burial Depth in the Southern Marginal Zone of the Tengger Desert
Abstract: Agriophyllum squarrosum,Artemisia sphaerocephala and Artemisia ordosica are the dominant plant species at different stages of vegetation succession in the southern Tengger Desert.A field-pot experiment was conducted at Wuwei Station for Desert Control Research in summer 2009.Response of the seedling emergence rates of the 3 species to two soil types(sand and sandy loam) and seven sand burial depths(0,1,2,3,4,6 cm and 8 cm) was measured.Seedling emergence rate of A.squarrosum seeds buried at 0 cm in sand was the lowest,that of the 3 species seeds buried at 1 and 2 cm in sand was the highest,and that of the 3 species seeds buried in sandy loam was lower than that in sand.The optimal burial depth for seedling emergence of A.squarrosum and A.ordosica was decreased from 2 cm in sand to 1 cm in sandy loam.In sand,A.squarrosum seeds at all sand burial depths emerged,the seedling emergence rate was high,and the seedling mortality rate was low;thus,A.squarrosum could be the dominant species for sand dunes.In sandy loam,however,the emergence speed of A.squarrosum seeds at sand burial depths of 0-4 cm was slow,and the seedling mortality rate was higher than that of other two species.Thus,A.sphaerocephala and A.squarrosum replaced A.squarrosum on fixed and semi-fixed dunes at the seeding stage.
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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