Effects of Restoration Strategies on Soil Health after Lycium chinense Removal in the Qaidam Basin

Yedi Tian, Dangzhi Pengmao, Xin Hu and Min Liu ()
Additional contact information
Yedi Tian: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai University, No. 251 Ning Road, Chengbei District, Xining 810016, China
Dangzhi Pengmao: Qinghai Qaidam Sacsaoul National Nature Reserve Service Center, No. 10, East Qaidam Road, Hedong Street, Delingha 817099, China
Xin Hu: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai University, No. 251 Ning Road, Chengbei District, Xining 810016, China
Min Liu: Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Ecological restoration of arid land plays a pivotal role in maintaining ecological sustainability and enhancing the resilience of local communities. As an ecologically significant arid land, the Qinghai Qaidam Basin has been severely impacted by human activities such as the widespread planting of Lycium chinense , leading to considerable degradation of vegetation and soil carbon and nutrients. Currently, this vital area is undergoing extensive ecological restoration through the employment of a variety of strategies, but the impact remains inadequately understood. This study seeks to compare the effects of different restoration strategies in the Qinghai Qaidam Basin, focusing on soil properties across five scenarios: a controlled desert area, natural restoration after the removal of L. chinense , continued planting of L. chinense , restoration through the planting of Haloxylon ammodendron , and mixed reseeding after four years of restoration. Our findings indicate that mixed reseeding significantly improved soil water storage to 4.26%, especially in the deep soil layer. The planting of H. ammodendron strategy efficiently reduced soil pH in such an alkaline environment. Soil nutrients, including total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK), were predominantly concentrated in the top soil layer, with reduced concentrations observed in the medium and deep soil layers. Although soil organic matter remained relatively stable across all restoration strategies, its content was notably lower in the deeper layers. Overall, mixed reseeding proved to be the most efficient strategy for enhancing soil water retention and nutrient levels. In contrast, despite achieving high vegetative coverage to 62.6%, planting of L. chinense was less ecologically beneficial due to its extensive irrigation requirements and adverse effects on soil structure. These findings suggest that restoring degraded areas to an ideal ecological state cannot be achieved within a few years, underscoring the importance of sustained restoration efforts. This study offers valuable insights and practical guidance for the ecological restoration of arid lands, contributing to the development of sustainable land management practices in similar regions.

Keywords: Haloxylon ammodendron; arid land; soil organic matter; soil nutrient; ecological restoration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8845/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8845/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8845-:d:1497354

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().