Abstract
Phytomelioration is an urgent task to minimize the formation of salt-dust storms from the desiccated seafloor. Only a few shrubs are suitable for this purpose; the best results were obtained with black saxaul (Haloxylon aphyllum). The establishment and the growth of Haloxylon is dependent on the weather conditions, the hydrological conditions and the season of the plantings. Lake deposits or soils, of which the topsoil is lightly sandy, are favourable for the plantings. The establishment was successful on the poorly to moderately saline sandy soils and the loamy coastal solonchaks with sand cover with a low salinity degree of the topsoil. The establishment rate from the plantings is higher in spring plantings than in the autumn plantings. On the crusty-puffy coastal solonchaks, however, the rate of establishment of Haloxylon is only up to 10% and the vitality of the young plants is very bad. On the crusty-puffy coastal solonchaks, Haloxylon plantings can only be successfully performed with improvement of the soil conditions (e.g. in the furrows or pits, filled with sand). Some seedlings can reach the generative phase, however, rather fast, but a second spreading does not occur, since the seeds of Haloxylon do not germinate on coastal solonchaks. Therefore, plantings on crusty-puffy coastal solonchaks are only worthwhile at locations where natural desalinization of the topsoil is expected and where sand islands are present. The list of species to select for the plantings must therefore be extended to more euhalophytic species, which can withstand more salinity in the soil, such as Halocnemum strobilaceum. In the region, there are many other perennial euhalophytes from the genera Halostachys, Kalidium, Salsola and Suaeda. However, the technology of those plantings is practically unknown and must be developed further. The technologies tested (construction of furrows, mechanical enforcement of the topsoil, removing the salt crust, minicatchment procedure, etc.) should also be used for the plantings of euhalophytes, considering the specific habitats and the biological properties of the reforestation species.
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Acknowledgements
The experiments and the plantings in the region at the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan were performed by the interdisciplinary research projects “Succession processes on the desiccated sea floor of the Aral Sea and perspectives of land-use” and “Combating desertification and rehabilitation of salt deserts in the Aralkum”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF project 0330389) and the latter was also supported by the GTZ/CCD project in the name of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Funds for students came from DAAD. All these are greatly acknowledged.
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Wucherer, W., Breckle, SW., Kaverin, V.S., Dimeyeva, L.A., Zhamantikov, K. (2012). Phytomelioration in the Northern Aralkum. In: Breckle, SW., Wucherer, W., Dimeyeva, L., Ogar, N. (eds) Aralkum - a Man-Made Desert. Ecological Studies, vol 218. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21117-1_15
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