Effects of direct seeding of four native species for reclamation of mined land in the cold desert of Xinjiang in northwest China

Qing Hui Liu, Xiao Ying Zhao, Carol C. Baskin, Cheng Lin Zhu, Nabihan Haster, Wu Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debate

Abstract

Direct seeding is a more cost-effective method for plant community restoration than transplanting pot-grown plants, but this method is not applicable to all plant species and all regions. To evaluate the effectiveness of direct seeding to restore mined cold desert vegetation without irrigation, Atraphaxis frutescens (L.) Ewersm., Calligonum junceum (Fisch. et Mey.) Litv., Peganum harmala L., and Seriphydium gracilescens (Krasch. et Iljin) Poljak. were directly sown in the bottom of dry furrows and on a flat site in the mined wasteland before the second snowfall in late autumn. Seedling emergence, survival, and growth were monitored for 3 years. For the four species, cumulative seed germination in the furrows ranged from 6.4 to 23.6% and the highest germination was 23.0 and 23.6% for A. frutescens and C. junceum, respectively. Survival at the end of 3 years was 7.0–56.1% for the four species. In the flat area, cumulative seedling emergence for C. junceum, A. frutescens, P. harmala, and S. gracilescens was 0, 0, 0.7, and 1.4%, respectively, and all seedlings died with the onset of drought. Thus, under natural precipitation conditions, the success of direct seeding depends on the microsite and species. We conclude that direct seeding can be an effective method for establishing the shrubs A. frutescens and C. junceum in mined wasteland if seeds are sown in furrows that have been created across the landscape.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)461-472
Number of pages12
JournalArid Land Research and Management
Volume37
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42067068) and Key Project for College and University of Xinjiang (XJEDU2019I020). Thanks to Bo Li for the identification of Atraphaxis frutescens, and Lu-Yao Wang, Xiang-Yi He, and Halimulati Paruzha for emergence investigation and seed collection.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Keywords

  • Abandoned mined land
  • cold desert
  • direct seeding
  • emergence
  • rehabilitation
  • seedling growth
  • seedling survival

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Soil Science

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