Abstract
Water relation characteristics of the desert legumeAlhagi sparsifolia were investigated during the vegetation period from April to September 1999 in the foreland of Qira oasis at the southern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The seasonal variation of predawn water potentials and of diurnal water potential indicated thatAlhagi plants were well water supplied over the entire vegetation period. Decreasing values in the summer months were probably attributed to increasing temperatures and irradiation and therefore a higher evapotranspirative demand. Data from pressure-volume analysis confirmed thatAlhagi plants were not drought stressed and xylem sap flow measurements indicated thatAlhagi plants used large amounts of water during the summer months. Flood irrigation had no influence on water relations inAlhagi probably becauseAlhagi plants produced only few fine roots in the upper soil layers. The data indicate thatAlhagi sparsifolia is a drought-avoiding species that utilizes ground water by a deep roots system, which is the key characteristic to adjust the hyper-arid environment. Because growth and survival ofAlhagi depends on ground water supply, it is important that variations of ground water depth are kept to a minimum. The study will provide a theoretical basis for the restoration and management of natural vegetation around oasis in arid regions.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Robbins, W. W., Ball, W. S., Camelthorn,Alhagi camelorum Fish, Monthly Bull., California State Dept., 1933, 22: 258–260.
Kearney, T. A., Peebles, R. H., Arizone Flora, Berkeley: Univ. California Press, 1951, 1031.
Munz, P. A., Keck, D. D., A California Flora, Berkeley: Univ. California Press, 1959, 1681.
Graham, E. H., Legumes for Erosion Control and Widelife, Washington: U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1941, 153.
Yang, G., Li, Y. F., The relationship between afforestation and water balance in arid region (in Chinese), Urumqi: Xingjiang Peoples Press, 1992, 12–23.
Li, R. N., An experimental study on the re-growth ofAlhagi and its shelter effectiveness, Grass-Eating Animals (in Chinese), 1994, 2: 3–9.
Zhang, L. Y., MaiMai-ti, The influence of summer irrigation on the morphological characteristics and ecological structure of communityof Alhagi sparsifolai, Journal of Arid Zone Research (in Chinese), 1995, 12(4): 34–40.
Xia, Y., Zhang, L. Y., Some ecological and biological characteristics ofAlhagi sparsifolia, Journal of Arid Zone Research (in Chinese), 1995, 12(4): 53–60.
Jin, Q. H., Population character ofAlhagi sparsifolia and plant community succession, Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 1995, 19(3): 255–260.
Jin, Q. H., A study on the characters of content and distribution of K, Na, Ca, Mg elememts inAlhagi sparsifolia, Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 1996, 20(1): 80–84
Sobrado, M. A., Turner, N. C., Comparison of the water relations characteristics ofHeilianthus annuus andHelianthus petiolaris when subjected to water deficits, Oecologia, 1983, 58: 309.
Han, D. R., Yang, W. B., Yang, M. R., Water Dynamics and Its Application of Shrubs in Arid and Semi-arid (in Chinese), Beijing: Chinese Science and Technology Press, 1996, 29–35.
Weatherley, P. E., Some aspects of water relations, Adv. Bot. Res., 1970, 3: 31–110.
Witkowski, E., Lamont, B., Walton, C. et al., Leaf demography, sclerophylly and ecophysiology of two banksias with contrasting leaf life spans, Australian Journal of Botany, 1992, 40, 849–862.
Shmueli, E., The water balance of some plants of the Dead Sea Salines, Palestine J. Bot., Jerusalem Series, 1948, 4: 117–135.
Vander E. T., Walt, J. L., The camelthorn bush, Farming in South Africa, 1955, 30: 401–403.
Kassas, M., On the reproductive capacity and life cycle ofAlhagi maurorum, Proc. of Egyptian Acad. Sciences, 1952a, 8: 114–122.
Thomas, F. M., Arndt, S. K., Bruelheide, H. et al., Ecological basis for a sustainable management of the indigenous vegetation in a central-Asian desert: presentation and first results, Journal of Applied Botany, 2000, 74: 212–219.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zeng, F., Zhang, X., Foetzki, A. et al. Water relation characteristics ofAlhagi sparsifolia and consequences for a sustainable management. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 45 (Suppl 1), 125–131 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878398
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878398