A preliminary study on the characteristics of population families of the halophilous herbaceous plants in qira gobi desert, xinjiang

Authors Zhao Qiang; Zhang Ximing

Journal Arid Zone Research , 2003,3:20

Abstract located in Xinjiang, the Tarim Basin is a typical arid area in China, the annual precipitation is exiguous but the evaporation is violent. Qira Gobi Desert is located in the .southern marginal zone of the basin, the climate is extremely arid, and the salt content in soils is high. The herbaceous plants growing under such environment conditions have drought-enduring, high - temperature-enduring and halophilous capabilities. In this paper, the characteristics of population families of the halophilous herbaceous plants and the moisture absorbing efficiency are researched. The results show that the average coverage and the average density of the halophilous herbaceous plants are 2.48% and 7.1 individual plants per cubic meter respectively. The average height of the halophilous herbaceous plants is 6. 17 cm, and the average biomass is 4. 62g/m~2 . The halophilous herbaceous plants are distributed in families, and the moisture absorbing efficiency of the plants is 0. 586kg/mm·hm . The average length ratio and weight ratio between roots and stems are 2. 0 and 0. 056 respectively. The quantity relations between the height and the standing biomass of the halophilous herbaceous plants are y = 0.0677eO. 2568x (0<x ≤7cm) and y = 0.0674 x~2 -0.4487x- 0.0399 (x>7cm).