Responses of Amygdalus pedunculata Pall.in the sandy and loamy soils to water stress

Amygdalus pedunculata Pall.is a major species that is widely planted in afforested soils with different textures in the transitional zone between Mu Us Desert and Loess Plateau,China.However,the responses of A.pedunculata to increasing intensity of water stress in different textural soils are not clear.Here,we conducted a soil column experiment to evaluate the effects of different textures(sandy and loamy)on water consumption,water use efficiency(WUE),biomass accumulation and ecological adaptability of A.pedunculata under increasing water stress,i.e.,90%(±5%)FC(field capacity),75%(±5%)FC,60%(±5%)FC,45%(±5%)FC and 30%(±5%)FC in 2018.A.pedunculata grown in the sandy soil with the lowest(30%FC)and highest(90%FC)water contents had respectively 21.3%-37.0%and 4.4%-20.4%less transpiration than those with other water treatments(45%-75%FC).In contrast,A.pedunculata transpiration in the loamy soil decreased with decreasing water content.The magnitude of decrease in transpiration increased with increasing level of water deficit(45%and 30%FC).Mean daily and cumulative transpirations of the plant were significantly lower in the sandy soil than in the loamy soil under good water condition(90%FC),but the reverse was noted under water deficit treatments(45%and 30%FC).Plant height,stem diameter and total biomass initially increased with decreasing water content from 90%to 75%FC and then declined under severe water deficit conditions(45%and 30%FC)in the sandy soil.However,these plant parameters decreased with decreasing water content in the loamy soil.WUE in the sandy soil was 7.8%-12.3%higher than that in the loamy soil,which initially increased with decreasing water content from 90%to 75%FC and then declined under water deficit conditions(45%and 30%FC).The study showed that plant transpiration,biomass production and WUE responded differentially to increasing intensity of water stress in the sandy and loamy soils.The contrasting responses of A.pedunculata to water stress in different textural soils can guide future revegetation programs in the northern region of Chinese Loess Plateau by considering plant adaptability to varying soil and water conditions.

Patterns and drivers of seasonal water sources for artificial sand-fixing plants in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land,Northwest China

Understanding plant water-use patterns is important for improving water-use efficiency and for sustainable vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions. However, seasonal variations in water sources and their control by different sand-fixing plants in water-limited desert ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, stable isotopic ratios of hydrogen(δ^(2)H) and oxygen(δ^(18)O) in precipitation, soil water, groundwater, and xylem water were determined to document seasonal changes in water uptake by three representative plant species(Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv., Amygdalus pedunculata Pall., and Salix psammophila) in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land, Northwest China. Based on the depth distribution and temporal variation of measured gravimetric soil water content(SWC), the soil water profile of the three species stands was divided into active(0.01 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.08 g g^(-1), 20%< coefficient of variation(CV) < 45%), stable(0.02 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.05 g g^(-1), CV < 20%), and moist(0.08 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.20 g g^(-1), CV >45%) layers. Annually, P. sylvestris, A. pedunculata, and S. psammophila obtained most water from deep(59.2%±9.7%, moist layer and groundwater),intermediate(57.4%±9.8%, stable and moist layers), and shallow(54.4%±10.5%, active and stable layers) sources, respectively. Seasonally, the three plant species absorbed more than 60% of their total water uptake from the moist layer and groundwater in the early(June) dry season;then, they switched to the active and stable layers in the rainy season(July–September) for water resources(50.1%–62.5%). In the late(October–November) dry season, P. sylvestris(54.5%–66.2%) and A. pedunculata(52.9%–63.6%) mainly used water from stable and moist layers, whereas S. psammophila(52.6%–70.7%) still extracted water predominantly from active and stable layers. Variations in the soil water profile induced by seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and groundwater levels and discrepancies in plant phenology, root distribution, and water demand are the main factors affecting the seasonal water-use patterns of artificial sand-fixing plants. Our study addresses the issue of plant water uptake with knowledge of proportional source-water use and reveals important implications for future vegetation restoration and water management in the Mu Us sandy land and similar desert regions around the world.