Effects of Cutting and Burning on Regeneration of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. on the Southern Fringe of the Taklamakan Desert

Disturbances, such as fire and cutting, can interfere with plant renewal and growth. Many previous studies indicated that the effects of burning and cutting can be favourable for some species while adverse for others, and these effects appear to vary from one region to another. However, information on how cutting and burning affects natural plants of arid rangeland, especially in the southern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert of North-west China, is rather limited.

Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Fabaceae) is a native and dominate species in the transition zone between oasis and sandy desert on the southern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert. It plays an important role in supporting the fragile ecosystem in the oasis foreland, stabilising sand dunes and functioning as a shelter against drifting sand. 

Unfortunately, due to excessive harvest and grazing, this specialised species now faces large-scale extinction on the southern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert. Consequently, additional research to obtain information suggesting ways to promote more sustainable use of A. sparsifolia, and effectively protect vegetation cover in the oasis foreland, is very important. Moreover, controlled burning is also used for removing natural vegetation before cultivation, but no studies have been conducted on the effects of cutting and burning on A. sparsifolia in this region. Understanding how plants will respond to the disturbances mentioned above for natural vegetation regeneration management is a particular research need.

Therefore, LI Haifeng et al. from XIEG investigated the impact of human disturbance on regeneration of A. sparsifolia on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert. Observations of A. sparsifolia in response to cutting and burning were conducted in 2010 and 2011.

The results showed that burning in spring significantly decreased height and biomass in comparison to cutting in the autumn. Furthermore, biomass was decreased by spring burning more than by spring cutting. Burning in spring is no advantage for the growth and survival of A. sparsifolia. Cutting in the autumn appears to be a useful treatment for increasing the production and survival of A. sparsifolia.

The research was funded by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Basic Research Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The result was published in The Rangeland Journal on December 2012, 34: 389-397.