Author:

Mu Guijing

Title:

On the age and evolution of the Taklimakan Desert

Publisher:

Arid Land Geography. 1994,17(3):1-9

Date:

1994

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2Ca, 3Aa, 3C, 4Aa

Region:

Xinjiang, China

Summary:

The modern, dry climate environment of this desert started at the end of the Tertiary and formed in the Quaternary, although the arid environment of the Tarim Basin can be traced back to the Cretaceous period. This development period can be divided into the following stages: (1) arid tropic climate with little humid fluctuation from Cretaceous to early Oligocene; (2) semi-humid warm climate from late Oligocene to the end of Miocene; (3) arid warm climate in the Pliocene; (4) extremely arid climate with warm temperate and cold alternations. The age of the desert formation is much younger than arid environments generally, and most likely started in the late period of the middle Pleistocene or middle Pleistocene. All studies present two key development stages for the desert-one in the late period of the Pleistocene (17.0-17.5 ka B.P) which built up the foundation and outline of current landforms, and the other in the mid-Holocene (about 5.0 ka B.P) which completed the development of the modern desert.

Authors:

Shi Senbao and Hu Hongli (Beijing Agricultural University)

Title:

The mulch seeding with no tillage technique

Publisher:

Transaction of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. 6(3):3 1 -36

Date:

1990

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Ce

Region:

North China

Summary:

The concepts of conventional tillage, minimum tillage and mulch tillage are introduced and fundamentals of mulch seeding with no tillage described. Research which originally focused on summer corn is being extended. This new technology includes three field operations: wheat harvesting with straw chopping and spreading, direct seeding and fertilizing and weed control with herbicide spraying. It also includes techniques for seed treatment, mulching, direct seeding, granulated compound fertilizer application, herbicide spraying and insect control. The authors developed a mulch seeder (2BQM- 6D) as an essential tool for practicing the technology, which uses a chisel rather than the disc coulter used in other countries. The mulch seeder with chisel coulter is lighter, less costly and more suitable to Chinese conditions. The technology of the mulch seeding with no tillage for summer corn has produced remarkable economic, ecological and social benefits: increased yield, fuel consumption savings, reduced labour requirements and soil and water conservation compared to conventional tillage. It differs from no till farming in that it is adopted only during summer; the field will be ploughed during autumn. The technology avoids problems created by continuous no till farming, without sacrificing its advantages. It offers an effective means to reap high yield wheat and corn production.

Authors:

Su Zhizhu and Dong Guangrong (Institute of Loess Plateau Geography, Shanxi University 030072)

Title:

Climatic change in the northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau area during the last 130 000 years

Publisher:

Journal of Desert Research. 14(1):

Date:

1994

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2Ce, 3Ab, 4Ab

Region:

Shaanxi, China

Summary:

The article proposes that the northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau has experienced four periods of humid-warm and dry-cold climatic change based on studies of the magnetic susceptibility curve, lithological character of stratum and other palaeo-climatic indicators in two regions of northern Shaanxi. This coincides with trends in palaeo climatic change and deep sea oxygen isotope curve changes represented in the loess section of Luochuan, Shaanxi and suggests that climatic change in this region during the last 130 000 years was synchronous with that of the whole earth.

Author:

Sun Anjiang (National Meteorological Center State Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081)

Title:

Research on recent climatic change tendencies in Spring in the Mu Us Sandy Land

Publisher:

Plateau Meteorology. 11 (1): 73-8Z

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2Ea, 3Aa, 3D, 4Ab

Region:

Mu Us Sand Land

Summary:

The authors use meteorological data from five stations (Etoke, Dongsheng, Yanchi, Yulin, Ushenqi) in the Mu Us Sandy Land during spring seasons of the past 40 years to detail desertification related trends in climate change. Areas covered include aridity coefficients, cloud cover, precipitation, humidity, wind speed and number of wind-sand days. Spring conditions changed from being wetter in the 1960s to drier in the 1970's and wetter again in the 1980s. If this oscillation pattern over periods of approximately ten years is maintained, spring conditions will once again be drier. Power spectrums have been analyzed by time series (1955-1988) for precipitation and aridity coefficients; significant levels of 0.05 appear at two to three and eight to nine year intervals at each station. This oscillation of two to three years may be associated with SST of tropical oceans, subtropical highs over the western Pacific and cold air activity in the northern hemisphere which all have the same periodic oscillation. The regression prediction models have also been established for precipitation and aridity coefficients. These models can predict springtime precipitation and aridity coefficients for the region from three to six months in advance. The ability of human activity to affect desertification and climatic change in various ways in the same climatic environment is also addressed.

Author:

Sun Jibin (Northwestern Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)

Title:

A study of a cropping system for dryland farming in loess hilly areas

Publisher:

Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation. 12(4):10-18

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

3Aa, 6Aa, 6Da

Region:

South Nongxia

Summary:

This report discusses productive potential and technical approaches for dryland farming in loess hilly areas, based on a cropping system for eroded tideland hilly areas in Pengang county, South Nongxia between 1986-1990. Cropping systems for dryland farming should consider the grassland-animal husbandry-nutrients-grain relationship as a focal point for building a drought-resistant system. Features included preservation of soil moisture, selection and introduction of appropriate varieties of crops, and optimal tillage and cultivation practices. This system is the foundation to guarantee higher and steady yields from dryland farms in loess hilly areas.

Authors:

Urkongbek, Wang Yongxing, Niu Dakui (Xinjiang Institute of Geography, Academia Sinica)

Title:

Domination of local landforms in sand dune movement, Altai, Xinjiang

Publisher:

Journal of Desert Research. 10(3)

Date:

1990

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2B, 2Eb

Region:

Wind action creates sand dune movement; land surface wind is effected by local landforms. In Altai Xinjiang the direction of sand dune movements is complex: from April to September dunes on both sides of the western Ertix River and between the Ertix and Ulungur Rivers move eastward and southeastward; during the rest of the year dunes on the north side of the Ertix River move westward or northwestward. Local weather is also effected by the arctic air mass. Mongolian High Pressure acted upon the study area during the winter half of the year. Higher relief of local landforms also directly effects wind direction and, therefore, controls the moving direction of dunes.

Authors:

Wang Baofang and Zhu Lingyi (Forest Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry)

Title:

Study of the regulatory and control effects of irrigation on growing conditions for Populus x Popularis Chon-lin

Publisher:

Scientia Silvae Sinicae. 28(6):555-560

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Cd, 6Ea

Region:

North China

Summary:

This study analyses the moisture and heat condition of soil under various artificial water supply conditions to determine optimum water capacity equilibriums for growing Populus x Popularis Chon-lin. During this experiment (conducted from 1984 to 1990) soil moisture and heat, changes in groundwater levels and growth increments of forest trees were observed year by year at regular intervals. By irrigating artificial plantations of Populus x Poplaris Chon-Lin in the dry regions of northwest China, groundwater levels during the growth period could be raised 0.5 to 1.54 m, and the status of soil moisture and temperature effectively improved.

Authors:

Wang Jinxin, Gao Wenxiu and Yu Qinzhu (Dept. of Soil and Water Conservation, NWFC)

Title:

Analysis and prediction for water collection through land preparation engineering in semi-arid loess hill and gully areas of North Shaanxi

Publisher:

Journal of the Northwest Forestry College. 7(2):45-49

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6B, 6Ce

Region:

Shaanxi, China

Summary:

Collecting and storage of water using land preparation engineering was analysed in accordance with the principle of water equilibrium and runoff movement. Land preparation engineering can adjust soil moisture of tree planting pits. The average amount of water collected by the engineers correlated positively with other water collection areas and precipitation which causes runoff. If the water collection area is 1.5 m², 2.0 m², and 2.5 m², the water collected is 29.22 kg, 33.95 kg and 37.58 kg, respectively. In comparing three engineering measures, the average annual water storage of the reverse-slope terrace is the highest, up to 26.5 mm; that of contour trenches, 24.8 mm; and fish scale pits the lowest, at only 20.7 mm. Rainfall plays a dominant role in soil water storage. Prediction models for collecting water from individual rainfalls by land preparation engineering methods has extensive practical applications.

Authors:

Wang Lixiang and Wang liouDang (Northwestern Agricultural University)

Title:

Establishing optimal water-saving structures for agriculture and animal husbandry and their benefits in the semi-arid areas of southern Ningxia

Publisher:

Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas. 10(2):8-15

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

3Aa, 6Ab, 6Da, 6Ee

Region:

Ningxia

Summary:

During eight years of research in the Taozhuang Experimental and Demonstration Area optimal designs for dryland agricultural and animal husbandry systems were developed. Expanded planting of perennial legume forage species, such as alfalfa, improved the material circulation of the grasses-livestock-manure-grain cycle. Soil fertility studies showed that organic fertilizer was the most effective base; inorganic fertilizer can improve the conversion efficiency of soil moisture to increase yields of grain and oil-bearing crops and animal husbandry production, and thereby sustain increased economic return.

Author:

Wang Peifang

Title:

Preliminary study of environmental changes in Hulun Buir Sandy Land since the Holocene

Publisher:

Journal of Desert Research. 12(4):13-18

Date:

1992

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2B, 3C, 4Aa

Region:

Inner Mongolia, China

Summary:

Three large belts of sandyland run in a south-north direction, with a light-yellow fine sand layer containing two or three layers of paleosols in the Hulun Buir Sandy Land. Spore pollen and 14C dating indicate that this sandyland has experienced four fixed periods and four mobile periods of change since the Holocene. The paleosol layers contain small amounts of wood pollen; herb pollens are abundant. From early to late Holocene the paleo-botanical succession series were subdesert steppe-Artemisia, steppe-sparse forest, steppe-Chenopodiaceae and weed steppe. All of these vegetation types belong to grassland on sandy soil. Existing sandy grassland should be protected in accordance with the succession laws of ancient vegetation.

Author:

Wang qi (Inner Mongolia Academy of Forestry, Huhehot)

Title:

The results of plane sowing on large and middle-sized moving dunes in Mu Us sands

Publisher:

Grassland of China. (6):37-39

Date:

1990

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Ce

Region:

Mu Us Sandy Land

Summary:

The combined technique of three suitabilites, three solutions and three benefits was adopted to the plane sowing method for sand control in Mu Us sands. The method's effectiveness was increased from 5 percent to 37 percent and 78 percent in large and middle-sized mobile dunes, respectively; on the wind slope of moving dunes effectiveness increased from one to 20 percent.

Author:

Wang Yimu

Title:

Preliminary study of a dynamic monitoring system for duststorm environments in China

Publisher:

Journal of Desert Research. 13 (3):74-78

Date:

1993

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

2Ca, 3Ba, 6Aa

Region:

North China

Summary:

Sudden sandstorms are a significant natural disaster in arid and semi arid areas of China, causing serious life and property losses. There is an urgent need to establish a dynamic monitoring system for duststorm environments. This proposed system consists of gale alarming, middle and long-term meteorological forecasting, ground monitoring, satellite monitoring, image processing and map-making, databases for disaster analysis, evaluation and policy prevention models and a forewarning information transmission network. Information sources for the monitoring system include regional GIS, national disaster information data, thematic maps, meteorological forecasting data, Fy-IB polar orbiting meteorological satellite images, NOAA-K meteorological satellite cloud images, and Landsat and SPOT satellite images. The Model 4991 S3 map-making system was used to compile thematic maps: disaster-forming condition map, disaster environment map and disaster control regionalization map.

Author:

Wang Yongkui (The Sand-Fixation Afforestation Research Institute of Liaoning Province)

Title:

Observations on the effect of sand-fixing plants on sandy soil

Publisher:

Scientia Silvae Sinicae. 21(2)

Date:

1985

Language:

Chinese

Available:

Liaoning, China

Classification:

2Ec, 3Ab, 6Cb, 6Eb

Summary:

This study observed the sand-fixing effect of Salix flavida Chang et Skv, Caragana microphylla Lam., and Hedysarum mongolicum Turcz. when planted on sandy soil. Sand movements were effectively stopped by the plants' canopies. The velocity of wind within plantations was greatly reduced, damage from soil erosion was less and a large amount of litter accumulated under the canopies. Plantations of S. flacvida produced the greatest quantity of litter with 3.5-3.9 tons per ha; A. Halodendron produced the least with 0.31 tons per ha. The mechanical structure of the top layer of soil became finer and the volume weight, lighter. Nutrient condition improved, i.e. nitrogen and particularly potassium, with marked increases in humus. Tree plantations should be established within two to three years after dunes have been stabilised by the plants; the escarpment should be larger than normal.

Authors:

Wang Zhaofeng and Xu Liankui (Forest Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry)

Title:

Study on the technology of aerial sowing for afforestation

Publisher:

Scientia Silvae Sinicae. 21(1)

Date:

1985

Language:

Chinese

Classification:

6Cd

Region:

China

Summary:

This paper deals with three aspects of aerial sowing for afforestation: site, species and time. Comparisons were made of the results of aerial sowing in tour environments, arid, semi-arid, semi-humid and humid. The biological characteristics and regularity of surviving seed from Pinus massoniana, P. yunnanensis, P. tabulaeformis, Astragalus adsurgens and Hedysarum monglolicum was analysed to determine which species are most suitable for aerial sowing. Aerial sowing can be done throughout the year depending upon rainfall and temperatures in different regions. Chinese advances in aerial sowing technology over the past 20 years verify its potential for afforestation.