Shamsutdinova E.Z.,  Shamsutdinov N.Z., Ibrahimov I.O.,  Nicolin V.N., Shamsutdinov Z.S. BLACK SAXAUL BELTS FOR PASTURE PROTECTION IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN DESERT: ENVIRONMENTAL AND PRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS // Arid ecosystems. 2019. V. 25. № 2 (79). P. 43-51. | PDF

Under the conditions of the southern Central Asian deserts, pasture protection belts formed by black saxaul significantly increase the relative humidity, change the temperature regime of air and soil, reduce wind speed, delay snow and protect the soil from drying. As a result, more favorable hydrothermal conditions are created for the growth and development of natural wormwood-ephemeral vegetation in the wood belt and adjacent areas of pastures. The species composition of plants in black saxaul belts becomes more varied, the density of ephemeral forbs higher than on open pasture. Production function of black saxaul belts consists of two components: production of forage mass of the black saxaul itself and natural production of wormwood-ephemeric pastures in the zone of positive environmental impact of black saxaul belts. It is advisable to use the black-saxaul pasture belts as fodder grounds twice during a year: during spring sheep are grazing on ephemera, repeatedly in the autumn-winter period – on the black saxaul (assimilation shoots and seeds).

Keywords: black saxaul, black saxaul belts, environmental and production function, the Central Asian desert.

DOI: 10.24411/1993-3916-2019-10053