Abstract
Irrational, ecologically unregulated economic activity in the vast deserts of Central Asia has led to biodiversity depletion, decrease in the fodder productivity of natural pastures and, as a result, deterioration in the fodder base of grassland farming. Forage production of these degraded pastures requires ecological restoration. To enrich the species composition and to increase the fodder productivity of degraded pastures we conducted strip sowing of black saxaul. Restorative succession on degraded pastures led to the formation of a long-term halophytic shrub-ephemeral pasture community consisting of two layers: upper (I) layer represented by black saxaul and lower (II) layer composed of ephemeroids, ephemerals and annual saltwort. Ephemerals are short-growing fodder plants (March–April); Haloxylon aphyllum refers to long-growing (226–242 days) fodder plants, which sprout in the period from late March to early December. Annual salsolas Salsola carinata and Halocharis hispida develop well under the crown of Haloxylon aphyllum. Here they are much larger than between the crowns. The shrub-ephemeral pasture community is dominated by annual grasses and Poa bulbosa. They are mainly concentrated on the outer border of the undercrown ring and are characterized by lush development. In the halophytic semi-shrub-ephemeroid pasture community, the total yield of forage mass of ephemera was 0.90 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass of annual saltwort was 0.14 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass of Haloxylon aphyllum was 0.89 t/ha; the total yield of forage mass was 1.93 t/ha.