Scientists make desert arable

Qira research station scientists have pushed sand back more than 5km to make the desert bloom.

Since the time of the Silk Road, the remote Western region of Xinjiang has long been known for its harsh desert terrain. Now, scientists at the Qira research station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found a way to combat desertification.

Encroaching sand was threatening the 562km road to Urumqi and Hotan, which reduces the distance between the two cities by 500km. Tasked with protecting the road, Xu Xinwen, director of the research station, and his team decided the prevent exposure by planting a barrier of trees on either side.

However, in a desert that has annual precipitation of just 10mm, nurturing a tree to full size can be a challenging task. While the trees can survive on the bitter salt water below the sand, since 2003 the centre has also been pumping tens of millions of litres of water from 114 wells to service the 20 million plants along the strip.

Researchers at the institute have also been identifying plant types that actually help nourish the saline-alkalai soil. Tian Chagyan, deputy director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, has identified a handful of plants that do just this, which could change the barren landscape forever.

The institute hopes to build a comprehensive gene bank of desert plants that could have major military, medicinal and agricultural implications.