Table 4.
Characteristics of the 3 desert soil environments. The data are the average value of environment (mean ± SD).
| Average Value | Badain Jaran Desert | Tengger Desert | Ulan Buh Desert |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW (%) | 2.28 ± 1.49 b | 4.61 ± 6.17 ab | 6.68 ± 5.88 a |
| Cly (%) | 1.21 ± 0.69 b | 2.03 ± 1.72 b | 4.81 ± 4.27 a |
| Sit (%) | 5.99 ± 4.96 b | 12.03 ± 11.15 b | 34.06 ± 33.35 a |
| Sad (%) | 92.79 ± 34.49 a | 85.93 ± 42.92 a | 61.13 ± 47.77 a |
| Median size (μm) | 186 ± 76 a | 141.35 ± 76.91 a | 143.55 ± 116.97 a |
| TN (g/kg) | 0.01 ± 0.01 a | 0.23 ± 0.16 a | 0.16 ± 0.05 a |
| AP (ppm) | 0.33 ± 0.23 b | 1.02 ± 0.61 a | 1.16 ± 0.56 a |
| SOM (g/kg) | 0.15 ± 0.05 b | 0.35 ± 0.26 ab | 0.22 ± 0.07 a |
| EC (μS/cm) | 0.07 ± 0.04 a | 0.08 ± 0.03 a | 0.08 ± 0.01 a |
| AK (mg/kg) | 176.42 ± 68.48 b | 141.76 ± 73.88 ab | 103.53 ± 20.08 a |
| RZ (g/cm3) | 1.39 ± 0.44 a | 1.5 ± 0.1 a | 1.55 ± 0.78 a |
Notes: Different lowercase letters (a,b) indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05) between different deserts. SW = soil moisture content; Cly = clay content; Sit = powder content; Sad = sand content; Median size = median particle size; TN = total nitrogen; NP = available phosphorus; SOM = soil organic matter; EC = electrical conductivity; AK = available potassium content; AP = available phosphorus; RZ = soil bulk density.