Successful Biological Methods for Combating Desertification at Degraded Areas of China - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 49

Fig. 3.1 “The Great Green Wall” extends for hundreds of km in northern China to reduce the
impact of dust and sandstorms that originate in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia

Biological methods are the ultimate way for drift sand stabilization and a
fundamental approach to the development and proper utilization of desert (Yaolin
and Jihe 2005 ). The measures used to fix sands in China can be classified into two
types: One is to protect the extant vegetation on the sand dunes or, where such
vegetation has deteriorated, to plant trees, shrubs and grasses. This type is called a
biological methods or plant measure for desert control. Another approach involves
the mechanical measures (see Chap. 2 ) .

2 Raising Seedlings of Desert-Adapted Plants

The nursery garden is the base for seedling production. Seedling raising, which is
strongly limited by seasons, need to be done intensively, that means to raise high-
quality seedlings with the lowest cost and in the shortest time. The yield, quality and
cost of seedlings are all strongly affected by natural conditions of the area where
the nursery garden is located. So, before establishing a nursery garden, especially
a permanent garden with large area, the conditions in the garden, as well as the
types and the characteristics of the seedlings need to be surveyed and analyzed. And