Coupled Effects of Halophytes and Soil Texture on Water and Salt Movement in Unsaturated Saline Soils

Changes in groundwater levels due to climate change and human activities affect the process of soil water and salt transport in the vadose zone of drylands, which further influences vegetation growth and community succession. Groundwater level, soil structure, and the salt-endurance mechanism of halophytes are essential factors affecting this process. To further understand the interactions of these factors and their effects on the water-salt transport process in the vadose zone, the study was conducted to investigate the impact of halophytes and soil structure on soil water-salt transport in the root zone of plants by constructing an observation site for water-salt transport, selecting three soil types, namely, sandy soil, sandy loam, and clay, as well as two typical halophytes, namely, Nitraria tangutorum and Tamarix ramosissima, and carrying out water-salt observation experiments with the help of water-salt sensors for water-salt observation and data collection, and conducting spot observation experiments under different treatments. The study will investigate the effects of halophytes and soil structure on soil water and salt transport in the root zone of plants and determine the parameters of water and salt transport under different treatments to serve the establishment of water and salt transport modeling in arid zones and the construction of ecological protection forest system in arid oases.