The special organic fertilizer in improving the growth and drought tolerance of desert plant Haloxylon ammodendron

This study explored the effects of special organic fertilizer and mixture with chemical fertilizer on growth and drought tolerance of Haloxylon ammodendron seedling in three villages (Zhongsha, Wangzhuang and Changcheng) of Liangzhou District, Wuwei City. The results showed that: 1) The addition of special organic fertilizer significantly increased the branching number, layers, main stem diamer, plant height, crown diameter and fresh weight and dry weight of H. ammodendron, and it’s density firstly increased and then decreased along with time increasing. 2) The accumulation of shoots Na+ increased significantly by applying the special organic fertilizer in the Zhongsha; Special organic fertilizer + DAP + urea fertilizer treatment significantly increased shoot Na+ and K+ accumulation in Wangzhuang; Special organic fertilizer + DAP + urea fertilizer treatment significantly decreased shoot K+ accumulation in Changcheng. 3) The special organic fertilizer not only saved cost but also reduced the use of NPK fertilizers. The results showed that the special organic fertilizer could improve the growth and drought tolerance of H. ammodendron.