Comprehensive evaluation on salt tolerance of different desert shrubs in Ulan Buh Desert regions

Based on the principal component analysis, the cluster analysis and the membership function method, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate quantitatively salt tolerance of the seedlings of Nitraria tangutorum, Nitraria sibirica, Zygophyllum xanthoxylon, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Caragana korshinskii, Reaumuria trigyna and Tamarix austromongolica growing in the Ulan Buh Desert by measuring many morphological and physiological indices. This study proposed that the ground diameter, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, water potential, branch length, above dry weight, main root length, lateral root length, lateral root number and root diameter were considered as the important indicators of salttolerance evaluation for the hese desert shrubs. Seven shrubs were divided into strong, medium and weak salt tolerance, in which the R.trigyna and the T.austromongolica were strong, and the N.sibirica and N.tangutorum was medium, and the others were weak. The salt tolerance of seven desert shrubs was in order as R. trigynaT.austromongolicaN.sibiricaN.tangutorumA.mongolicusZ.xanthoxylonC.korshinskii.