Researchers at the Shabuto Desert Experimental Research Station in China have developed a revolutionary approach to reverse desertification and transform barren sands into productive land in just 10 months.
Using cyanobacteria, microorganisms that specialize in photosynthesis, the researchers created biological soil crusts that form a living layer on the surface of constantly moving sand dunes. When biological soil crusts are dispersed and applied to sand, they cause cyanobacteria to secrete glue-like substances based on sugars that bind individual sand grains into a firm, solid mass.
This process dramatically reduces the time needed for natural soil formation because it quickly increases the levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. As a result, these biological soil crusts stabilize sand on desert ground and retain moisture in the sand, thus providing a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable foundation for successful plant growth in harsh, dry environments around the world.
China’s research team is transforming Desert sand inside Fertile soil In 10 months
Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that can be grown in laboratories and added to the desert as a way to improve the desert ecosystem. These organisms can tolerate severe drought; When water is present, they multiply quickly and form a crust that protects against wind erosion and provides nutrients for shrubs and grasses to root. This removes the fundamental challenges of establishing vegetation in unstable, nutrient-poor deserts.
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According to the study of soil biology and biochemistry, biological soil crusts (BSCs) are thin, living layers of soil composed of soil particles bound by polysaccharide secretions from cyanobacteria. They serve as the basis for environmental recovery. Studies indicate that application of these microbial communities will accelerate the rate of organic carbon accumulation by 3.2 times and nitrogen accumulation by approximately 15 times, compared to the rate at which natural crusts form.
Rapidly creating a stable “sand bottom” through chemical and physical processes will facilitate the establishment of many more complex organisms (such as lichens and mosses) as observed in research conducted at PMC-NIH.
Soil biological sciences
Beyond the initial installation, this technology allows for a practical, low-maintenance approach to traditional labor-intensive methods used in desert reclamation, such as planting trees by hand. The use of laboratory-grown, drought-resistant strains means that the method can be adapted to many dry climates outside China. As noted in research published in PMC-NIH, ongoing research into “artificial microbial communities” supports the possibility of optimizing specific bacterial strains to improve efficiency with crust formation, thus providing the basis for the development of large-scale global systems to combat desertification through automation.
