Abstract: Rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soils from three shrub species of varying age in the Tarim Desert Highway shelter belt, namely Haloxylon sp., Calligonum mongolicum, and Tamarix chinensis, differed in their physical, chemical,and biological properties. Of the 22 parameters studied, all except two (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) differed substantially among the three species; differed substantially with the age of the plants; and were affected significantly by the interaction between these two factors, namely species and age of the plantation. The parameters studied were as follows:available and total nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; average well colour development; activity of six enzymes (catalase, cellulose, phosphatase, protease, sucrose, and urease); diversity of fatty acids and of DNA fragments; carbon, nitrogen, potassium, and organic matter contents of microbial biomass; moisture content; bulk density; and total salts. Raising a shelter belt of these desert shrubs accelerated the conversion of soil nutrients from their bound form into their available form and improved the soil of the desert shelter belt in several other ways.

Key words: drifting desert, soil factor, desert plant, rhizosphere effect