Комитет по координации развития науки и технологий при кабинете министров республики узбекистан

AGRO-SILVIPASTORAL MODEL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTIVITY OF SALT 
AFFECTED MARGINAL LANDS IN THE ARAL SEA BASIN 
Toderich K.N.
1
, Shoaib I.
2
 
1
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, CGIAR-PFU at ICARDA sub-regional office in Tashkent

---

63 
halophytes and other salt-tolerant crops is the 
production and conservation of germplasm of important 
seeds. The demand for seeds of salt-tolerant species has 
increased and a number of farmers have become 
interested to apply biosaline agriculture techniques as a 
feasible option for marginal lands. An innovative 
selection programs and development of suitable 
modern agro-technologies were suggested to multiply 
seeds of valuable salt tolerant species and establish 
them within natural plant communities, where they are 
suitable in different ecosystems. However, the outline 
of the general strategies for salt affected and degraded 
rangelands regeneration and management in new 
human changing desert/semi-desert environments and 
socio-economic systems should still be developed and 
modeled.
Our findings from the screening of 16 
multipurpose tree species offer a spectrum of
options for afforesting degraded land. In order to 
implement afforestation of marginal patches of
irrigated land in Kyzylkesek site (Kanimekh district, 
Navoi region, Uzbekistan ), Amudarya River Delta 
(Khorezm region in Uzbekistan and Dashauz province 
from Turkmenistan), the ideal multipurpose tree 
species should combine a number of features such as:
high survival rate, quick growth, halophytic and
xerophytic characteristics, and high utility value of 
firewood and/or foliage. Salt tolerant trees and/or 
shrubs species, e.g., 
Populus euphratica, P. pruinosus, 
P. nigra var. Pyramidalis, Elaeagnus angustifolia, 
Morus alba, M. nigra, Robinia pseudoacacia, Tamarix 
hispida, T. androsowii, Salix babylonica, S. songarica, 
Haloxylon aphyllum, Cynadon oblonga, Armeniaca 
vulgare,
Malus domestica
, Acacia ampliceps 
and 
various perennials shrubs, such as species of genus
Atriplex, Hippophae ramnoides Ribes niger & Rosa 
canina
(exceptional under arid continental with 
subtropical elements climate
) 
established on good deep 
soils have good potential as part of the silvi-
agropastoral production system. Fodder shrubs were 
associated with the cereal farming system, including 
native rangelands halophytes alone, or mixed with 
various traditional salt tolerant fodder crops. As part of 
the desert land re-vegetation and/or rangeland 
improvement saltbushes 
Atriplex canescens, A. nitens,
A. undulata, A. nummularia 
and
A. amnicola 
were 
recently introduced at the saline sandy desert zones of 
low-lying salt affected areas of Central Asian River 
deltas. Our preliminarily results showed that the 
establishment trees/shrubs plantations requires limited 
irrigation during the initial stage of growth before sole 
reliance on available groundwater resources can 
become possible. Since the availability of irrigation 
water on marginal lands is limited, there is a need for 
assessment of the ground water budget, root –zone salt 
accumulation control and distribution, as well as 
studying the adoption of water-saving irrigation 
techniques, which are being applied on tree plantations 
in other arid regions of the world (Andreu et al., 1997; 
Levy et al., 1999). It was found that the high 
productivity of