Area Of Northwest China Research Articles

Digital Literacy and the Livelihood Resilience of Livestock Farmers: Empirical Evidence from the Old Revolutionary Base Areas in Northwest China

Enhancing the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers in the old revolutionary base areas helps them to cope with the increasingly complex external risk shocks of recent years and promotes the sustainable development of regional agriculture. This study is based on survey data from 1047 livestock farmers in the Ningxia and Gansu provinces of the northwest old revolutionary base area. It incorporates the characteristics of livestock farmers and the elements of psychological capital into the sustainable livelihood analysis framework to construct a livelihood resilience index system. After measuring livelihood resilience, this paper uses a general linear regression model and a probit model to explore the impact and mechanism of digital literacy on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers. The results show the following: (1) digital literacy has a significant positive effect on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers, and the impact of different dimensions of digital literacy on different dimensions of livelihood resilience also varies. Additionally, this effect also shows the heterogeneity in different village clustering forms and different income groups. In areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and among moderate-income groups, the role of digital literacy on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers is more significant. (2) The improvement of digital literacy has a significant positive impact on livelihood resilience through three different pathways: the “differential mode of association”, learning channels, and types of income. (3) Digital literacy has led to the psychological aspects of rural hollowing-out problems among livestock farmers, which is particularly evident in families with only one type of caregiving burden (either only left-behind elderly people or only left-behind children). This problem is more evident. Therefore, this paper poses that the advancement of agricultural and rural economic development in China should not only focus on the cultivation of farmers’ digital literacy but also accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure to ensure the long-term effective mechanism of improving digital literacy. At the same time, in the process of promoting digital rural areas, attention should be paid to the psychological isolation issues that the network era brings to farmers.

Enhancing tomato growth and soil fertility under salinity stress using halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

Soil salinization is a critical issue that not only hampers the efficiency and sustainability of global agricultural production but also poses significant challenges to the achievement of sustainable development goals across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (HPGPR) have the potential to mitigate abiotic stress, foster plant growth, and bolster the stress resistance capabilities of crops. This study conducted the isolation, identification, and characterization of HPGPR originating from a saline-alkali orchard area in northwest China. The efficacy of the isolated bacterial strains was evaluated through potted plant experiments, assessing the growth of tomato plants under in vitro conditions and under varying salinity stress. Ultimately, the study investigated the influence of these HPGPR on soil physicochemical properties, enzymatic activities, and the structure and composition of the microbial community. Upon isolating 12 bacterial strains, we conducted an in vitro assessment of their salt tolerance, ultimately singling out three robust isolates, which exhibited exceptional salt tolerance. Detailed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and meticulous taxonomic evaluation systematically assigned these isolates to Priestia endophyticus GSCK1 (accession number: OR569048), Bacillus atrophaeus GSCK2 (accession number: OR569061), and Serratia fonticola GSCK6 (accession number: OR569062), respectively. These strains exhibited notable biochemical and plant growth-promoting traits, including enzymatic activities and the production of indole-3-acetic acid. They significantly enhanced plant growth metrics and soil fertilities, particularly strain GSCK6, which also reshaped the soil microbial community, augmenting beneficial microbe abundance. The HPGPR treatment notably improved soil pH, nutrient availability, enzymatic activities, and reduced soil electrical conductivity, underscoring their potential in agricultural resilience against salinity. The eco-friendly salt stress mitigation strategy of HPGPR not only enhances soil quality and promotes plant growth by regulating the composition and function of microbial communities, but also provides a novel solution for global agricultural production. This approach is conducive to increasing crop yield and quality, reducing the limitations of saline-alkali land on agricultural production, and promoting food security and sustainable agricultural development.

Evaluation and projection of changes in temperature and precipitation over Northwest China based on CMIP6 models

AbstractNorthwest China is much more sensitive to climate warming, and the climate has varied rapidly from warm and drought to warm and humid conditions. In addition, due to the complex terrain of Northwest China, the methods and parameterization schemes of different CMIP6 models, these models are mostly applied to arid areas in Northwest China or Central Asia, lacking climate data for plateau areas and eastern Lanzhou, specifically in filtering CMIP6 models and evaluating applicable models. In this paper, 34 CMIP6 climate models are used to evaluate and forecast future trends in Northwest China under the SSP126, SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios in the short, medium and long term. CMIP6 models of temperature and precipitation are identified by applying the interannual variability skill score (IVS) between CN05.1 datasets and historical CMIP6 models, which are suitable for Northwest China. Then, we assess the characteristics, warming and wetting deviations, and uncertainties in the prediction of climatic change according to CMIP6 models over Northwest China. The results show that CMIP6 models in precipitation and temperature applicable to Northwest China are AWI‐CM‐1‐1‐MR, BCC‐CSM2‐MR, FGOALS‐g3, INM‐CM4‐8, INM‐CM5‐0 and MRI‐ESM2‐0. The multi‐model ensemble mean (MMEM) has better capability than individual CMIP6 models in precipitation and temperature prediction. Spatiotemporal climatic change over Northwest China shows overall warming and wetting trends. The IVS provides the ability to estimate CMIP6 model simulation performance both temporally and spatially. The temperature simulation is quite good in the Tarim Basin and Hexi Corridor region, and the precipitation simulation is quite good in the plateau region, Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains and Hexi Corridor region. Cold and wet deviations occur in Northwest China due to the topography and few stations, which are common reasons. The main sources of uncertainties in temperature prediction during this century are model uncertainty (before the 2090s) and scenario variability (after the 2090s), and model uncertainty in precipitation for CMIP6 becomes the main source of uncertainty.

Assessing impacts of land use/land cover patterns to shallow groundwater nitrate pollution in an agricultural-dominant area in northwest China using random forest

Assessing impacts of land use/land cover patterns to shallow groundwater nitrate pollution in an agricultural-dominant area in northwest China using random forest

Microbial production of methyl-uranium via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway

The misuse of uranium is a major threat to human health and the environment. In microbial ecosystems, microbes deploy various strategies to cope with uranium-induced stress. However, the exact ecological strategies and mechanisms underlying uranium tolerance in microbes remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the survival strategies and tolerance mechanisms of microbial communities in uranium-contaminated soil and groundwater. Microbial co-occurrence networks and molecular biology techniques were used to analyze the properties of microbes in groundwater and soil samples from various depths of uranium-contaminated areas in Northwest China. Uranium pollution altered microbial ecological strategies. Uranium stress facilitated the formation of microbial community structures, leading to symbiosis. Furthermore, microbes primarily resisted uranium hazards by producing polysaccharides and phosphate groups that chelate uranium, releasing phosphate substances that precipitate uranium, and reducing U(VI) through sulfate- and iron-reducing processes. The relative abundance of metal-methylation genes in soil microorganisms positively correlated with uranium concentration, indicating that soil microorganisms can produce methyl uranium via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Furthermore, soil and groundwater microorganisms demonstrated different responses to uranium stress. This study provides new insights into microbial responses to uranium stress and novel approaches for the bioremediation of uranium-contaminated sites.

Nitrogen Fertilisation and Seed Rate Regulation Improved Photosynthesis, Grain Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Under Ridge–Furrow Cropping

ABSTRACTRidge–furrow cropping patterns, nitrogen fertilisation and seed rate regulation are popular management strategies for improving crop yields in the semi‐arid areas of Northwest China, but their interactive effects on grain yield and water use efficiency remain poorly understood. In 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, a two‐season field experiment was conducted on winter wheat. There were two cropping patterns (C), ridge–furrow cropping with film mulch (RC) and traditional cropping without mulch (TC), two nitrogen fertilisation rates (N), 0 and 200 kg N ha−1 (N0 and N1) and three seed rates (S), 240, 360 and 480 plants m−2 (S1, S2 and S3). The study was conducted in a split–split design with three replications (randomised blocks) and a total of 24 experimental plots. It was found that the interactive effects of C × N, C × S and N × S were significant on soil temperature (ST), leaf area index (LAI), relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), photosynthetic parameters, grain yield (GY) and water use efficiency (WUE) (p < 0.05), while C × N × S was significant only for LAI, aboveground biomass (AGB), GY and WUE (p < 0.05). Compared with TC and N0, RC and N1 significantly increased SPAD value (2.4% and 15.8%), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) (19.8% and 32.8%), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) (7.0% and 15.7%) and the effective PSII quantum production (ΦPSII) (10.7% and 5.0%). The highest GY (6773 kg ha−1 over 2020–2021 and 8036 kg ha−1 over 2021–2022) and WUE (20.03 kg ha−1 mm−1 over 2020–2021, and 21.77 kg ha−1 mm−1 over 2021–2022) of winter wheat were observed under RC + N1 + S2. The findings showed that the RC cropping pattern with fertilisation and seed rate regulation (360 plants m−2) of winter wheat, which is appropriate for ensuring the long‐term sustainability of agricultural production in the semi‐arid regions of Northwest China, enhanced plant growth, photosynthetic traits, yield and water use efficiency. The study might give useful information for enhancing the productivity and water use efficiency of winter wheat in this and other similar climate locations.

Evolution characteristics and attribution analysis of runoff in the coal mining area in northwest China: A case study of the Kuye River Basin

ABSTRACT The Kuye River Basin is the main coal-producing area in northwest China, and it is also a typical arid and semi-arid area. Under the combined influence of climate change and human activities, the runoff of the basin decreases noticeably. The Mann–Kendall trend test, the Hurst index, cumulative anomaly, and wavelet analysis were used to analyze the runoff evolution characteristics of the Kuye River, and the contributions of climate change and human activities to the runoff reduction were quantitatively separated by the slope-changing ratio of the cumulative quantity. The results showed that the runoff decreased significantly from 1970 to 2020, and there was an obvious abrupt change in 1996, while the change trends in precipitation and evaporation were not significant. The contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff reduction were 22.71 and 77.29%, respectively, and human activities have become the dominant factor in runoff variations. Coal mining and the implementation of soil and water conservation measures are considered to be the main human activities contributing to the reduction in runoff. In particular, mining activities reduce groundwater recharge to rivers, which provides a profound understanding of the effect of human activities in mining areas on runoff variation.

Natural background level, source apportionment and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in multi-layer aquifers of arid area in Northwest China

Groundwater contaminated by potentially toxic elements has become an increasing global concern for human health. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the sources and health risks of potentially toxic elements, especially in arid areas. Despite the necessity, there is a notable research gap concerning the sources and risks of these elements within multi-layer aquifers in such regions. To address this gap, 54 phreatic and 24 confined groundwater samples were collected from an arid area in Northwest China. This study aimed to trace the sources and evaluate the human health risks of potentially toxic elements by natural background level (NBL), positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, and health risk model. Findings revealed exceeding levels of potentially toxic elements existed in phreatic and confined aquifers. Source apportionment and NBL results indicated that mineral dissolution, evaporation, redox reactions, and human activities were the main factors for elevated concentrations of potentially toxic elements. High Fe and Mn concentrations were attributed to reduction environments, while F accumulation resulted from slow runoff, and irrigation from the Yellow River. Due to high F levels, more than one-third of groundwater samples (phreatic: 33.14 %, confined: 56.22 %) posed non-carcinogenic health risks to population groups. Adults displayed higher carcinogenic risks (phreatic: 19.47 %, confined: 34.16 %) than infants (phreatic: 0 %, confined: 0 %) and children (phreatic: 1.26 %, confined: 7.97 %) owing to the toxic elements of Cr. The confined aquifer presented greater health risks than the phreatic aquifer. Consequently, controlling the levels of F and Cr in multi-layered aquifers is key to reducing health risks. These findings provide valuable insights into protecting groundwater from contamination by potentially toxic elements in multi-layered aquifers worldwide.

Analysis of Maize Planting Mode and Simulation and Optimization of Ridging and Fertilization Components in Arid Area of Northwest China

The arid area of Northwest China belongs to the rain-fed agricultural area of the Loess Plateau, and water resources have become one of the important factors limiting agricultural development in this area. This study employed the AquaCrop model to predict the yield advantages and environmental adaptability of maize in Dingxi City from 2016 to 2020 under two cultivation practices: ridge tillage (100% film coverage with double ridge-furrow planting) and flat planting (81.8% film coverage with wide-film planting). The numerical simulation of the tillage and fertilization process of the double-ridge seedbed was carried out by EDEM, and the key components were tested by the Box–Behnken center combination test design principle to obtain the optimal parameter combination. The results showed that ridge planting was more suitable for agricultural planting in rain-fed arid areas in Northwest China. The simulation analysis of ridging and fertilization showed that the forward speed of the combined machine was 0.50 m/s, the rotation speed of the trough wheel of the fertilizer discharger was 39 rmp, and the rotary tillage depth was 150 mm. The qualified rate of seedbed tillage was 93.6%, and the qualified rate of fertilization was 92.1%. The research shows that the whole-film double ridge-furrow sowing technology of maize is more suitable for the rain-fed agricultural area in the arid area of Northwest China. The simulation results of the ridging fertilization device are consistent with the field experiment results. The research results provide a certain technical reference for the optimization of the whole-film double ridge-furrow sowing technology.

Revealing the Ground Deformation and Its Mechanism in the Heihe River Basin by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Optical Images.

The Heihe River Basin (HRB), located on the northeast margin of the Qilian Mountains, is China's second largest inland river basin. It is a typical oasis-type agricultural area in northwest China's arid and semiarid areas. It is important to monitor and investigate the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and mechanisms of surface deformation in HRB for the ecology of inland river basins. In recent years, research on HRB has mainly focused on hydrology, meteorology, geology, or biology. Few studies have conducted wide-area monitoring and mechanism analysis of the surface stability of HRB. In this study, an improved interferometric point target analysis InSAR (IPTA-InSAR) technique is used to process 101 Sentinel-1 SAR images from two adjacent track frames covering the HRB from 2019 to 2020. The wide-area deformation of the HRB is obtained first for this period. The results show that most of the surface around the HRB is relatively stable. There are six areas with an extensive deformation range and magnitude in the plain oasis area. The maximum deformation rate is more than 50 mm/year. The maximum seasonal subsidence and uplift along the satellites' line-of-sight (LOS) direction can be up to -70 mm and 60 mm, respectively. Moreover, we use the Google Earth Engine platform to process the multisource optical images and analyze the deformation areas. The remote sensing indicators of the deformation areas, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil moisture (SMMI), and precipitation, are obtained during the InSAR monitoring period. We combine these integrated remote sensing results with soil type and precipitation to analyze the surface deformations of the HRB. The spatiotemporal relationships between soil moisture, vegetation cover, and surface deformation of the HRB are revealed. The results will provide data support and reference for the healthy and sustainable development of the inland river basin economic zone.

Discovery and Characterization of Epichloë Fungal Endophytes from Elymus spp. in Northwest China.

Epichloë fungal endophytes hold promise in sustainable agriculture by fortifying cool-season grasses such as Elymus spp. against various stresses. Elymus spp. are widely distributed in Northwest China with a high incidence of endophyte infections. In this study, we identified 20 Epichloë endophytic fungal strains carried by five Elymus spp. from five areas of Northwest China and systematically characterized their morphology, molecular phylogeny, mating type, and alkaloid diversity for the first time. The morphological characterization underscores strain diversity, with variable colony textures and growth rates. A phylogenetic analysis confirms all strains are E. bromicola, emphasizing their taxonomic status. Alkaloid-encoding gene profiling delineates distinct alkaloid synthesis capabilities among the strains, which are crucial for host adaptability and resistance. A mating-type analysis reveals uniformity (mtAC) across the Epichloë strains, simplifying breeding strategies. Notably, the Epichloë strains exhibit diverse alkaloid synthesis gene profiles, impacting host interactions. This research emphasizes the ecological significance of Epichloë endophytes in Elymus spp. ecosystems, offering insights into their genetic diversity and potential applications in sustainable agriculture.

Effects of apparent temperature on hospitalization rates for cardiovascular diseases: a case study of different rural areas in Northwest China

ABSTRACT Apparent temperature (AT) is a composite index that combines ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed and other meteorological factors, and reflects heat perception more accurately than raw temperature. This is the first study to investigate the association between AT and CVD in rural areas of Jiuquan and Longnan, Gansu Province, China. In this study, the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to examine the exposure-response relationship between AT and the 21 days relative risk (RR) of CVD admission. The results showed that the exposure risk of the gender group in Jiuquan was opposite to that of Longnan under the influence of cold effect. Under the influence of heat effect, it has a protective effect on all groups in Jiuquan area, which is harmful to males and adults in Longnan area. The results of this study can help local governments to formulate public policies.

Development and application of a 1K functional liquid chip for lactation performance in Bactrian camels.

The advancement of high-throughput, high-quality, flexible, and cost-effective genotyping platforms is crucial for the progress of dairy breeding in Bactrian camels. This study focuses on developing and evaluating a 1K functional liquid single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array specifically designed for milk performance in Bactrian camels. We utilized RNA sequencing data from 125 lactating camels to identify and select 1,002 loci associated with milk production traits for inclusion in the SNP array. The array's performance was then assessed using 24 randomly selected camels. Additionally, the array was employed to genotype 398 individuals, which allowed for population validation to assess the polymorphism of SNP sites. The SNP array demonstrated high overall SNP call rates (> 99%) and a remarkable 100% consistency in genotyping. Population validation results indicate that camels from six breeding areas in Northwest China share a similar genetic background regarding lactation functionality. This study highlights the potential of the SNP array to accelerate the breeding process of lactating Bactrian camels and provides a robust technical foundation for improving lactation performance.

Spatiotemporal Variations of Vegetation and Its Response to Climate Change and Human Activities in Arid Areas—A Case Study of the Shule River Basin, Northwestern China

The Shule River Basin (SRB) is a typical arid area in northwest China with a fragile ecology. Understanding vegetation dynamics and its response to climate change and human activities provides essential ecological and environmental resource management information. This study extracted fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) data from 2000 to 2019 using the Google Earth Engine platform and Landsat satellite images, employing trend analysis and other methods to examine spatiotemporal changes in vegetation in the SRB. Additionally, we used partial correlation and residual analyses to explore the response of FVC to climate change and human activities. The main results were: (1) The regional average FVC in the SRB showed a significant upward trend from 2000 to 2019, increasing by 1.3 × 10−3 a–1. The area within 1 km of roads experienced a higher increase of 3 × 10−3 a–1, while the roadless areas experienced a lower increase of 1.1 × 10−3 a–1. The FVC spatial heterogeneity in the SRB is significant. (2) Partial correlation analysis shows that the FVC correlates positively with precipitation and surface water area, with correlation coefficients of 0.575 and 0.744, respectively. A weak negative correlation exists between the FVC and land surface temperature (LST). FVC changes are more influenced by precipitation than by LST. (3) The contributions of climate change to vegetation recovery are increasing. Human activities, particularly agricultural practices, infrastructure development, and the conversion of farmland to grassland, significantly influence vegetation changes in densely populated areas. (4) The area changes of different land types are closely related to climate factors and human activities. Increased construction, agricultural activity, and converting farmland back to grassland have led to an increase in the area proportions of “impervious surfaces”, “cropland”, and “grassland”. Climate changes, such as increased rainfall, have resulted in larger areas of “wetlands” and “sparse vegetation”. These results provide valuable information for ecosystem restoration and environmental protection in the SRB.

Fuzzy evaluation and obstacle factors of urban ecological health changes in the Wei River Basin, northwest China

BackgroundUrban ecological health is crucial for the long-term sustainable development of watershed. Accurately evaluating the health level of the ecological environment helps to develop reasonable strategies for ecological environment restoration and resource management. This paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework and evaluated the ecological health of eleven administrative regions in the Wei River Basin (WRB), northwest China in 1980, 2000, and 2020 using an evaluation model established by fuzzy mathematics. Further, obstacle degrees were used to quantify the contribution of pressure, state, and response modules, as well as individual indicators to ecological health.ResultsThe comprehensive evaluation system constructed based on the PSR framework could effectively reflect the ecological health conditions of different regions in the WRB. During the study period, the ecological health went through a process of first deterioration and then improvement. By 2020, the ecological health of seven administrative regions reached healthy levels. The state module was the main obstacle module of the PSR framework to the ecological health of the most regions. The population density (P1), patch density of construction land (S5), comprehensive elasticity index (S8), soil erosion index (R1), and per capital GDP (R3) were the most crucial individual indicators affecting the ecological health. For different cities, the main obstacle factors varied. In economically developed cities, the limiting effect of P1 was more significant, while in economically underdeveloped cities, the limiting effect of R3 was stronger.ConclusionsIn response to the special natural environment and socio-economic conditions of arid and semi-arid areas in the WRB, an ecological health evaluation index system suitable for the characteristics of the basin was constructed. The results indicated that, to improve the levels of urban ecological health, it is necessary to restore the natural ecological environment and control population size while accelerating economic construction. Our results can provide scientific support for the ecological health evaluation and protection of the WRB and even the arid and semi-arid areas in northwest China.

Study on environmental characteristics of sustainable biomimetic soil preparation and its application in gangue reclamation

To address the key challenges in achieving large-scale ecological reclamation of coal gangue in situ, this study utilized loess from a mining area in Northwest China to prepare a biomimetic soil. A new inorganic curing agent (ISA) was developed using coal-based solid waste and cement. The study investigates the influence of different ISA dosages and their interaction with Polyacrylamide (PAM) on the environmental characteristics of biomimetic soil, including geotechnical, ecological, and heavy metal stabilization properties. Results indicate that the addition of ISA significantly enhanced the geotechnical performance of the in-situ soil, with unconfined compressive strength exceeding 350 kPa when ISA content was above 6 %. Soil evaporation experiments and soil water characteristic curve tests demonstrated that a 6 % ISA dosage combined with 0.05 ‰ PAM could maintain soil's good water retention capability while preserving a bimodal pore structure. The biomimetic soil exhibited effective stabilization of heavy metals, including Pb, Zn, Cu, and As. The particles of PAM and the hydration products of ISA not only filled soil pores and increased soil strength but also adsorbed, encapsulated, and immobilized heavy metals. “Biomimetic soil-gangue” leaching test results confirmed that the gangue samples treated with biomimetic soil met the standards for Class III underground water in China regarding heavy metal leaching values. This study provides an effective solution for the large-scale in-situ disposal and resource utilization of gangue in Northwestern mining areas of China.

Ecological Design Approach for Urban Green Space in Arid and Semi-arid Areas in Northwest China Based on Habitat and Vegetation Characteristics Thereof

Ecological Design Approach for Urban Green Space in Arid and Semi-arid Areas in Northwest China Based on Habitat and Vegetation Characteristics Thereof

Study on anti-seepage mechanism of attapulgite-modified loess in Northwest China

Loess is distributed widely in the arid areas in northwest China. Lanzhou city is located on the loess plateau, covered by a large area of deep collapsible Malan loess. Collapsible loess is a soft soil in engineering. It has a specific bearing capacity under dry conditions but will collapse after being immersed in water, which is unfavorable to engineering construction. This paper used the attapulgite abundant in the Zhangye City of Gansu Province as a modifier to improve the loess. The permeability test tested the permeability coefficient of the specimens under different dosages of attapulgite. The anti-permeability principle of attapulgite-modified loess was analyzed from the microscopic perspective by electron microscopy scanning (EMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The test results show that the permeability coefficient of attapulgite-modified loess decreases significantly compared with pure loess, but the permeability coefficient decreases gently when the content of attapulgite exceeds 10%. It was found that the anti-permeability mechanism of the modified loess was that the cohesive attapulgite particles filled the macropores of the loess particles, and the acicular attapulgite combined the loess particles to form a sheet structure, which reduced the porosity and permeability of the modified soil.

Numerical Simulation Study on The Ultimate Water Head of Artificial Dam in Coal Mine Underground Reservoir

In order to improve the problem of low utilization rate of groundwater in the process of coal mine production, some mining areas in northwest China use the goaf of the working face as a water storage space, and establish underground reservoirs to realize water retention mining. In order to solve the problem of the stability of the artificial dam of the underground reservoir, this paper takes the underground reservoir of the 51103 working face of Guojiawan Coal Mine as the engineering background, and uses the FLAC3D numerical simulation software to establish the artificial dam model, and the experimental results show that when the head height is 26m, the maximum tensile stress inside the dam is 1.264MPa, which is still lower than the limit of the tensile strength of the concrete, until the water pressure increases to 27m, the maximum tensile stress inside the dam is 1.290MPa, which is greater than the limit of the tensile strength of the concrete, so the ultimate head height of the artificial dam is 26m.

Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi of the Rhizosphere of Lycium barbarum L. from Four Main Producing Areas in Northwest China and Their Effect on Plant Growth.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can help plants absorb more mineral nutrients after they colonize plant roots, and the mycelia harmonize the soil structure and physical and chemical properties by secreting compounds. AMF species co-evolve with their habitat's geographic conditions and hosts; this gradually causes differences in the AMF species. By using Melzer's reagent to analyze the morphology and using Illumina Miseq sequencing technology to perform the molecular identification of AMF communities among the four typical L. barbarum planting areas (Zhongning, Guyuan, Jinghe, and Dulan) investigated, the variety of L. barbarum roots and rhizosphere AMF communities was greater in the Zhongning area, and every region additionally had endemic species. The successfully amplified AMF was re-applied to the L. barbarum seedlings. We found that the total dry weight and accumulation of potassium increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the root volume and number of root branches were significantly higher in the plants that were inoculated with Paraglomus VTX00375 in the pot experiment, indicating that AMF improves root development and promotes plant growth. We have investigated AMF germplasm species in four regions, and we are committed to the development of native AMF resources. The multiplication and application of AMF will be conducive to realizing the potential role of biology in the maintenance of agroecology.