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Plant Life and Desertification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Frits W. Went  and
V. Ramesh Babu
Frits W. Went
Affiliation:
Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, Reno, Nevada 89506, U.S.A.
V. Ramesh Babu
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, S.S. College, Alipur, Delhi 110036, India.
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Extract

There are numerous instances where, through injudicious use, Man has contributed to desertification of the agricultural environment by increasing the aridity and decreasing the ability of the soil to support vegetation. This may come through erosion, even in areas with very high rainfall (e.g. Amazonia). But in many arid regions dedesertification has occurred under the influence of Man (e.g. Imperial Valley in California, Hungry Desert in Uzbekistan, 90-Miles Desert in Australia).

However, under certain conditions, such as those of fog-drip, an irreversible desertification can be caused by removal of the original vegetation (e.g. Central Chile).

Dew may be an important source of water for plants even in deserts, where there is a shortage cf liquid water for plant growth.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , Winter 1978 , pp. 263 - 272
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1978

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