Performance of biological sand-fixing materials before and after inoculation on sandy desert surface

Abstract Aims Desert biocrust played an important role for the control of desertification. Artificial inoculation can promote the formation of biocrusts. The physiological and growth responses of the inoculated biological sand-fixing materials need to be clarified, and the results are of great significance for the artificial reproduction of desert biocrusts. Methods The chlorophyll-a, thickness and fresh weight of biological sand-fixing materials surface were investigated in order to assess the effecting of mixture ratio, cultivation and inoculation times, and water supply under laboratory conditions. Results The biological sand-sixing material mixed with cultivated algae crust and polymeric composites in 1:1 ratio demonstrated the best performance. Attapulgite clay could significantly promote the growth capacity and chlorophyll-a production of biological sand-fixing materials. The optimal biological sand-fixing material evidently accelerated the most accumulation of chlorophyll-a in 0.55 mg/kg, increase in 3.06 mm and growth of fresh biomass in 0.69 g/cm2, was the most beneficial to formation and development of artificial biocrust. The more water supply always significantly promoted the survival and growth of biological sand-fixing materials. Conclusion The optimally proportioned biological sand-fixing material obviously promoted the most growth and accumulation of chlorophyll-a and biomass under artificial cultivation and inoculation treatments. The most water supply always produced the most chlorophyll-a, thickness and fresh weight, so incubating biocrusts always provided more production of chlorophyll-a, higher thickness and more biomass under more water supply.