Tree Planting in Problem Soils - Wind Eroded Soils

Wind Eroded Soils


In arid sandy areas such as deserts and sea coast, strong wind bellow frequently and cause soil erosion as well as flagging of tree crowns. This is very acute problem in Thal, Cholistan, Tharparker and deserts of Balochistan. The plants that grow in such situation have to face some or all of the following problems.

  • Since the soil is unstable, therefore; the plants are continuously faced with either exposure of their root system due to blowing away of sand or burial of their shoots due to deposition of new sand.
  • Moving sand particles cause mechanical damage to tender shoots and foliage.
  • The transpiratory load is extremely high.
  • Light intensity tends to be very high due to its reflection from shining sandy surface.
  • Water holding capacity of sandy soil is very low which leads to water deficiency for most of the time.


The problem of soil erosion by wind can be successfully tackled by considering the following points:

  1. A species should have the following qualities in order to grow successfully in wind eroded sites; drought resistant, fast-growing and spreading type, extensive and deep root system that will hold together loose sand particles, capable of producing new adventitious root system from various nodes and buds in order to overcome the problem of sand deposition, elastic shoots and thick bark or epidermis in order to avoid mechanical damage of wind and wind borne particles. Fortunately it is not difficult to select some species from our local flora that have most of the above mentioned qualities. A few examples are; Daalbergia, Tamari, Salvadora, Zizyphus, Calligonum etc.
  2. Perennial herbs, grasses and bushes should be planted as a first step, which should be followed by planting of shrubs and trees. Large sized entire saplings with ball of earth or with biodegradable baskets made from Typha angustifolia, Phoenix dactylifera, Nannorrhops ritchieana or punched polythene bags should be used.
  3. Planting should first be concentrated on exposed windward sites and planting should be done in the beginning of rainy season and at a time when strong winds have subsided.
  4. Loose soil should be stabilized on highly exposed spots by the use of organic mulches and spray of suitable adhesive soil binders. The inter plant spacing should be minimum.
  5. Traditional cultural operations such as weeding, cleaning, thinning and pruning should be avoided or delayed to allow speedy thick bush formation.
  6. In case of avenue plants or otherwise where hand watering or trickle irrigation is to be done, small earthen jugs may be buried close to the tree sapling. This ensures minimum loss of water through evaporation/percolation and leads to maximum uptake by the roots.



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