BACKGROUND OF THE EXPERIMENTAL SITES
Our experimental sites are located in the vicinity of the Pandian Agricultural Ecological Experimental
Station (35.1” N, 114.5’ E) in Fengqiu County, Henan Province, which falls within the Yellow River
and Hai River Basins. Soils are comprised of river sediments interspersed with poor, sandy, saline soils.
The land is level, with low elevation. The fields can easily be irrigated. The climate belongs to the
temperate, continental monsoon type and is characterized by frequent occurrences of drought, dry-hot
wind, hail, frostbite, and sand storms. Severe climate and saline land restrict biomass productivity