Physiological response of natural plants to the change of groundwater level in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Xinjiang

Based on the analysis of the three-year (2000-2002) monitoring data of the four times intermittent stream water conveyance to the lower reaches of Tarim River where the stream flow was dried up for more than 30 years and the measurement of PRO, SOD and POD in plants collected from 24 vegetation plots, it is concluded that the stream water conveyance plays an important role in lifting groundwater level. The groundwater nearby the watercourse was raised from 5 similar to 8 m in depth before the stream water conveyance to 2.5 similar to 5 m after stream water conveyance. The physiological response of Phragmites communis, Tamarix spp. and Populus euphratica to the change of groundwater is sensitive and represents a grads change obviously. The growth of the plants in the lower reaches of Tarim River is stressed by drought to various degrees. Lengthways, the drought stress exposed to the plants increases with groundwater depth from the upper sections to the lower sections; and breadthwise, the drought stress exposed to the plants is increased with the increase of distance away from the river channel of stream intermittent water releases and of the groundwater depth. Combining the field investigation and the analysis of the plots, it is considered that the stress groundwater depths for the Phragmites communis, Tamarix spp. and Populus euphratica are 3.5 m, 5 m and 4.5 m respectively.