Effects of different growth patterns of Tamarix chinensis on saline-alkali soil: implications for coastal restoration and management

Objective To better understand the wetland restoration, the physicochemical property and microbial community in rhizosphere and bulk soil of the living and death Tamarix chinensis covered soil zones were studied. Results There were differences between growth conditions in the levels of soil pH, salinity, SOM, and nutrient. The living status of T. chinensis exhibited higher capacity of decreasing saline-alkali soil than the death condition of plants, and the living T. chinensis showed higher uptake of N, P, and K as compared with the death samples. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Chloroflexi were the predominant bacterial communities as revealed via high-throughput sequencing. Conclusions It is great potential for using halophytes such as T. chinensis to ecological restore the coastal saline-alkali soil. This study could contribute to a better understanding of halophyte growth during the coastal phytoremediation process, and guide theoretically for management of T. chinensis population.