Desert soilization: The concept and practice of making deserts bloom

The desert “soilization” principle, effect, and places

Desertification is a major global environmental problem. However, there still lacks effective means to control it.1 By using a technique called desert “soilization,”2 the surface layer of desert sand can be constrained together by mechanical means to form a new material with the mechanical states and water retaining capacity of soil, which is favorable for plant growth. Such a technique breaks through the conventional methods of desertification control. Since the success of the first field soilization experiment in the Ulan Buh Desert in 2016,2 soilization has been successfully applied in different landforms and climates, shown in the map of Figure 1, including the Taklimakan Desert (Figure 1A), the Ulan Buh Desert (Figure 1B), desertified grassland (Figure 1C), the Middle East desert, the Sahara Desert, the Gobi desert, beach sand, and coral sand, with the total soilized area reaching 1,130 hm2.