Effectiveness of Different Sand Control Measures in Improving the Surface Soil in Alpine Sandy Land

ABSTRACT Alpine sandy land suffers from serious soil erosion, low nutrient content, and a fragile ecological environment, necessitating effective control measures to improve sandy soil. In this study, the effectiveness of different sand control measures in improving the surface soil of alpine sandy land is evaluated. Soils from alpine sandy land of the Gonghe Basin were investigated. Samples from mobile sand dune bare ground (LD) were used as a reference and were compared with samples from land under four different treatment strategies: nylon sand barriers (NL), slate sand barriers (SB), Caragana korshinskii plantations (NT), and Artemisia desertorum plantations (SH). Soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity were measured, and bacterial community structure was analyzed using Illumina high‐throughput sequencing. All four measures significantly reduced the sand content. NL and SB had minimal effect on the soil nutrient content and enzyme activities, whereas NT and SH significantly increased both parameters, with SH showing the most pronounced effects. NT and SH significantly increased the bacterial community richness, especially in the 0–10 cm layer. Available phosphorus was the primary physicochemical factor influencing the bacterial community structure. Additionally, the enzyme activities showed significant correlations with the relative abundance of most major bacterial phyla in all four experimental plots. Afforestation measures, especially with SH, were effective in improving the alpine sandy soil in the Gonghe Basin. These results provide a reference for sand control strategies in other alpine sandy areas and a theoretical basis for the ecological restoration of sandy soil microenvironments.