Effects of Two Ecological Governance Measures for Photovoltaic Power Stations on Plant Growth and Soil Nutrients

Ecological governance is essential to promoting the sustainable development of photovoltaic power stations in sandy regions and serves as a necessary measure for photovoltaic sand control. This study aims to investigate the impact of ecological governance measures on soil nutrients and plant growth, providing a theoretical foundation and scientific guidance for optimizing ecological management strategies in photovoltaic power stations located in sandy areas. The research focuses on two ecological governance measures: (1) the direct planting of <i>Haloxylon ammodendron</i> in bare sand in front of, between, and behind photovoltaic panels and (2) the planting of <i>H. ammodendron</i> after laying straw checkerboard barriers. The effects of these two measures on plant growth and soil nutrients were compared and analyzed across different positions relative to the photovoltaic panels (in front, between, and behind). The study revealed that the plant height of <i>H. ammodendron</i> was significantly higher than the control under both ecological governance measures in all three positions (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, the crown width, aboveground biomass, underground biomass, and total biomass of <i>H. ammodendron</i> planted directly in bare sand as an ecological governance measure were significantly greater than those of plants grown after the installation of straw checkerboard barriers. A two-factor analysis of variance indicated that sampling location, ecological governance measures, and their interaction significantly affected the plant height and crown width of <i>H. ammodendron</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Redundancy analysis demonstrated that soil available nitrogen was positively correlated with aboveground dry weight, underground dry weight, total biomass, and crown width, with all parameters increasing as soil available nitrogen content increased. Additionally, soil available nitrogen and soil available potassium were identified as key factors driving the growth of <i>H. ammodendron</i>. In conclusion, the ecological governance measures of planting <i>H. ammodendron</i> directly in bare sand within the photovoltaic park demonstrated superior growth and biomass outcomes compared with planting the species after the installation of straw checkerboard barriers.