Salt-affected lands in the Central Asian region demonstrate the most characteristic features of natural continental terrestrial salinization, sodication, and alkalinization. Low organic matter (<1.0%), high salt contents, and poor waterholding capacity render these soils unproductive. The predominant salinity type is sulfate-chloride. The Na , respectively. Available potassium is low or moderate. Vegetation richness, botanic species diversity, and plant biomass were well integrated with soil moisture and soil salinity. A linear regression equation between apparent soil electrical conductivity (EM38) and quantitative Na + accumulation for 0-75 cm ( r 2 = 0.88) soil pro fi les allowed us to identify the proportional contribution and interactive effects of each plant community