THE TREES ARE GROWING IN THE SAND: FRUIT OASIS IN KARAKUMS

Last year, farmer Durdymurat Yazkhanov took short-term lease of 6.5 hectares of land in Ak Bugday etrap, Ahal Velayat in the bank zone of the Karakum River. The soil consists mostly of sand in this desert conditions, saxaul is the usual plantation. For one and half year of work, the place has been developed for garden – around two thousand fruit trees like peach, apple, plum and cherry have been planted. Potato, eggplant, bell pepper, corn are cultivated between the trees. Each unoccupied place of land or slope of dune is used for cucurbitaceous crops.

Before planting potatoes, the structures of soil is improved by beans and forage crops. In addition, the banks of Karakum River are fortified with mulberry trees – around 1.5 thousand trees have been planted. Another thousand of mulberry seedlings will be planted this autumn.