Internal wood damage poses a significant threat to tree health, impacting wood quality, mechanical stability, and wind resistance, therby challenging forest resource conservation and sustainable management efforts. The health of Populus euphratica, a keystone species, is crucial for the stability and sustainability of desert riparian forest ecosystems. Consequently, quantitatively diagnosing internal wood damage in living trees is essential for the conservation of existing forests. In this study, the degree of internal wood damage in the trunks of sample Populus euphratica trees of varying ages from the midstream of the Tarim River was quantified using Arbotom stress wave testing technology. The relationships among growth characteristics, soil physicochemical factors, and standing wood decay were analyzed. The results indicated that Arbotom stress wave testing technology achieved an accuracy of up to 92% in diagnosing internal wood damage in living P. euphratica trees. Healthy trees were more prevalent among middle-aged trees (65%), followed by mature (50%), near-mature (42%), and over-mature (30%) trees. The area of internal decay in over-mature and mature forests accounted for a significant proportion of decay, ranging from light to heavy decay levels. At the stand scale, increased in the level of trunk decay caused by increasing tree age. At the individual scale, light, moderate, and heavy decay were significantly positively correlated with diameter at breast height, tree height, and crown diameter, respectively (p < 0.01). Light decay was significantly negatively correlated with soil pH (p < 0.05). Moderate decay was significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05) with available-P and soil electrical conductivity and negatively correlated with Avail-K (p < 0.05). Heavy decay was significantly negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with available-K in both the 40-60 cm and 60-100 cm depth soil layers. The findings elucidate the causes and factors driving P. euphratica trunk decay in the Tarim River Basin, offering insights to aid in preventing and controlling standing tree decay and the sustainable management of natural desert riparian forest resources in arid areas.

The increasing use of herbicides in intelligent agricultural production is driven by the time-consuming nature of manual weeding, as well as its ephemeral effectiveness. However, herbicides like butachlor degrade slowly and can be washed away by rainwater, ultimately flowing into the farm ponds and posing risks to aquatic plants. To identify and recommend superior restoration strategies that effectively address the challenges posed by butachlor, we investigated the impacts of butachlor on the growth and physiology of four common aquatic plants (i.e., Hydrilla verticillata, Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton maackianus, and Myriophyllum aquaticum) and their potential role in mitigating environmental damage by reducing residual herbicide levels. Our findings indicated that M. aquaticum was tolerant to butachlor, exhibiting higher growth rates than other species when exposed to various butachlor concentrations. However, the concentration of butachlor negatively impacted the growth of H. verticillata, C. demersum, and P. maackianus, with higher concentrations leading to more significant inhibitory effects. After a 15-day experimental period, aquatic plants reduced the butachlor residuals in culture mediums across concentrations of 0.5 mg/L, 1 mg/L, and 2 mg/L compared to non-plant controls. Our findings classified P. maackianus as butachlor-sensitive and M. aquaticum as butachlor-tolerant species. This investigation represents novel research aimed at elucidating the contrasting effects of different concentrations of butachlor on four common aquatic species in the agricultural multi-pond system.