The root systems of edificatory plant species (environment-forming plants) play a key role in land restoration. In arid ecosystems subjected to abiotic and biotic stresses, revegetation strategies use drought-tolerant, native shrubs to restore degraded semi-desert steppe ecosystems and promote their long-term ecological functionality.

These shrubs, including species from the genera Zygophyllum and Nitraria, exhibit distinct root adaptations, such as deep taproots for groundwater access and extensive lateral roots for capturing surface moisture and mitigating soil compaction and nutrient deficiencies.

Understanding the formation of root systems in shrubs from the Zygophyllaceae families, particularly in the semi-desert landscape, is also helpful for informing proper land restoration efforts in arid zones. The growth rate and depth of soil penetration of these shrubs are main factors in the effective restoration of degraded landscapes.

We aimed to investigate the root system formation of theZygophyllum xanthoxylon (Bunge) Maxim. and Nitraria sibirica Pall. shrubs in order to determine their ecological role within the semi-desert landscape zone of Mongolia (Eastern Gobi, 2023–2025), focusing on plants at 1 and 3 years of age. This study demonstrates that Nitraria sibirica and Zygophyllum xanthoxylon exhibit remarkably rapid growth and development of their root systems.

During the first and second year of growth, the root systems of these shrubs penetrated the soil to depths of 100–120 cm, surpassing the aboveground shoot height by a factor of 1.5–2. By the third year, this ratio increased by 3–4 times, indicating significant vertical growth. The ability to rapidly grow and develop a specialized root structure ensures consistent water uptake under drought and moisture-deficient conditions. Furthermore, the depth of root system penetration is strongly influenced by the hydro-physical properties of the edaphic environment.