Background and AimsPlant reproductive phenology is closely intertwined with the life cycle, yet the impact of soil structure changes on reproductive traits remains underexplored. We assessed whether reproductive phenology, success, and seed quality can sensitively respond to modifications in soil structure.MethodsWe investigated the responses of two xerophytic shrubs, Sophora davidii and Bauhinia brachycarpa, to experimentally manipulated gradients of rock fragment content (RFC; 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%, v v-1) in an arid environment. We measured indicators such as flowering phenology, fruiting phenology, fruit set, seed yield and seed quality after four-year growth to assess the impact of soil properties on plant reproductive traits.ResultsReproductive traits of the two species exhibited distinct responses to increasing RFC. S. davidii concluded its flowering season earlier and displayed a shorter flowering duration in 50% RFC compared to the other RFC levels. The fruit set of S. davidii displayed a unimodal pattern, with a peak at 50% RFC, while its seed viability and germination rate increased with increasing RFC. In contrast, B. brachycarpa displayed relatively stable reproductive traits across RFC gradient, maintaining higher seed viability and germination rate compared to S. davidii.ConclusionWe found species-dependent response of plant reproductive phenology to soil environment changes. The reproductive traits of S. davidii significantly respond to changes in soil properties such as available nitrogen content, temperature, and water content along the RFC gradient. However, seed quality in B. brachycarpa was more influenced by inherent phenological traits than by changes in soil environment.