Abstract
Abstract Under the hot (air temperature reaching 40 C) and dry conditions of the inland areas of Cyprus, alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) yields decline markedly in July to August. Water‐use efficiency (kg DM/m 3 of water taken up) decreases from 2.25 to 2.85 in March through May to 0.50 to 0.65 kg/m 3 in July through August. This study evaluated several alternatives for increasing water‐use efficiency for alfalfa production. Not irrigating the alfalfa for one growth period in July reduced yield during that period by 68%. However, not irrigating for a second or a third growth period resulted in no forage yield during these periods. When irrigation was resumed, plots not irrigated for one or two growth periods yielded as much as plots irrigated at all growth periods, but plots not irrigated for three growth periods produced 20% less yield during the first period following resumption of irrigation. In the following growth periods, however, these yielded as much as plots irrigated at all growth periods. Discontinuing irrigation for the three growth periods of July to August reduced annual dry matter yield to 17,700 kg/ha compared to 21,500 kg/ha when adequate water was applied throughout, but saved 610 mm of irrigation water out of a normal annual irrigation requirement of 1,400 mm. As a result, water‐use efficiency in 1978–1979 increased from 1.32 kg DM/m 3 of water taken up when adequate irrigation was applied throughout the growing season to 1.60 when irrigation was withheld for the three growth periods of July to August. The corresponding figures for 1979–1980 were 1.41 and 1.81, respectively.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa yields declined in July and August in Cyprus.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae0 - Outcome
- yieldse0
- Direction
- declinee0
Not reportedSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) yields decline markedly in July to August”
Claim · model-written summary
Water use efficiency fell from spring to summer.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Water‐use efficiency (kg DM/m 3 of water taken up) decreases from 2.25 to 2.85 in March through May to 0.50 to 0.65 kg/m 3 in July through August”
Claim · model-written summary
Withholding irrigation for one July growth period reduced yield by 68%.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- Not irrigating the alfalfa for one growth period in Julye0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 68%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Not irrigating the alfalfa for one growth period in July reduced yield during that period by 68%”
Claim · model-written summary
Withholding irrigation for a second or third growth period produced no forage yield.
- Treatment
- not irrigating for a second or a third growth periode0
- Outcome
- forage yielde0
- Direction
- no forage yielde0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“not irrigating for a second or a third growth period resulted in no forage yield during these periods”
Claim · model-written summary
After irrigation resumed, one or two withheld periods yielded as much as fully irrigated plots.
- Treatment
- not irrigated for one or two growth periodse0
- Outcome
- yieldede0
- Direction
- as much ase0
- Comparator
- plots irrigated at all growth periodse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“plots not irrigated for one or two growth periods yielded as much as plots irrigated at all growth periods”
Claim · model-written summary
Three withheld periods reduced yield by 20% in the first resumed period.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“plots not irrigated for three growth periods produced 20% less yield during the first period following resumption of irrigation”
Claim · model-written summary
Subsequent yields after three withheld periods matched fully irrigated plots.
Not reportedTaxonTreatment
Verbatim
e0“these yielded as much as plots irrigated at all growth periods”
Claim · model-written summary
Withholding July to August irrigation lowered annual dry matter yield from 21,500 to 17,700 kg/ha.
- Treatment
- Discontinuing irrigation for the three growth periods of July to Auguste0
- Outcome
- annual dry matter yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 17,700 kg/hae0
- Comparator
- adequate water was applied throughoute0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Discontinuing irrigation for the three growth periods of July to August reduced annual dry matter yield to 17,700 kg/ha compared to 21,500 kg/ha when adequate water was applied throughout”
Claim · model-written summary
Withholding irrigation saved 610 mm of irrigation water.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“saved 610 mm of irrigation water out of a normal annual irrigation requirement of 1,400 mm”
Claim · model-written summary
Water use efficiency rose to 1.60 from 1.32 in 1978–1979 with withholding.
- Treatment
- irrigation was withheld for the three growth periods of July to Auguste0
- Outcome
- water‐use efficiencye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 1.60e0
- Comparator
- adequate irrigation was applied throughout the growing seasone0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“water‐use efficiency in 1978–1979 increased from 1.32 kg DM/m 3 of water taken up when adequate irrigation was applied throughout the growing season to 1.60 when irrigation was withheld for the three growth periods of July to August”
Claim · model-written summary
Water use efficiency was 1.81 versus 1.41 in 1979–1980.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“The corresponding figures for 1979–1980 were 1.41 and 1.81, respectively”
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See all 33 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.