Abstract
Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is autotoxic to seed germination and root growth of alfalfa seedlings. The objective was to determine if effects of leaf extracts were due to toxic factors, osmotic factors, or both. Rates of imbibition were slowed slightly by the leaf extract, mainly by osmotic factors. Germination at 22°C occurred in 20 h when imbibed with distilled water but was progressively delayed at higher extract concentrations. Initiation of germination events occurred in less than 10 h, and seed had completed germination when water content was 65% of total weight. An exudate with toxic activity to root growth was released during imbibition. Seed imbibed in extract solution for 10 h and then transferred to water‐agar medium had a slight delay in germination but no effect on root elongation rate (RER). Conversely, seed imbibed in water for 10 h before transfer to the extract showed a delay in germination and strong inhibition of RER as extract concentrations increased. Transfer to polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) at 10 h showed some of the germination delay was due to osmotic properties. Root elongation rate was increased slightly by PEG solutions greater than −0.20 MPa, which was lower than those of the strongest extracts, −0.10 MPa in agar and −0.05 MPa on filter paper. These extracts reduced RER by up to 90% due to the toxicity factors. Inhibition was slowed mainly by osmotic factors whereas delayed seed germination and, especially, reduced root elongation were due mainly to toxic factors of the leaf extract.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extract slightly slowed alfalfa imbibition, mainly through osmotic factors.
- Taxon
- Alfalfa
Medicago sativat0 - Treatment
- leaf extracte0
- Outcome
- Rates of imbibitione0
- Direction
- slowed slightlye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rates of imbibition were slowed slightly by the leaf extract, mainly by osmotic factors.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa germination at 22°C occurred in 20 h with distilled water and was progressively delayed at higher extract concentrations.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- higher extract concentrationse0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- progressively delayede0
- Value
- 20 he0
- Qualifier
- 22°Ce0
- Comparator
- distilled watere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Germination at 22°C occurred in 20 h when imbibed with distilled water but was progressively delayed at higher extract concentrations.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa germination events began within 10 h and finished at 65% seed water content.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- Initiation of germination eventse0
- Value
- less than 10 he0
- Qualifier
- water content was 65% of total weighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Initiation of germination events occurred in less than 10 h, and seed had completed germination when water content was 65% of total weight.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
An exudate toxic to alfalfa root growth was released during imbibition.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Organ / stage
- roote0
- Outcome
- An exudate with toxic activity to root growthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“An exudate with toxic activity to root growth was released during imbibition.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds imbibed in extract for 10 h then moved to water agar had slightly delayed germination.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- extract solution for 10 he0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- a slight delaye0
- Comparator
- water‐agar mediume0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seed imbibed in extract solution for 10 h and then transferred to water‐agar medium had a slight delay in germination but no effect on root elongation rate (RER).”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds imbibed in extract for 10 h then moved to water agar had no change in root elongation rate.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- extract solution for 10 he0
- Outcome
- root elongation rate (RER)e0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Comparator
- water‐agar mediume0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seed imbibed in extract solution for 10 h and then transferred to water‐agar medium had a slight delay in germination but no effect on root elongation rate (RER).”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Transfer from water to extract delayed alfalfa germination as extract concentration rose.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- transfer to the extracte0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- a delaye0
- Comparator
- watere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“seed imbibed in water for 10 h before transfer to the extract showed a delay in germination and strong inhibition of RER as extract concentrations increased.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Transfer from water to extract strongly inhibited root elongation as concentration rose.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- transfer to the extracte0
- Outcome
- RERe0
- Direction
- strong inhibitione0
- Comparator
- watere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“seed imbibed in water for 10 h before transfer to the extract showed a delay in germination and strong inhibition of RER as extract concentrations increased.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
PEG transfer showed that osmotic properties contributed to germination delay.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000)e0
- Outcome
- germination delaye0
- Qualifier
- osmotic propertiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Transfer to polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) at 10 h showed some of the germination delay was due to osmotic properties.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
PEG solutions above −0.20 MPa slightly raised root elongation rate.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PEG solutions greater than −0.20 MPae0
- Outcome
- Root elongation ratee0
- Direction
- increased slightlye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root elongation rate was increased slightly by PEG solutions greater than −0.20 MPa”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extracts reduced root elongation rate by up to 90% through toxic factors.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- These extractse0
- Outcome
- RERe0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- up to 90%e0
- Qualifier
- toxicity factorse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These extracts reduced RER by up to 90% due to the toxicity factors.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Osmotic factors mainly slowed imbibition, while toxic extract factors mainly delayed germination and reduced root growth.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- delayed seed germinatione0
- Qualifier
- toxic factors of the leaf extracte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Inhibition was slowed mainly by osmotic factors whereas delayed seed germination and, especially, reduced root elongation were due mainly to toxic factors of the leaf extract.”
t0“Alfalfa”
The same questions in other papers
drought · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results differ
19 papers in the same direction as this paper · 52 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
68 papers more in this group
See all 72 papers →botanical · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results differ
58 papers in the same direction as this paper · 42 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- negative
97 papers more in this group
See all 101 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.