Abstract
Abstract Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is dependent of many factors including the soil environment which is influenced by crop management procedures. Soil compaction, which is unavoidable under current management procedures, can have a detrimental effect on root development. The purpose of this field experiment was to compare the effects of controlled and conventional traffic management on alfalfa fine root growth in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse‐loamy, mixed, nonacid thermic Typic Torriorthent). No wheel traffic and traffic only before planting were compared to two conventional systems that varied in the amount of traffic applied during crop production. Twenty months after planting, there was a significant decrease in fine root density (FRD) from single passes of traffic after each harvest down to a 0.45‐m depth while several passes after each harvest significantly decreased FRD down to 1.8‐m depth. Regardless of treatment, root density was greatest in the upper 0.1 m of soil decreasing to 1.8 m in the first summer. By the second summer FRD showed bimodal distribution with significantly fewer roots at 0.3 to 0.6 m compared to layers above and below this depth. Seasonally there was a significantly higher root density during the winter than the summer in the upper 0.3 m of soil. The results of this study shows that alfalfa fine roots more thoroughly exploit the soil volume in the absence of wheel traffic and that compaction from traffic diminished root growth to different depths depending on its intensity.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Single passes of traffic after each harvest significantly decreased alfalfa fine root density down to 0.45 m depth.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae1 - Treatment
- single passes of traffic after each harveste2
- Outcome
- fine root density (FRD)e2
- Direction
- decreasee2
- Qualifier
- down to a 0.45‐m depthe2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e2“there was a significant decrease in fine root density (FRD) from single passes of traffic after each harvest down to a 0.45‐m depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Several passes of traffic after each harvest significantly decreased alfalfa FRD down to 1.8 m depth.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- several passes after each harveste3
- Outcome
- FRDe3
- Direction
- decreasede3
- Qualifier
- down to 1.8‐m depthe3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e3“several passes after each harvest significantly decreased FRD down to 1.8‐m depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa root density was greatest in the upper 0.1 m of soil, regardless of treatment.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- root densitye4
- Qualifier
- greatest in the upper 0.1 m of soile4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e4“Regardless of treatment, root density was greatest in the upper 0.1 m of soil decreasing to 1.8 m in the first summer”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa FRD showed a bimodal distribution by the second summer.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- FRDe5
- Qualifier
- bimodal distributione5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e5“By the second summer FRD showed bimodal distribution with significantly fewer roots at 0.3 to 0.6 m compared to layers above and below this depth”
Claim · model-written summary
In the second summer alfalfa had significantly fewer roots at 0.3 to 0.6 m than in layers above and below that depth.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- roots at 0.3 to 0.6 me5
- Qualifier
- compared to layers above and below this depthe5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e5“By the second summer FRD showed bimodal distribution with significantly fewer roots at 0.3 to 0.6 m compared to layers above and below this depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa root density was significantly higher in winter than in summer in the upper 0.3 m of soil.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- root densitye6
- Qualifier
- during the winter than the summer in the upper 0.3 m of soile6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e6“Seasonally there was a significantly higher root density during the winter than the summer in the upper 0.3 m of soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa fine roots exploit the soil volume more thoroughly in the absence of wheel traffic.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- absence of wheel traffice1
- Outcome
- exploit the soil volumee1
- Direction
- more thoroughlye1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The results of this study shows that alfalfa fine roots more thoroughly exploit the soil volume in the absence of wheel traffic”
Claim · model-written summary
Compaction from traffic diminished alfalfa root growth to different depths depending on its intensity.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- compaction from traffice2
- Outcome
- root growthe2
- Direction
- diminishede2
- Qualifier
- to different depths depending on its intensitye2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Root development in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)”
e2“compaction from traffic diminished root growth to different depths depending on its intensity”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Positive and negative results
8 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
12 papers more in this group
See all 16 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.