Abstract
Salinity is a spatially complex and dynamic property of soil that adversely impacts plant metabolism and rhizobium capacity for symbiotic nitrogen fixation, thus affecting alfalfa (Medicago sativa) growth. The objective of present study was to conduct the first meta-analysis to understand the influence of soil salinity, experimental growth condition, and soil type on alfalfa shoot dry matter. Thus, random-effects model meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) version 3 software across 10 published articles generating 68 observations. The effect sizes were determined as the natural logarithm of the response ratio as a metric response of alfalfa shoot dry matter under saline treatments versus the control treatment. Three moderators used in the study were: 1) Salinity, categorized as (low, 0–5 dS/m; medium, 6–15 dS/m; and high, 16–30 dS/m); 2) experimental conditions (field experiment, greenhouse, growth chamber); and 3) soil type (sand, sandy loam). Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased significantly under medium and high salinity levels (p≤ 0.05); whereas low salinity did not have significant effect on shoot dry matter (p≥ 0.05). The decrease in shoot dry matter was 40, 43, and 50% under field, greenhouse, and growth chamber, respectively. In terms of soil type, sandy loam soil reduced the alfalfa shoot dry matter by 40%, whereas sandy soil showed a 59% decrease. Low saline soils (i.e., <5 dS/m) and/or sandy loam soil type under field conditions can increase alfalfa shoot dry matter and can outperform high saline soils (i.e., between 6 and 30 dS/m) and/or sandy soil under growth chamber conditions.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Medium and high salinity significantly decreased alfalfa shoot dry matter compared with the control treatment.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae1 - Treatment
- medium and high salinity levelse1
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- decreasede1
- Comparator
- control treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased significantly under medium and high salinity levels (p≤ 0.05); whereas low salinity did not have significant effect on shoot dry matter (p≥ 0.05)”
e2“under saline treatments versus the control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Low salinity had no significant effect on alfalfa shoot dry matter compared with the control treatment.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- low salinitye1
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- did not have significant effecte1
- Comparator
- control treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased significantly under medium and high salinity levels (p≤ 0.05); whereas low salinity did not have significant effect on shoot dry matter (p≥ 0.05)”
e2“under saline treatments versus the control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased by 40% under field conditions.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The decrease in shoot dry matter was 40, 43, and 50% under field, greenhouse, and growth chamber, respectively”
t0“Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased by 43% under greenhouse conditions.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Value
- 43e1
- Setting
- greenhousee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The decrease in shoot dry matter was 40, 43, and 50% under field, greenhouse, and growth chamber, respectively”
t0“Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa shoot dry matter decreased by 50% in growth chamber experiments.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Value
- 50%e1
- Setting
- growth chambere1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The decrease in shoot dry matter was 40, 43, and 50% under field, greenhouse, and growth chamber, respectively”
t0“Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Sandy loam soil reduced alfalfa shoot dry matter by 40%.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- sandy loam soile1
- Outcome
- alfalfa shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- 40%e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“In terms of soil type, sandy loam soil reduced the alfalfa shoot dry matter by 40%, whereas sandy soil showed a 59% decrease”
Claim · model-written summary
Sandy soil decreased alfalfa shoot dry matter by 59%.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- sandy soile1
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- decreasee1
- Value
- 59%e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“In terms of soil type, sandy loam soil reduced the alfalfa shoot dry matter by 40%, whereas sandy soil showed a 59% decrease”
Claim · model-written summary
Low saline soils (below 5 dS/m) and/or sandy loam soil under field conditions can increase alfalfa shoot dry matter.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- Low saline soils (i.e., <5 dS/m)e1
- Outcome
- alfalfa shoot dry mattere1
- Direction
- increasee1
- Setting
- field conditionse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Low saline soils (i.e., <5 dS/m) and/or sandy loam soil type under field conditions can increase alfalfa shoot dry matter”
Claim · model-written summary
Low saline soils can outperform high saline soils (6 to 30 dS/m) and/or sandy soil for alfalfa shoot dry matter under growth chamber conditions.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae2
- Treatment
- low saline soilse2
- Outcome
- shoot dry mattere2
- Direction
- outperforme1
- Comparator
- high saline soilse1
- Setting
- growth chamber conditionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“can outperform high saline soils (i.e., between 6 and 30 dS/m) and/or sandy soil under growth chamber conditions”
e2“Low saline soils (i.e., <5 dS/m) and/or sandy loam soil type under field conditions can increase alfalfa shoot dry matter”
The same questions in other papers
in vitro · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Positive and negative results
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- positive
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18 papers in the same direction as this paper · 76 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
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See all 95 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.