Abstract
Introduction Limited water and soil phosphorus (P) availability often hampers lucerne productivity in semiarid regions. Plastic film mulch and P application typically enhance young lucerne (2–3 years) productivity by increasing soil water use and P availability. However, the prolonged impact of film mulch and P application on lucerne productivity as the stand ages remains unclear. Methods This study conducted a 9-year field experiment on the semiarid Loess Plateau to investigate how film mulch and P application affect lucerne forage yield, soil water content, and soil fertility. The field experiment used a split-plot design with randomized blocks, in which the whole plots were with (M1) and without plastic film mulch (M0), and the split plots were four P rates (0 (P0), 9.7 (P1), 19.2 (P2), and 28.8 (P3) kg P ha −1 ). Results and discussion The M1 treatment produced significantly higher lucerne forage yields than the M0 treatment during the first five years, but the yield-increasing effect of film mulch gradually diminished over time, with no effect in Years 6–8, and lower yields than the M0 treatment in Year 9. Phosphorus fertilization significantly increased forage yield after Year 3 in the M0 treatment, but only in Years 3–5 in the M1 treatment. In Years 2–5, film mulch significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen (N), inorganic N, and microbial biomass carbon in P0, P1, and P2 but not in P3. However, in Years 7–9, film mulch significantly decreased soil available potassium (K), organic carbon mineralization, lucerne density, and shoot K concentration, but did not reduce soil N and P availability at any level P of application. Moreover, plastic film mulch significantly increased the soil water content at 0–300 cm deep from Year 7 onwards. In conclusion, film mulch ceased to enhance lucerne production beyond year 6, which could not be attributed to soil water content, N or P availability but was partially associated with reduced soil K availability. Consequently, future research should focus on soil K availability, and K addition should be considered after five years in lucerne pastures mulched with plastic film in semiarid areas.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch increased lucerne forage yield during the first five years.
- Taxon
- lucerne
Medicago sativae0 - Treatment
- M1 treatmente0
- Outcome
- lucerne forage yieldse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Qualifier
- first five yearse0
- Comparator
- M0 treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The M1 treatment produced significantly higher lucerne forage yields than the M0 treatment during the first five years”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch had no yield effect in years 6–8.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- film mulcht0
- Outcome
- yieldt0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Qualifier
- Years 6–8e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“no effect in Years 6–8”
t0“film mulch and P application on lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch lowered lucerne yield in year 9.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- film mulcht0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Qualifier
- Year 9e0
- Comparator
- M0 treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lower yields than the M0 treatment in Year 9”
t0“film mulch and P application on lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Phosphorus fertilization increased forage yield after year 3 without mulch.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- Phosphorus fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- forage yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- after Year 3 in the M0 treatmente0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Phosphorus fertilization significantly increased forage yield after Year 3 in the M0 treatment”
t0“lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Phosphorus fertilization increased forage yield in mulched plots only in years 3–5.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- P applicationt0
- Outcome
- forage yieldt0
- Qualifier
- Years 3–5 in the M1 treatmente0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but only in Years 3–5 in the M1 treatment”
t0“P application on lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen in P0–P2 in years 2–5.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- film mulche0
- Outcome
- soil organic carbon, total nitrogen (N), inorganic Ne0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- in P0, P1, and P2 but not in P3e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Years 2–5, film mulch significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen (N), inorganic N, and microbial biomass carbon in P0, P1, and P2 but not in P3”
t0“lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch increased microbial biomass carbon in P0–P2 in years 2–5.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- film mulche0
- Outcome
- microbial biomass carbone0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- in P0, P1, and P2 but not in P3e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Years 2–5, film mulch significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen (N), inorganic N, and microbial biomass carbon in P0, P1, and P2 but not in P3”
t0“lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch reduced soil potassium availability and organic carbon mineralization in years 7–9.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- film mulche0
- Outcome
- soil available potassium (K), organic carbon mineralizatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in Years 7–9, film mulch significantly decreased soil available potassium (K), organic carbon mineralization, lucerne density, and shoot K concentration”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch reduced lucerne density and shoot potassium concentration in years 7–9.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- film mulche0
- Outcome
- lucerne density, and shoot K concentratione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in Years 7–9, film mulch significantly decreased soil available potassium (K), organic carbon mineralization, lucerne density, and shoot K concentration”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch did not lower soil nitrogen or phosphorus availability.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- film mulcht0
- Outcome
- soil N and P availabilitye0
- Direction
- did not reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“did not reduce soil N and P availability at any level P of application”
t0“film mulch and P application on lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch increased deep soil water content from year 7 onward.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- plastic film mulche0
- Outcome
- soil water contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- at 0–300 cm deep from Year 7 onwardse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plastic film mulch significantly increased the soil water content at 0–300 cm deep from Year 7 onwards”
t0“lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced potassium availability was partly associated with the loss of mulch yield benefit.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Compound
- Ke0
- Outcome
- yieldt0
- Direction
- reducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“partially associated with reduced soil K availability”
t0“lucerne forage yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend considering potassium addition after five years in mulched lucerne pastures.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativae0
- Outcome
- K addition should be considered after five yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“K addition should be considered after five years in lucerne pastures mulched with plastic film in semiarid areas”
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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.