Abstract
Introduction: ), is a cornerstone of China's livestock industry, however, due to the backward agronomic strategies and technology, lucerne in China faces cultivation challenges that result in lower productivity and quality than global standards. Therefore, we undertook a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of five distinct fertilization types on lucerne yield and nutritional quality in various locations in China. The fertilizer practices included manure application, combined mineral fertilizer and manure application (FM), biological fertilizer application, unbalanced application of two or more mineral fertilizer types, and balanced mineral fertilizer application. Furthermore, we investigate influential factors of yield and quality of lucerne under fertilization, including climatic variables (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature), initial soil properties (soil organic carbon; total nitrogen, pH), and agronomic factors (seeding rate, harvest frequency, and lucerne stand age). Methods: Our study analyzed 53 published papers to discern the most beneficial fertilizer for enhancing lucerne yield and nutritional quality. Results and discussion: The results showed that the fertilizer practices, on average, significantly improved yield by 31.72% and crude protein content by 11.29%, with FM emerging as the most effective, this is because mineral fertilizers provide available nutrients for lucerne, manure provides essential organic matter for microorganisms and improve soil properties. In addition, the fertilizer practices significantly reduced neutral and acid detergent fiber contents by 6.28% and 8.50%, respectively, while increasing ash content and relative feeding value. Furthermore, climatic variables, soil properties, and planting system factors such as sowing date and harvest frequency significantly affected yield and nutritional quality. The practical implications of our results emphasize the need for balanced and strategic fertilizer application to optimize lucerne production and highlight the potential to adjust cultivation practices according to environmental conditions. Balanced and strategic fertilizer application can simultaneously improve soil properties, enhance soil carbon sequestration, and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from the soil, which is a vital measure for realizing sustainable agricultural development.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer practices raised lucerne yield by 31.72%.
- Taxon
- lucerne
Medicago sativat0 - Treatment
- fertilizer practicese0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 31.72%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fertilizer practices, on average, significantly improved yield by 31.72%”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer practices raised crude protein content by 11.29%.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- fertilizer practicese0
- Outcome
- crude protein contente0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 11.29%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fertilizer practices, on average, significantly improved yield by 31.72% and crude protein content by 11.29%”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined mineral fertilizer and manure was the most effective practice.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- combined mineral fertilizer and manure applicatione1
- Outcome
- most effectivee0
- Direction
- most effectivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“FM emerging as the most effective”
e1“combined mineral fertilizer and manure application (FM)”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer practices reduced neutral detergent fiber content by 6.28%.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- fertilizer practicese0
- Outcome
- detergent fiber contentse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 6.28%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fertilizer practices significantly reduced neutral and acid detergent fiber contents by 6.28% and 8.50%, respectively”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer practices reduced acid detergent fiber content by 8.50%.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- fertilizer practicese0
- Outcome
- acid detergent fiber contentse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 8.50%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fertilizer practices significantly reduced neutral and acid detergent fiber contents by 6.28% and 8.50%, respectively”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer practices increased ash content and relative feeding value.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- fertilizer practicese1
- Outcome
- ash content and relative feeding valuee0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“while increasing ash content and relative feeding value”
e1“fertilizer practices significantly reduced neutral and acid detergent fiber contents”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
Climate, soil and planting system factors significantly affected lucerne yield and nutritional quality.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- yield and nutritional qualitye0
- Qualifier
- soil properties, and planting system factors such as sowing date and harvest frequencye0
- Setting
- climatic variablese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“climatic variables, soil properties, and planting system factors such as sowing date and harvest frequency significantly affected yield and nutritional quality”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend balanced and strategic fertilization for lucerne production.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativae0
- Outcome
- balanced and strategic fertilizer applicatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the need for balanced and strategic fertilizer application to optimize lucerne production”
t0“lucerne (Medicago sativa)”
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