Abstract
To address low productivity and water constraints in lucerne fields of China’s Gansu Yellow River Irrigation Region, this study optimized lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) cultivation through synergistic planting nitrogen regimes. A two-year field trial (2021–2022) evaluated three systems: ridge-furrow with ordinary mulch (PM), ridge-furrow with biodegradable mulch (BM), and conventional flat planting (FP), under four controlled-release N rates (0, 80, 160, 240 kg ha−1). Multidimensional assessments included growth dynamics, dry matter yield, forage quality (crude protein [CP], acid/neutral detergent fiber [ADF/NDF], relative feed value [RFV]), and resource efficiency metrics (water use efficiency [WUE], irrigation WUE [IWUE], partial factor productivity of N [PFPN], agronomic N use efficiency [ANUE]). The results showed the following: (1) Compared with conventional flat planting, ridge planting with film mulching significantly promoted lucerne growth, with ordinary plastic film providing a stronger effect than biodegradable film. Plant height and stem diameter exhibited a quadratic response to elevated nitrogen (N) application rates under identical planting patterns, peaking at intermediate N levels before declining with further increases. (2) Ridge planting with both ordinary plastic film and biodegradable film combined with an appropriate N rate improved lucerne yield and quality. In particular, the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%), and all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05). (3) WUE, IWUE, PFPN, and ANUE followed the pattern PM > BM > FP. With increasing N application rates, WUE, IWUE, and ANUE initially rose and then declined, peaking under N2, whereas PFPN showed a decreasing trend and reached its maximum under N1. Principal component analysis revealed that ridge planting with ordinary plastic film combined with 160 kg·ha−1 N (PMN2) optimized lucerne performance, achieving balanced improvements in yield, forage quality, and water–nitrogen use efficiency. This regimen is recommended as the optimal strategy for lucerne cultivation in the Gansu Yellow River Irrigation Region and analogous ecoregions.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Ridge planting with film mulching significantly promoted lucerne growth compared with conventional flat planting.
- Taxon
- Lucerne
Medicago sativat0 - Treatment
- ridge planting with film mulchinge0
- Outcome
- lucerne growthe0
- Direction
- promotede0
- Comparator
- conventional flat plantinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“Compared with conventional flat planting, ridge planting with film mulching significantly promoted lucerne growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Ordinary plastic film had a stronger growth-promoting effect on lucerne than biodegradable film.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- ordinary plastic filme0
- Outcome
- a stronger effecte0
- Direction
- strongere0
- Comparator
- biodegradable filme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“with ordinary plastic film providing a stronger effect than biodegradable film”
Claim · model-written summary
Lucerne plant height and stem diameter responded quadratically to N rate, peaking at intermediate N and then declining.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- elevated nitrogen (N) application ratese0
- Outcome
- Plant height and stem diametere0
- Direction
- peaking at intermediate N levels before declining with further increasese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“Plant height and stem diameter exhibited a quadratic response to elevated nitrogen (N) application rates under identical planting patterns, peaking at intermediate N levels before declining with further increases”
Claim · model-written summary
Ridge planting with ordinary or biodegradable film plus an appropriate N rate improved lucerne yield and quality.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- Ridge planting with both ordinary plastic film and biodegradable film combined with an appropriate N ratee0
- Outcome
- lucerne yield and qualitye0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“Ridge planting with both ordinary plastic film and biodegradable film combined with an appropriate N rate improved lucerne yield and quality”
Claim · model-written summary
The PMN2 treatment gave the highest lucerne yield, 14,600 kg/ha, significantly better than other treatments.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PMN2e0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 14,600 kg ha−1e0
- Comparator
- the other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%)”
e1“all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
The PMN2 treatment gave the highest crude protein, 19.19%, significantly better than other treatments.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PMN2e0
- Outcome
- CPe0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 19.19%e0
- Comparator
- the other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%)”
e1“all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
The PMN2 treatment gave the highest relative feed value, 124.18, significantly better than other treatments.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PMN2e0
- Outcome
- RFVe0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 124.18e0
- Comparator
- the other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%)”
e1“all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
The PMN2 treatment gave the lowest ADF, 29.63%, significantly better than other treatments.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PMN2e0
- Outcome
- ADFe0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 29.63%e0
- Comparator
- the other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%)”
e1“all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
The PMN2 treatment gave the lowest NDF, 48.86%, significantly better than other treatments.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- PMN2e0
- Outcome
- NDFe0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 48.86%e0
- Comparator
- the other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“the PMN2 treatment reached the highest value of yield (14,600 kg ha−1), CP (19.19%) and RFV (124.18), and the lowest value of ADF (29.63%) and NDF (48.86%)”
e1“all of them were significantly better than the other treatments (p < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
WUE, IWUE and PFPN followed the order ridge-furrow ordinary mulch > biodegradable mulch > flat planting.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- WUE, IWUE, PFPNe0
- Direction
- PM > BM > FPe0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“WUE, IWUE, PFPN, and ANUE followed the pattern PM > BM > FP”
Claim · model-written summary
ANUE followed the order ridge-furrow ordinary mulch > biodegradable mulch > flat planting.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- ANUEe0
- Direction
- PM > BM > FPe0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“WUE, IWUE, PFPN, and ANUE followed the pattern PM > BM > FP”
Claim · model-written summary
With increasing N rates, WUE, IWUE and ANUE first rose then declined, peaking at N2.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- increasing N application ratese0
- Outcome
- WUE, IWUE, and ANUEe0
- Direction
- initially rose and then declinede0
- Qualifier
- peaking under N2e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“With increasing N application rates, WUE, IWUE, and ANUE initially rose and then declined, peaking under N2”
Claim · model-written summary
PFPN decreased with increasing N rate and was greatest at N1.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- PFPNe0
- Direction
- decreasinge0
- Qualifier
- reached its maximum under N1e0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“PFPN showed a decreasing trend and reached its maximum under N1”
Claim · model-written summary
Principal component analysis showed ridge planting with ordinary plastic film plus 160 kg/ha N (PMN2) optimized lucerne performance, with balanced gains in yield, forage quality and water and N use efficiency.
- Taxon
- LucerneMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- ridge planting with ordinary plastic film combined with 160 kg·ha−1 N (PMN2)e0
- Outcome
- lucerne performancee0
- Direction
- optimizede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“Principal component analysis revealed that ridge planting with ordinary plastic film combined with 160 kg·ha−1 N (PMN2) optimized lucerne performance, achieving balanced improvements in yield, forage quality, and water–nitrogen use efficiency”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend PMN2 as the optimal lucerne cultivation strategy in the Gansu Yellow River Irrigation Region and similar ecoregions.
- Taxon
- lucerneMedicago sativae0
- Outcome
- optimal strategy for lucerne cultivatione0
- Setting
- Gansu Yellow River Irrigation Regione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Lucerne”
e0“This regimen is recommended as the optimal strategy for lucerne cultivation in the Gansu Yellow River Irrigation Region and analogous ecoregions”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · quality: general · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- negative
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →mulching · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results agree
4 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 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.