irrigation · Physiology: water · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)

Positive and negative results33 papers: 25 positive, 8 negative or no effect

40 claims from these papers; 9 citations between them.

Papers here report positive and negative or no-effect results. No pair of them has been accepted in the claim-by-claim check.

How these papers cite each other

9 citations between these papers: 7 on the same side, 2 across the two sides.

Positive result
Negative result or no effect
Citation, pointing to the cited paper
Citation across the two sides
Larger circle: more citations overall

Years run left to right. Citations come from the papers’ OpenAlex reference lists. Hover a paper to bring forward its citations; click it to open the paper.

Papers reporting a positive result 25

Alfalfa Yield and Water Use When Forced into Dormancy by Withholding Water During the Summer¹ · 1981
- positive
  Water use efficiency rose to 1.60 from 1.32 in 1978–1979 with withholding.
  compared with adequate irrigation was applied throughout the growing season
cited by 1 paper here
Water Status Effects on Net Photosynthesis in Field‐Grown Alfalfa · 1988
- positive
  Irrigated plants had higher leaf water potential.
  compared with nonimgated
Technical Notes: Yield-applied Water Relationships for Sprinkle and Flood-irrigated Alfalfa · 1996
- positive
  Sprinkle irrigation was 10 to 11% more efficient than flood irrigation for alfalfa yield per applied water.
  compared with flood irrigation
Effect of Irrigation Quantity and Phosphorus Fertilization on Forage Yield, Water Use Efficiency and Phosphorus Uptake of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) · 2003
- positive
  Water use efficiency was higher under the first irrigation treatment.
  compared with other irrigation treatments
- no effect
  The irrigation by phosphorus interaction did not significantly affect water use efficiency.
IRRIGATION, THE METHOD FOR DROUGHT CONTROL IN ALFALFA 2 ND YEAR FROM CRIŞURILOR PLAIN · 2010
- positive
  Irrigation improved water-use efficiency by 18. 7 %.
COMPARING COSTS AND EFFICIENCIES OF DIFFERENT ALFALFA IRRIGATION SYSTEMS · 2011
- positive
  Improving pivot and subsurface drip irrigation uniformity and scheduling can increase alfalfa yield and water use efficiency.
Effects of Precision Irrigation on Productivity and Water Use Efficiency of Alfalfa under Different Irrigation Methods in Arid Climates · 2011
- positive
  Sub-surface drip irrigation saved 35.7% of irrigation water compared with sprinkler irrigation.
  compared with SPI
Comparative Study of Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) under Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation · 2013
- positive
  Crop and field water use efficiencies under W1 with drip irrigation exceeded W2 with sprinkler irrigation.
  compared with W2 with sprinkler irrigation
MAXIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF ALFALFA UNDER PRECISE SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION IN ARID REGIONS · 2013
- positive
  Reduced water supply increased alfalfa irrigation water use efficiency.
cited by 3 papers here
Irrigation an Important Component of the Alfalfa Technology in Crisurilor Plain · 2014
- positive
  Optimal water supply increased first-year alfalfa total water consumption by 43.0%.
Evaluation of Impct of Water Deficit on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Four Cultivars Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in Khuzestan Conditions - Ahvaz · 2014
- positive
  Water use efficiency increased as irrigation was delayed.
Surfactant and Limited Irrigation Effects on Forage and Seed Production and Water Use Efficiency in Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) · 2015
- positive
  Forage yield water use efficiency increased significantly as irrigation limitation intensified.
- negative
  Increasing irrigation limitation decreased alfalfa relative water content.
Effects of irrigation methods on yield and quality of alfalfa in arid northwest China · 2015
- positive
  SDI improved second-cutting water use efficiency against BI and SI by 20. 77% and 34. 41%.
  compared with BI and SI treatments
- positive
  SDI improved first-cutting water use efficiency against BI and SI by 17. 70% and 21. 46%.
  compared with BI and SI treatments
Lucerne yield, water productivity and persistence under variable and restricted irrigation strategies · 2016
- positive
  Partially irrigated treatments had higher irrigation water productivity than fully watered treatments.
  compared with fully watered
- negative
  Total water productivity was significantly lower only without irrigation that year.
cites 1 paper here
Effect of Irrigation Schemes on Forage Yield, Water Use Efficiency, and Nutrients in Artificial Grassland under Arid Conditions · 2017
- positive
  Near field capacity irrigation increased long term water use efficiency of M. sativa in June and September.
The impact of irrigation on yield of alfalfa and soil chemical properties of saline-sodic soils · 2019
- positive
  Irrigation significantly increased alfalfa water use efficiency.
cited by 1 paper here
Alternating Partial Root-Zone Subsurface Drip Irrigation Enhances the Productivity and Water Use Efficiency of Alfalfa by Improving Root Characteristics · 2024
- positive
  ARDI increased AWPC by 37.2%.
  compared with SDI
- positive
  ARDI increased AWPI by 28.8%.
  compared with SDI
- no effect
  ARDI evapotranspiration did not significantly increase relative to SDI.
  compared with SDINo difference from an alternative treatment
cited by 2 papers here
Optimizing drip irrigation managements to improve alfalfa seed yield in semiarid region · 2024
- positive
  Irrigation during branch, full bloom, and pod set stages increased water use efficiency.
cited by 1 paper here
Study on Alfalfa Water Use Efficiency and Optimal Irrigation Strategy in Agro-Pastoral Ecotone, Northwestern China · 2025
- positive
  Irrigation increased water productivity of rain-fed alfalfa by 49.48–64.70%.
  compared with rain-fed alfalfa
cites 1 paper here
The positive effects of appropriate drought stress on alfalfa that saving water while ensuring quality and economic benefits · 2025
- positive
  The irrigation and harvesting modus reduced water consumption by 22%.
cites 2 papers here
Irrigation technology, irrigation dose, and crop genetic impacts on alfalfa yield and quality · 2025
- positive
  Deficit irrigation improved water use efficiency.
Preliminary Multi-Objective Optimization of Mobile Drip Irrigation System Design and Deficit Irrigation Schedule: A Full Growth Cycle Simulation for Alfalfa Using HYDRUS-2D · 2025
- positive
  Raising the deficit irrigation threshold from F1 to F3 enhanced alfalfa root water uptake by 12.24–15.34%.
  compared with F1
cites 1 paper here
Drought Resistance Physiological Responses of Alfalfa to Alternate Partial Root-Zone Drying Irrigation · 2025
- positive
  APRI resulted in healthier leaf water conditions in alfalfa than CI and FPRI.
  compared with CI and FPRI
cites 1 paper here
Applying smart irrigation system to rationalize water consumption for alfalfa crop under Al-Farafra Oasis conditions · 2025
- positive
  SIT, LPI, and T4 gave WUE of 3.04 and 3.09 kg m-3 across the two seasons.
- positive
  SIT, LPI, and T4 gave IWUE of 2.75 and 2.79 kg m-3 across the two seasons.
Alternating Partial Root-Zone Irrigation Improves Alfalfa Water Use Efficiency by Regulating Root Water Uptake, Photosynthetic Traits, and Endogenous Hormones · 2026
- positive
  APRI enhanced instantaneous water use efficiency by 47.93%.

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 8

Root Distribution and Water Use Efficiency of Alfalfa as Influenced by Depth of Irrigation¹ · 1983
- no effect
  Water use efficiency did not differ by irrigation depth in September to November.
Effect of Water Supply on Performance of Alfalfa · 1988
- negative
  Applied water use efficiency decreased at the highest water treatment (68–70 in.).
Effects of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on hay yield and water use efficiency of Medicago sativa · 2010
- negative
  Water use efficiency decreased significantly as irrigation amount increased.
  compared with 40% water-saving irrigation
[Effects of different water harvesting modes on alfalfa planting in semi-arid areas of Northwest China]. · 2013
- no effect
  Furrow to ridge ratio had no significant effect on water use efficiency within treatments.
  compared with same treatments
Assessing the Viability of Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation for Resource-Efficient Alfalfa Production in Central and Southern California · 2017
- negative
  University research found about 2–3% more water use with SDI.
  compared with SI
Applied Boron Increases Alfalfa Petiole Boron Concentration across Water Regimes, Not Yield · 2019
- negative
  Irrigation decreased irrigation water productivity in the second year of alfalfa growth.
Yield, nutrient quality and water and phosphorus recovery efficiencies of alfalfa under different drip irrigation and phosphorus levels in Northern Xinjiang, China · 2022
- negative
  Alfalfa water-use efficiency decreased with greater irrigation at a fixed phosphorus rate.
cites 1 paper herecited by 1 paper here
Winter and Season-Only Irrigation with Late Summer Irrigation Termination Influences Alfalfa Dry Matter Yield and Applied Water Use Efficiency · 2025
- negative
  Irrigation termination after the fourth harvest without winter irrigation reduced annual applied water use efficiency compared with all other treatments.
  compared with all other treatments
cites 2 papers here

A paper is on the positive side when any of its claims here is positive. Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. Claims that compare genotypes are left out; a claim about lacking a nutrient counts the other way round in that nutrient’s question. “Results differ” marks a question where two model reviewers, reading both claims, accepted at least one pair of papers whose results differ.

irrigation · Physiology: water · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)

How these papers cite each other

Papers reporting a positive result 25

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 8

irrigation on Medicago sativa (alfalfa) against other targets

irrigation · physiology: water on other organisms