Forage yield, water use efficiency, and soil fertility response to alfalfa growing age in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China

Wang, Lin Lin; Xie, Junhong; Luo, Zidong; Niu, Yining; Coulter, Jeffrey A.; Zhang, Renzhi; Li, Lingling

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106415

Cited by 38 publications

(36 citation statements)

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“…Plant density in North Dakota and Minnesota environments was lower than expected for a seeding year stand and spring of the year after planting [16,39], however it is not unusual to have extensive winter-kill and plant density reduction during the first winter [38]. Our plant count approach could have underestimated stand density relative to previous research where crowns were dug out.…”

Section: Alfalfa Stem and Plant Densitymentioning

confidence: 59%

“…In Minnesota, the forage yield increased from the first to the second production year in all treatments, but much more for the intercropped systems (T3 and T4). In this study, the third production year was not evaluated, but literature indicates that alfalfa forage yield potential decreases as the plant ages after the third or fourth year [37,38].…”

Section: Alfalfa Forage Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

et al. 2021

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Integrating alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with corn (Zea mays L.) for grain will increase biodiversity, reduce the negative environmental impact of corn monoculture and increase farm profitability. The objectives of this research were to evaluate forage productivity and nutritive value, along with stand establishment of alfalfa in a corn grain system in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates at each site. Treatments included were: sole corn (i.e., check; T1), sole alfalfa (T2), alfalfa intercropped into corn (T3), a prohexadione-treated alfalfa intercropped with corn (T4), and a spring-seeded alfalfa in the year after intercropping (T5), which was planted in plots with T1 the previous year. All sites had below normal rainfall in 2016 and 2017. Corn grain yield was significantly lower when intercropped with alfalfa (T3 and T4) compared with the check corn crop (no alfalfa, T1). Corn grain yield reduction ranged from 14.0% to 18.8% compared with the check (T1). Corn biomass yield was reduced by intercropped alfalfa (T3 and T4) by 15.9% to 25.8%. In the seeding year, alfalfa seasonal forage yield was significantly greater when corn competition was absent in all environments. The intercropped alfalfa from the previous season (T3 and T4) had almost double the forage yield than the alfalfa in the seeding year (spring-seeded alfalfa; T5). In the second production year, there were no meaningful forage yield differences (p > 0.05) across all treatments, indicating alfalfa in intercropping systems does not affect forage yield past the first production year. Prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator, did not affect alfalfa stand density, forage yield and nutritive value. The forage nutritive value was dependent on harvest date not the alfalfa intercropping treatments. Results of our study suggest that establishing alfalfa with corn is feasible and can be a potential alternative for the upper Midwest region. However, when under drought conditions, this system might be less resilient since competition between alfalfa and corn for soil moisture will be intensified under drought or moisture-limited conditions, and this will likely depress corn grain yield. Research targeted to reintroduce perennial crops into the current dominant corn–soybean systems in the US Corn Belt is urgently needed to improve stability and resiliency of production systems.

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Section: Alfalfa Stem and Plant Densitymentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Alfalfa Forage Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

et al. 2021

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“…Fallow fields and legume introduction increased the SOC and soil TN concentration in the 0–20 cm during the studied period, with different rates (Table 1). Some studies in other regions reported that the SOC concentration in the 0–10 cm layer increased at a rate of 0.071 g kg −1 yr −1 , 0.016 g kg −1 yr −1 after converting slope farmland into alfalfa (Ge et al, 2020; L. L. Wang et al, 2021). The increasing rates in our study were greater, mainly due to the grassland management regime.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying a suitable revegetation method for soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus sequestration: A 16‐year in situ experiment on abandoned farmland in a semiarid area of the Loess Plateau, China

et al. 2022

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Legume pasture species have been widely used to re‐establish vegetation cover and control soil erosion in semiarid degraded ecosystems. Nevertheless, the long‐term effects of revegetation on aboveground biomass (AB) and the soil properties under different topographies remain unclear. We conducted a 16‐year in situ experiment to evaluate soil properties and biomass dynamics under fallow, sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), in northeast‐facing, southeast‐facing, and horizontal landscapes from 2003 to 2018. After 16 years of revegetation, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (TN), soil total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were higher in alfalfa fields in the northeast‐ and southeast‐facing landscapes and greater in sweet clover fields in the horizontal landscape alongside soil profiles. In the 0–20 cm, the SOC, TN, and TP concentrations in alfalfa fields increased at rates of 0.322, 0.034, and 0.010 g kg−1 yr−1 in the northeast‐facing landscape and at rates of 0.189, 0.022, and 0.011 g kg−1 yr−1 in the southeast‐facing landscape. The SOC, TN, and TP concentrations in sweet clover fields increased at rates of 0.129, 0.023, and 0.009 g kg−1 yr−1 in the horizontal. Alfalfa introduction is recommended for northeast‐facing landscapes whereas alfalfa and fallow are recommended in southeast‐facing landscapes, introduce sweet clover is recommended in a horizontal landscape to improve the soil nutrient concentrations at mid‐long time. These results suggest that topography influences vegetation restoration by affecting plant growth and soil nutrient and should be considered during the revegetation process to ensure revegetation success and sustainable land use.

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“…Specifically, the tolerant alfalfa cultivars had a relatively high level of root length, root surface area, and root volume [15]. Moreover, alfalfa can also tolerate frequent harvestings [16,17]. Thus, the production area of alfalfa is being enhanced every year globally [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the production area of alfalfa is being enhanced every year globally [18,19]. So far, more than 4.0 × 10 6 t ha −1 yr −1 of alfalfa forage has been grown and harvested from the northern and north western regions of China [17]. However, freshwater shortages and soil salinization are the major obstructions to alfalfa growth in these regions [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Spring Regrowth and Comparative Production Performance of 50 Autumn-Sown Alfalfa Cultivars in the Coastal Saline Soil of North China

Wang

Fang

Ameen

et al. 2021

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Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production is affected by many factors, including management practices, soil conditions, and the environmental elements of the target area. Varietal differences, in terms of agronomic performance and forage yield, among 50 alfalfa cultivars under six harvest systems following regrowth were evaluated during the growing season of 2019–2020 under non-irrigated rainfed conditions in a coastal saline-alkali soil region of North China. Days to harvesting, plant height, canopy area, growth rate, and forage yield were assessed to rank the cultivars. Furthermore, the key factor influencing the regrowth of the second year after over-wintering was identified based on the growth status before over-wintering by using the Boston Matrix method. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) differences among cultivars and harvests regarding plant height, canopy area, and forage yield. Alfalfa forage yield ranged between 24.2 t ha−1 yr−1 and 32.7 t ha−1 yr−1. The highest forage yield was obtained in cultivar Guochan No.1, and was lowest in cultivar Magnum 601. Forage yield reached the greatest values for the first harvest, and then decreased gradually and changed stably. The forage yield of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth harvest ranged from 3.4 t ha−1 to 4.3 t ha−1 (averaged across 50 cultivars), which represented 10.8% to 15.2% of the annual total forage production. We also observed that forage yield correlated strongly, but negatively, with the growth rate. According to subordinate function value analysis, Womu No.1, WL440HQ, Weston, Surprise, and WL354HQ proved optimum cultivars for general cultivation in this coastal area. In future, development of alfalfa cultivars with improved regrowth and tolerance to heavy saline-alkali soil and early spring drought would be necessary to increase forage yield under rainfed conditions in coastal saline-alkali areas of North China.

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Forage yield, water use efficiency, and soil fertility response to alfalfa growing age in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China

Cited by 38 publications

References 39 publications

Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

Identifying a suitable revegetation method for soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus sequestration: A 16‐year in situ experiment on abandoned farmland in a semiarid area of the Loess Plateau, China

Dynamics of Spring Regrowth and Comparative Production Performance of 50 Autumn-Sown Alfalfa Cultivars in the Coastal Saline Soil of North China

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