Abstract
Abstract This study was undertaken to assess levels of tolerance to summer drought in Medicago sativa genotypes and to comment on their abilities to adapt to Moroccan conditions. Sixteen alfalfa cultivars originating from the Mediterranean basin were tested at an experimental station in Morocco, located in the semi-arid bioclimatic area. Trials were conducted over three years and consisted of one continuously irrigated treatment and another irrigated treatment in which summer watering was withheld for 9 weeks. Results showed that summer water stress significantly reduced aboveground biomass in all of the cultivars tested. This reduction ranged between 23.9 and 42.6% compared with fully irrigated treatment. At the end of stress period, mean summer leaf senescence rate was 83.3%, with a significant difference between cultivars. Ground cover, estimated at the end of summer in the third year, decreased dramatically and ranged between 12 and 30.7%, depending on the cultivar. High intrinsic water-use efficiency was associated with a decrease in stomatal conductance rather than an increase in photosynthesis. Keywords: Medicago sativa summer droughtbiomasspersistenceIWUE Acknowledgements This study was funded by EU within the project PERMED (INCO-CT-2004-509140): ‘Improvement of native perennial forage plants for sustainability of Mediterranean farming systems’ We thank farmers who have made available their materials for this study. We are grateful to F. Lelièvre for project co-ordination and to P. Annicchiarico and L. Pecetti for their technical assistance.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Summer water stress significantly reduced aboveground biomass in all alfalfa cultivars by 23.9 to 42.6% versus full irrigation.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativa
Medicago sativae1 - Treatment
- summer water stresse0
- Outcome
- aboveground biomasse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 23.9 and 42.6%e0
- Comparator
- fully irrigated treatmente0
- Setting
- Moroccoe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“summer water stress significantly reduced aboveground biomass in all of the cultivars tested. This reduction ranged between 23.9 and 42.6% compared with fully irrigated treatment.”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
e2“experimental station in Morocco”
Claim · model-written summary
Mean summer leaf senescence at the end of stress was 83.3%.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativaMedicago sativae1
- Organ / stage
- leafe0
- Outcome
- mean summer leaf senescence ratee0
- Value
- 83.3%e0
- Qualifier
- At the end of stress periode0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At the end of stress period, mean summer leaf senescence rate was 83.3%”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer leaf senescence differed significantly among alfalfa cultivars.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativaMedicago sativae1
- Material
- cultivarse0
- Outcome
- summer leaf senescence ratee2
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant difference between cultivars”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
e2“mean summer leaf senescence rate”
Claim · model-written summary
Ground cover fell dramatically and ranged from 12 to 30.7% among cultivars at the end of summer in year three.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- Ground covere0
- Direction
- decreased dramaticallye0
- Value
- 12 and 30.7%e0
- Qualifier
- at the end of summer in the third yeare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ground cover, estimated at the end of summer in the third year, decreased dramatically and ranged between 12 and 30.7%, depending on the cultivar.”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
High intrinsic water use efficiency was associated with lower stomatal conductance.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Qualifier
- High intrinsic water-use efficiencye0
- Setting
- Moroccoe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High intrinsic water-use efficiency was associated with a decrease in stomatal conductance rather than an increase in photosynthesis.”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
e2“experimental station in Morocco”
Claim · model-written summary
High intrinsic water use efficiency was not associated with increased photosynthesis.
- Taxon
- Medicago sativaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- photosynthesise0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Qualifier
- rather thane0
- Setting
- Moroccoe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High intrinsic water-use efficiency was associated with a decrease in stomatal conductance rather than an increase in photosynthesis.”
e1“Medicago sativa genotypes”
e2“experimental station in Morocco”
The same questions in other papers
drought · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results differ
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- negative
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