Abstract
The increased salinity of arid and semi‐arid lands has become a problem of great concern in agriculture. The possibility that the inhibition of leaf growth in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) growing under saline conditions may be associated with a reduction in ion concentration in the leaf was investigated. Seeds of alfalfa cv. Buraimi were sown in PVC cylinders filled with loamy sand and arranged in large pots embedded in the soil with the rim just above the soil surface. This arrangement simulated plants grown under field conditions. Seedlings were irrigated with saline (12.2 dS m−1) and nutrient solutions (full strength or 20 times dilution) twice weekly. After 6 weeks the plants were harvested and separated into roots, stem and leaves. The leaves were further separated into lamina and petioles and analysed for the major and minor nutrient elements. Salinization significantly reduced the fresh weights of the roots, stem and leaves as well as the concentration of N, K, Ca and Mg in the leaf tissue. With the exception of Cu concentration, which was enhanced by salinity, all the micronutrients (B, Zn, Mn and Fe) had reduced concentrations in the leaves of salinized alfalfa. The application of an external nutrient solution, especially the full‐strength solution, produced an increase in leaf growth and leaf nutrient element concentration. On the basis of these results it was concluded that reduced leaf nutrient concentration may be one of the primary causes of the inhibition of leaf growth that was characteristic of alfalfa growing under salinity stress.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Salinization significantly reduced the fresh weights of alfalfa roots, stem and leaves.
- Taxon
- Alfalfa
Medicago sativat0 - Treatment
- Salinizatione0
- Outcome
- fresh weights of the roots, stem and leavese0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinization significantly reduced the fresh weights of the roots, stem and leaves”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinization significantly reduced leaf tissue concentrations of N, K and Ca in alfalfa.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Organ / stage
- leaf tissuee0
- Treatment
- Salinizatione0
- Outcome
- concentration of N, K, Cae0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinization significantly reduced the fresh weights of the roots, stem and leaves as well as the concentration of N, K, Ca and Mg in the leaf tissue”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinization significantly reduced the Mg concentration in alfalfa leaf tissue.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Organ / stage
- leaf tissuee0
- Treatment
- Salinizatione0
- Outcome
- Mge0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinization significantly reduced the fresh weights of the roots, stem and leaves as well as the concentration of N, K, Ca and Mg in the leaf tissue”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Cu concentration in alfalfa leaves was enhanced by salinity, unlike the other nutrient elements.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- salinitye0
- Outcome
- Cu concentratione0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With the exception of Cu concentration, which was enhanced by salinity”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Concentrations of the micronutrients B, Zn and Mn were reduced in the leaves of salinized alfalfa.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Organ / stage
- leavese0
- Treatment
- salinizede0
- Outcome
- B, Zn, Mne0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“all the micronutrients (B, Zn, Mn and Fe) had reduced concentrations in the leaves of salinized alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
The concentration of the micronutrient Fe was reduced in the leaves of salinized alfalfa.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“all the micronutrients (B, Zn, Mn and Fe) had reduced concentrations in the leaves of salinized alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Applying an external nutrient solution, especially the full-strength solution, increased alfalfa leaf growth and leaf nutrient element concentration.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- external nutrient solutione0
- Outcome
- leaf growth and leaf nutrient element concentratione0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Qualifier
- especially the full‐strength solutione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The application of an external nutrient solution, especially the full‐strength solution, produced an increase in leaf growth and leaf nutrient element concentration”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that reduced leaf nutrient concentration may be one of the primary causes of the inhibition of alfalfa leaf growth under salinity stress.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- salinity stresse0
- Outcome
- inhibition of leaf growthe0
- Qualifier
- reduced leaf nutrient concentration may be one of the primary causese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“reduced leaf nutrient concentration may be one of the primary causes of the inhibition of leaf growth that was characteristic of alfalfa growing under salinity stress”
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See all 95 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.