Abstract
BACKGROUND: Alfalfa is a high-quality forage cultivated widely in northern China. Recently, the failure of alfalfa plants to survive the winter has caused substantial economic losses. Water management has attracted considerable attention as a method for the potential improvement of winter survival. The aim of this study was to determine whether and how changes in the water regime affect the freezing tolerance of alfalfa. RESULTS: The alfalfa variety WL353LH was cultivated under water regimes of 80 and 25% of water-holding capacity, and all the plants were subjected to low temperatures at 4/0 °C (light/dark) and then - 2/- 6 °C (light/dark). The semi-lethal temperatures were lower for water-stressed than well-watered alfalfa. The pool sizes of total soluble sugars, total amino acids, and proline changed substantially under water-deficit and low-temperature conditions. Metabolomics analyses revealed 72 subclasses of differential metabolites, among which lipid and lipid-like molecules (e.g., fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and glycerophospholipids) and amino acids, peptides, and analogues (e.g., proline betaine) were upregulated under water-deficit conditions. Some carbohydrates (e.g., D-maltose and raffinose) and flavonoids were also upregulated at low temperatures. Finally, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed 18 significantly enriched pathways involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and glycerophospholipids. CONCLUSIONS: Water deficit significantly enhanced the alfalfa' freezing tolerance, and this was correlated with increased soluble sugar, amino acid, and lipid and lipid-like molecule contents. These substances are involved in osmotic regulation, cryoprotection, and the synthesis, fluidity, and stability of the cellular membrane. Our study provides a reference for improving alfalfa' winter survival through water management.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Water stressed alfalfa had lower semi-lethal temperatures than well watered alfalfa.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae0 - Treatment
- water-stressede0
- Outcome
- semi-lethal temperaturese0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- well-waterede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The semi-lethal temperatures were lower for water-stressed than well-watered alfalfa.”
Claim · model-written summary
Total soluble sugar pools changed under water deficit and low temperature.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- water-deficit and low-temperature conditionse0
- Outcome
- pool sizes of total soluble sugarse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The pool sizes of total soluble sugars, total amino acids, and proline changed substantially under water-deficit and low-temperature conditions.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Total amino acid pools changed under water deficit and low temperature.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- water-deficit and low-temperature conditionse0
- Outcome
- total amino acidse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The pool sizes of total soluble sugars, total amino acids, and proline changed substantially under water-deficit and low-temperature conditions.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Proline pools changed under water deficit and low temperature.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- water-deficit and low-temperature conditionse0
- Outcome
- prolinee0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The pool sizes of total soluble sugars, total amino acids, and proline changed substantially under water-deficit and low-temperature conditions.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Metabolomics found 72 subclasses of differential metabolites in alfalfa.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- differential metabolitese0
- Value
- 72 subclassese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Metabolomics analyses revealed 72 subclasses of differential metabolites”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit upregulated alfalfa lipid and lipid-like molecules.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- water-deficit conditionse0
- Outcome
- lipid and lipid-like moleculese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lipid and lipid-like molecules (e.g., fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and glycerophospholipids) and amino acids, peptides, and analogues (e.g., proline betaine) were upregulated under water-deficit conditions”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit upregulated alfalfa amino acids, peptides and analogues.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- water-deficit conditionse0
- Outcome
- amino acids, peptides, and analoguese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lipid and lipid-like molecules (e.g., fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and glycerophospholipids) and amino acids, peptides, and analogues (e.g., proline betaine) were upregulated under water-deficit conditions”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Low temperatures upregulated some alfalfa carbohydrates.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- low temperaturese0
- Outcome
- carbohydratese0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Some carbohydrates (e.g., D-maltose and raffinose) and flavonoids were also upregulated at low temperatures.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Low temperatures upregulated alfalfa flavonoids.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- low temperaturese0
- Outcome
- flavonoidse0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Some carbohydrates (e.g., D-maltose and raffinose) and flavonoids were also upregulated at low temperatures.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Eighteen pathways in carbohydrate, fatty acid, amino acid and glycerophospholipid biosynthesis and metabolism were enriched.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- enriched pathwayse0
- Value
- 18e0
- Qualifier
- biosynthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and glycerophospholipidse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“analyses revealed 18 significantly enriched pathways involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and glycerophospholipids”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit significantly enhanced alfalfa freezing tolerance.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- Water deficite0
- Outcome
- freezing tolerancee0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water deficit significantly enhanced the alfalfa' freezing tolerance”
Claim · model-written summary
Greater alfalfa freezing tolerance under water deficit correlated with increased sugar, amino acid and lipid contents.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- Water deficite0
- Outcome
- freezing tolerancee0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- increased soluble sugar, amino acid, and lipid and lipid-like molecule contentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water deficit significantly enhanced the alfalfa' freezing tolerance, and this was correlated with increased soluble sugar, amino acid, and lipid and lipid-like molecule contents”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors associate these substances with osmotic regulation, cryoprotection and membrane synthesis, fluidity and stability.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- osmotic regulation, cryoprotection, and the synthesis, fluidity, and stability of the cellular membranee0
- Qualifier
- These substancese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These substances are involved in osmotic regulation, cryoprotection, and the synthesis, fluidity, and stability of the cellular membrane.”
e1“alfalfa variety WL353LH”
The same questions in other papers
drought · molecular: metabolites · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Positive and negative results
8 papers in the same direction as this paper · 12 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- negative
17 papers more in this group
See all 21 papers →drought · tolerance: abiotic · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
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.