Abstract
A reasonable combination of water and nitrogen application under appropriate and use of water-saving irrigation techniques is essential for improving the apple quality and yield in the mountainous areas of the Loess Plateau. This study, which was conducted from 2019 to 2020, utilized seven-year-old Hanfu apples as experimental material. Its focus was on three factors: irrigation method , irrigation level, and nitrogen application level. An L 9 (3 4 ) orthogonal design comprised of nine treatments was employed. The three irrigation methods were unilateral fixed surge root irrigation (U), alternating surge root irrigation (A), and bilateral fixed surge root irrigation (B). The irrigation levels were 85 %–100 % θ f (I 1 ), 70 %–85 % θ f (I 2 ), and 55 %–70 % θ f (I 3 ). The nitrogen application levels were 600 kg N ha −1 (N 1 ), 400 kg N ha −1 (N 2 ), and 200 kg N ha −1 (N 3 ). In the study, soil water and nitrogen distribution, yield, fruit quality, water and nitrogen utilization efficiency, physiological and reproductive indicators and economic benefit of apples under various surge root irrigation treatments were analyzed, and their responses to water and nitrogen management were explored. Principal component was used to assess assessed apple quality and the game theory-based combinatorial weighting method (TOPSIS) was used to provide comprehensive evaluation of apple yield, quality, and water-nitrogen utilization efficiency. The results showed apple yield, quality, water and nitrogen utilization efficiency, chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth, and photosynthesis all to be significantly affected by irrigation methods, irrigation levels, and nitrogen application rates. High water and fertilizer conditions led to the highest chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth rate, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, and leaf instantaneous water use efficiency . Alternate irrigation was found to even perform well in moderate water and nitrogen conditions and it enhanced water and nitrogen use efficiency quite significantly. The respective chlorophyll a and b contents in the T1 treatment (UI 1 N 1 ) were 35.15 % and 38.02 % higher than those in the T3 treatment (UI 3 N 3 ), and both photosynthesis and transpiration rates exhibited significant increases. The Mantel test showed there to be a significant correlation between apple yield, various quality indicators, net photosynthesis rate, and transpiration rate ( P < 0.05). The highest yield, overall quality, comprehensive evaluation, index net return and rate of return was produced by treatment T 4 (AI 1 N 2 ), while IWUE, WUE, and NPFP peaked in treatments T6 (AI 3 N 1 ) and T5 (AI 2 N 3 ). Range analysis showed that treatment AI 2 N 1 to have the highest yield and comprehensive evaluation index, while treatment AI 2 N 2 showed no significant difference in comparison to AI 2 N 1 . In addition, treatment AI 2 N 2 exhibited the best overall quality, with WUE peaking in treatment AI 2 N 1 and NPFP peaking in treatment AI 2 N 3 . Therefore, in terms of improving quality, increasing yield, rate of return and enhancing water and nitrogen use efficiency, the water-nitrogen regulation model for apples in the mountainous areas of the Loess Plateau under surge root irrigation that is most optimal is a combination of alternate irrigation and moderate water-nitrogen application (AI 2 N 2 treatment). These findings provide a theoretical basis for further scientific research on subsurface root irrigation technology and water-nitrogen management in the cultivation of apples on the Loess Plateau.
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Claims 19
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation and nitrogen significantly affected apple yield, quality and resource efficiency.
- Taxon
- apple
Malus domesticae0 - Treatment
- irrigation methods, irrigation levels, and nitrogen application ratese0
- Outcome
- apple yield, quality, water and nitrogen utilization efficiencye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple yield, quality, water and nitrogen utilization efficiency, chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth, and photosynthesis all to be significantly affected by irrigation methods, irrigation levels, and nitrogen application rates”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation and nitrogen significantly affected chlorophyll, treetop growth and photosynthesis.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- irrigation methods, irrigation levels, and nitrogen application ratese0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth, and photosynthesise0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth, and photosynthesis all to be significantly affected by irrigation methods, irrigation levels, and nitrogen application rates”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
High water and fertilizer gave the highest chlorophyll, fresh treetop growth and net photosynthesis.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- High water and fertilizer conditionse0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth rate, net photosynthesis ratee0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High water and fertilizer conditions led to the highest chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth rate, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, and leaf instantaneous water use efficiency”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
High water and fertilizer gave the highest transpiration and leaf instantaneous water use efficiency.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- High water and fertilizer conditionse0
- Outcome
- transpiration rate, and leaf instantaneous water use efficiencye0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“High water and fertilizer conditions led to the highest chlorophyll content, fresh treetop growth rate, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, and leaf instantaneous water use efficiency”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Alternate irrigation significantly enhanced water and nitrogen use efficiency in moderate conditions.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- Alternate irrigatione0
- Outcome
- water and nitrogen use efficiencye0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- moderate water and nitrogen conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Alternate irrigation was found to even perform well in moderate water and nitrogen conditions and it enhanced water and nitrogen use efficiency quite significantly”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
T1 chlorophyll a content was 35.15% higher than T3.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- T1 treatment (UI 1 N 1 )e0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll ae0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 35.15 %e0
- Comparator
- T3 treatment (UI 3 N 3 )e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The respective chlorophyll a and b contents in the T1 treatment (UI 1 N 1 ) were 35.15 % and 38.02 % higher than those in the T3 treatment (UI 3 N 3 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
T1 chlorophyll b content was 38.02% higher than T3.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- T1 treatment (UI 1 N 1 )e0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll a and b contentse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 38.02 %e0
- Comparator
- T3 treatment (UI 3 N 3 )e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The respective chlorophyll a and b contents in the T1 treatment (UI 1 N 1 ) were 35.15 % and 38.02 % higher than those in the T3 treatment (UI 3 N 3 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Photosynthesis and transpiration rates increased significantly.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- photosynthesis and transpiration ratese0
- Direction
- increasese0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both photosynthesis and transpiration rates exhibited significant increases”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Apple yield and quality indicators correlated significantly with photosynthesis and transpiration.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Outcome
- apple yield, various quality indicatorse0
- Value
- P < 0.05e0
- Comparator
- net photosynthesis rate, and transpiration ratee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a significant correlation between apple yield, various quality indicators, net photosynthesis rate, and transpiration rate ( P < 0.05)”
Claim · model-written summary
T4 produced the highest yield, quality and comprehensive evaluation index.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- treatment T 4 (AI 1 N 2 )e0
- Outcome
- yield, overall quality, comprehensive evaluatione0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest yield, overall quality, comprehensive evaluation, index net return and rate of return was produced by treatment T 4 (AI 1 N 2 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
T4 produced the highest index net return and rate of return.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- treatment T 4 (AI 1 N 2 )e0
- Outcome
- index net return and rate of returne0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest yield, overall quality, comprehensive evaluation, index net return and rate of return was produced by treatment T 4 (AI 1 N 2 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
IWUE and WUE peaked under T6.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- T6 (AI 3 N 1 )e0
- Outcome
- IWUE, WUEe0
- Direction
- peakede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“IWUE, WUE, and NPFP peaked in treatments T6 (AI 3 N 1 ) and T5 (AI 2 N 3 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
NPFP peaked under T5.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- T5 (AI 2 N 3 )e0
- Outcome
- NPFPe0
- Direction
- peakede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“IWUE, WUE, and NPFP peaked in treatments T6 (AI 3 N 1 ) and T5 (AI 2 N 3 )”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
Range analysis found AI 2 N 1 highest in yield and comprehensive evaluation.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- AI 2 N 1e0
- Outcome
- yield and comprehensive evaluation indexe0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“treatment AI 2 N 1 to have the highest yield and comprehensive evaluation index”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
AI 2 N 2 did not significantly differ from AI 2 N 1 in range analysis.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- AI 2 N 2e0
- Outcome
- no significant differencee0
- Direction
- no significant differencee0
- Comparator
- AI 2 N 1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“treatment AI 2 N 2 showed no significant difference in comparison to AI 2 N 1”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
AI 2 N 2 had the best overall quality.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- AI 2 N 2e0
- Outcome
- overall qualitye0
- Direction
- beste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“treatment AI 2 N 2 exhibited the best overall quality”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
WUE peaked under AI 2 N 1.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- AI 2 N 1e0
- Outcome
- WUEe0
- Direction
- peakinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WUE peaking in treatment AI 2 N 1”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
NPFP peaked under AI 2 N 3.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- AI 2 N 3e0
- Outcome
- NPFPe0
- Direction
- peakinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NPFP peaking in treatment AI 2 N 3”
t0“apple”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend AI 2 N 2 as the optimal irrigation and nitrogen combination.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- combination of alternate irrigation and moderate water-nitrogen application (AI 2 N 2 treatment)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“most optimal is a combination of alternate irrigation and moderate water-nitrogen application (AI 2 N 2 treatment)”
t0“apple”
The same questions in other papers
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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.