Abstract
Abstract. Perennial grasses are vital for livestock feed and play a critical role in maintaining and enhancing soil fertility. This study evaluated the productivity of perennial grasses, specifically alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.), grown as monocultures and in a binary mixture, under rainfed conditions in a semiarid climate on dark-chestnut soil. The research aimed to elucidate the dynamics of formation of forage yield across multiple years of cultivation. The study was performed in the field trials with randomized design in four repetitions; the outcomes were analyzed through common analysis of variance with estimation of the Fisher’s least significant difference. The results revealed that the monocultures of smooth brome and alfalfa exhibited significantly lower yields (in terms of dry matter and feed units) compared with the alfalfa-brome mixture. Over the study period, the alfalfa’s initial dominance in the mixture gradually declined, with smooth brome becoming the dominant species by the end of the cultivation cycle. The forage quality, assessed according to crude protein and fat content, was highest in the alfalfa monoculture and the alfalfa-brome mixture, whereas the smooth brome monoculture was inferior. Although the smooth brome monoculture provided the lowest yields of feed units and digestible protein, they contributed essential crude fiber in the mixture, which supports healthy digestion in cattle. The alfalfa-brome mixture extracted the highest amount of nitrogen from the soil but, due to alfalfa’s nitrogen-fixing capacity, maintained sufficient nitrogen return to sustain soil fertility. By contrast, the smooth brome monoculture extracted the least nitrogen and did not contribute to soil nitrogen accumulation. The alfalfa monoculture exhibited the highest coefficient of nitrogen fixation, though the difference compared with the mixture was statistically non-significant. Consequently, the mixture of alfalfa and smooth brome, with varying dominance over the years of cultivation, enhances dark-chestnut soil fertility and provides balanced green fodder for cattle without requiring mineral nitrogen fertilizers or irrigation.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Smooth brome monocultures yielded significantly less dry matter and feed units than the alfalfa-brome mixture.
Verbatim
e1“the monocultures of smooth brome and alfalfa exhibited significantly lower yields (in terms of dry matter and feed units) compared with the alfalfa-brome mixture”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa monocultures yielded significantly less dry matter and feed units than the alfalfa-brome mixture.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae1 - Treatment
- monoculturese1
- Outcome
- yields (in terms of dry matter and feed units)e1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- alfalfa-brome mixturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the monocultures of smooth brome and alfalfa exhibited significantly lower yields (in terms of dry matter and feed units) compared with the alfalfa-brome mixture”
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa dominance in the mixture declined over the study period, and smooth brome became the dominant species by the end of the cultivation cycle.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- initial dominance in the mixturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Over the study period, the alfalfa’s initial dominance in the mixture gradually declined, with smooth brome becoming the dominant species by the end of the cultivation cycle”
Claim · model-written summary
Forage quality (crude protein and fat content) was highest in the alfalfa monoculture.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- alfalfa monoculturee1
- Outcome
- forage qualitye1
- Direction
- higheste1
- Qualifier
- assessed according to crude protein and fat contente1
- Comparator
- smooth brome monoculturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The forage quality, assessed according to crude protein and fat content, was highest in the alfalfa monoculture and the alfalfa-brome mixture, whereas the smooth brome monoculture was inferior”
Claim · model-written summary
Forage quality (crude protein and fat content) was highest in the alfalfa-brome mixture.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- alfalfa-brome mixturee1
- Outcome
- forage qualitye1
- Direction
- higheste1
- Qualifier
- assessed according to crude protein and fat contente1
- Comparator
- smooth brome monoculturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The forage quality, assessed according to crude protein and fat content, was highest in the alfalfa monoculture and the alfalfa-brome mixture, whereas the smooth brome monoculture was inferior”
Claim · model-written summary
Forage quality of the smooth brome monoculture was inferior to the alfalfa monoculture.
Verbatim
e1“The forage quality, assessed according to crude protein and fat content, was highest in the alfalfa monoculture and the alfalfa-brome mixture, whereas the smooth brome monoculture was inferior”
Claim · model-written summary
The smooth brome monoculture gave the lowest yields of feed units and digestible protein.
- Taxon
- smooth bromee1
- Treatment
- smooth brome monoculturee1
- Outcome
- yields of feed units and digestible proteine1
- Direction
- loweste1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Although the smooth brome monoculture provided the lowest yields of feed units and digestible protein, they contributed essential crude fiber in the mixture”
Claim · model-written summary
Smooth brome contributed essential crude fiber in the alfalfa-brome mixture.
Verbatim
e1“Although the smooth brome monoculture provided the lowest yields of feed units and digestible protein, they contributed essential crude fiber in the mixture”
Claim · model-written summary
The alfalfa-brome mixture extracted the highest amount of nitrogen from the soil.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- alfalfa-brome mixturee1
- Outcome
- amount of nitrogene1
- Direction
- higheste1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The alfalfa-brome mixture extracted the highest amount of nitrogen from the soil”
Claim · model-written summary
The smooth brome monoculture extracted the least nitrogen from the soil.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“By contrast, the smooth brome monoculture extracted the least nitrogen and did not contribute to soil nitrogen accumulation”
Claim · model-written summary
The smooth brome monoculture did not contribute to soil nitrogen accumulation.
- Taxon
- smooth bromee1
- Treatment
- smooth brome monoculturee1
- Outcome
- soil nitrogen accumulatione1
- Direction
- did not contributee1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“By contrast, the smooth brome monoculture extracted the least nitrogen and did not contribute to soil nitrogen accumulation”
Claim · model-written summary
The alfalfa monoculture had the highest coefficient of nitrogen fixation, but the difference from the mixture was statistically non-significant.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Treatment
- alfalfa monoculturee1
- Outcome
- coefficient of nitrogen fixatione1
- Direction
- higheste1
- Comparator
- mixturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The alfalfa monoculture exhibited the highest coefficient of nitrogen fixation, though the difference compared with the mixture was statistically non-significant”
Claim · model-written summary
The alfalfa and smooth brome mixture, with varying dominance over the years, enhances dark-chestnut soil fertility and provides balanced green fodder for cattle without mineral nitrogen fertilizers or irrigation.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae1
- Outcome
- dark-chestnut soil fertilitye1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Consequently, the mixture of alfalfa and smooth brome, with varying dominance over the years of cultivation, enhances dark-chestnut soil fertility and provides balanced green fodder for cattle without requiring mineral nitrogen fertilizers or irrigation”
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10 papers more in this group
See all 14 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.