Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China
Enhancing alfalfa seed yield is essential for its comprehensive utilization in the forage, ecological, energy, and food sectors. Optimal irrigation and nutrient management are widely acknowledged as key factors in the arid and semiarid regions. However, the synergistic effects of drip irrigation and...
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2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325003114 |
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| author | Dali Chen Jinglong Bao Tao Chen Dongfeng Ma Jia Pan Mengjie Bai Yanrong Wang Zhibiao Nan Xiaowen Hu |
| author_facet | Dali Chen Jinglong Bao Tao Chen Dongfeng Ma Jia Pan Mengjie Bai Yanrong Wang Zhibiao Nan Xiaowen Hu |
| author_sort | Dali Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enhancing alfalfa seed yield is essential for its comprehensive utilization in the forage, ecological, energy, and food sectors. Optimal irrigation and nutrient management are widely acknowledged as key factors in the arid and semiarid regions. However, the synergistic effects of drip irrigation and micronutrient application, particularly boron, on alfalfa seed production in these areas remain insufficiently understood. To address this gap, we conducted a three-year field experiment to investigate the impact of four irrigation frequencies (2, 3, 4, and 5 times, with 50 mm per application) and four boron concentrations (0, 0.3 %, 0.6 % and 0.9 %) on seed yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic benefits in alfalfa. Our results revealed a negative parabolic relationship between seed yield and both irrigation amount and boron concentration. The highest seed yields were achieved with three irrigations (150 mm) combined with a 0.6 % boron application, except for the year of 2021. In 2022and 2023, this optimal treatment resulted in seed yields of 931.28 kg/hm2 and 983.98 kg/hm2, representing a 3.22-fold and 2.08-fold increase compared to the control, respectively. This treatment also produced the highest WUE, with an average value of 2.31 kg/hm2/mm from 2021 to 2023, reflecting a 2.92-fold increase over the control. Furthermore, seed yield exhibited a strong positive correlation with all key yield components (P < 0.001). The structural equation model identified the number of reproductive branches per plant as the most significant contributor to seed yield. These findings provide valuable insights into the effects of irrigation and boron application on alfalfa seed yield and offer practical guidance for optimizing agronomic practices aimed at improving seed production in alfalfa and similar crops. |
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| issn | 2666-1543 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-fd0b67d9ad4c46df9cd2ff37d260d0c82025-08-20T03:10:25ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432025-06-012110194010.1016/j.jafr.2025.101940Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest ChinaDali Chen0Jinglong Bao1Tao Chen2Dongfeng Ma3Jia Pan4Mengjie Bai5Yanrong Wang6Zhibiao Nan7Xiaowen Hu8State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, China; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, China; Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, 730000, China; Corresponding author. College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.Enhancing alfalfa seed yield is essential for its comprehensive utilization in the forage, ecological, energy, and food sectors. Optimal irrigation and nutrient management are widely acknowledged as key factors in the arid and semiarid regions. However, the synergistic effects of drip irrigation and micronutrient application, particularly boron, on alfalfa seed production in these areas remain insufficiently understood. To address this gap, we conducted a three-year field experiment to investigate the impact of four irrigation frequencies (2, 3, 4, and 5 times, with 50 mm per application) and four boron concentrations (0, 0.3 %, 0.6 % and 0.9 %) on seed yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic benefits in alfalfa. Our results revealed a negative parabolic relationship between seed yield and both irrigation amount and boron concentration. The highest seed yields were achieved with three irrigations (150 mm) combined with a 0.6 % boron application, except for the year of 2021. In 2022and 2023, this optimal treatment resulted in seed yields of 931.28 kg/hm2 and 983.98 kg/hm2, representing a 3.22-fold and 2.08-fold increase compared to the control, respectively. This treatment also produced the highest WUE, with an average value of 2.31 kg/hm2/mm from 2021 to 2023, reflecting a 2.92-fold increase over the control. Furthermore, seed yield exhibited a strong positive correlation with all key yield components (P < 0.001). The structural equation model identified the number of reproductive branches per plant as the most significant contributor to seed yield. These findings provide valuable insights into the effects of irrigation and boron application on alfalfa seed yield and offer practical guidance for optimizing agronomic practices aimed at improving seed production in alfalfa and similar crops.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325003114AlfalfaDrip irrigationBoronSeed yieldWater use efficiencyEconomic benefits |
| spellingShingle | Dali Chen Jinglong Bao Tao Chen Dongfeng Ma Jia Pan Mengjie Bai Yanrong Wang Zhibiao Nan Xiaowen Hu Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China Journal of Agriculture and Food Research Alfalfa Drip irrigation Boron Seed yield Water use efficiency Economic benefits |
| title | Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China |
| title_full | Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China |
| title_fullStr | Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China |
| title_short | Impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield, yield components, and water use efficiency of alfalfa in Northwest China |
| title_sort | impact of drip irrigation and boron application on seed yield yield components and water use efficiency of alfalfa in northwest china |
| topic | Alfalfa Drip irrigation Boron Seed yield Water use efficiency Economic benefits |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325003114 |
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