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The cultivation of Panax notoginseng has been plagued by a multitude of challenges, including recurrent diseases, suboptimal value, inadequate quality, and environmental degradation resulting from improper water and fertilizer management. To address these issues and improve the yield of P. notoginseng and its saponin content, this study endeavors to identify the optimal irrigation and fertilization levels in shaded environments in Yunnan Province in Southwest China. In this field experiment, three-year-old plants were tested to evaluate the effects of water, soluble organic fertilizers, and their combinations on plant growth, physiological parameters, yield, and saponin content. The experiment included 12 treatments with three types of irrigation (10 (W1), 15 (W2), and 20 (W3) mm), totaling 440, 660, and 880 mm, and four levels of the total amount of fertilization (F1 (60, total N 12.6, total P 5.5, and total K 10.5 kg ha−1), F2 (90, total N 18.9, total P 8.3, and total K 15.7 kg ha−1), F3 (120, total N 25.2, total P 11.0, and total K 20.9 kg ha−1), F4 (150, total N 31.5, total P 13.8, and total K 26.1 kg ha−1)). The randomized complete block design was used, with 36 plots in total and 3 replications. The study utilized the TOPSIS method to determine the most effective water and fertilizer management strategy for the growth and production of P. notoginseng. The assessment of yield, water and fertilizer productivity, and saponin content across all treatments revealed that the W3F3 treatment resulted in significant increases in the plant's height, stem diameter, and net photosynthetic rate. Meanwhile, the W2F3 treatment exhibited the best root morphological traits. The W3F4 treatment effectively increased dry matter and transpiration. The combination of water and fertilization had a coupling effect that not only increased yield to 1400 kg ha−1 but also improved water–fertilizer productivity. The application of the W2F3 treatment resulted in a significant increase in the accumulation of active components, leading to a total P. notoginseng saponin (PNS) content of 24.94%. Moreover, the comprehensive index obtained through the TOPSIS model indicated that the W2F3 treatment outperformed other treatments. Therefore, this treatment can be considered a promising water and fertilizer model for P. notoginseng cultivation, which can enhance its yield, quality, and productivity while promoting sustainable green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yield of Panax notoginseng (BurK.) F. H. Chen in Yunnan Province accounted for more than 90% of China's total yield, but extensive water and fertilizer management restricted improvement of yield, quality, and economic benefits of Panax notoginseng. Therefore, this study tried to propose an adaptive irrigation and fertilizer management strategy for Panax notoginseng production. A two-year (2017 and 2018) rain-shelter cultivation study in Yunnan Province of southwest China was conducted to analyze the influences of irrigation and organic fertilizer application on soil water distribution, root growth, water-fertilizer productivity, quality, and economic benefits of Panax notoginseng in four organic fertilizer application rates [500 (F 1), 1000 (F 2), 1500 (F 3), and 2000 (F 4) kg ha−1] combined with three micro-sprinkler irrigation schedules [I 1 : moderate deficit micro-sprinkler irrigation, (70–75%) θ FC ; I 2 : alternate micro-sprinkler irrigation, (70–75%) θ FC / (80–85%) θ FC ; I 3 : slight deficit micro-sprinkler irrigation, (80–85%) θ FC ]. The results indicated that the increasing micro-sprinkler irrigation levels enhanced soil water content in 0–40 cm soil layer, but resulted in a reduction irrigation water productivity (IWP). Moreover, the increasing organic fertilizer application significantly led to reduced partial fertilizer productivity (PFP). Under the interaction of micro-sprinkler irrigation schedules and organic fertilizer application in 2017 and 2018, the I 2 F 3 significantly obtained the highest soil water storage (SWS), root hydraulic conductivity, root morphological characteristics, root-shoot ratio, lowest root rot rate (4.68% in 2017 and 6.59% in 2018), largest yield (3614.5 kg ha−1 in 2017 and 3981.5 kg ha−1 in 2018), total saponin content (20.23% in 2017 and 23.28% in 2018), and economic benefits (25.28 × 104 $ ha−1 in 2017 and 32.6 × 104 $ ha−1 in 2018) of Panax notoginseng. Based on the above results, the comprehensive evaluation of five saponin contents and the comprehensive evaluation of the yield, IWP, PFP, economic benefits, and total saponin content of Panax notoginseng were analyzed by using a TOPSIS model in 2017 and 2018. We found that synergistic of alternate micro-sprinkler irrigation [I 2 , (70–75%) θ FC / (80–85%) θ FC ] and organic fertilizer application (F 3 , 1500 kg ha−1) could decrease root rot, improve root growth, water-fertilizer productivity, quality, and economic benefits of Panax notoginseng. [Display omitted] • Alternate irrigation synergized with organic fertilizer (AIOF) was a sustainable technology of Panax notoginseng production. • The AIOF promoted root growth and decreased root rot incidence of Panax notoginseng. • The AIOF improved water-fertilizer productivity, quality, and economic benefits of Panax notoginseng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]