1950年以来中国学者对苜蓿属的研究：历史脉络与启示

摘要

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa )has been cultivated in China for more than 2000 years since its introduction during the Han dynasty.Currently,alfalfa is the most widely planted forage grass in China.Despite the impor-tance of this species as a forage,research on alfalfa began late in China,and has rapidly developed in recent years.In this study,we obtained data from the Web of Science (WOS),China National Knowledge Infrastruc-ture (CNKI),and other related databases,and then used a literature metrology method to analyze the history of research on alfalfa conducted by Chinese scholars since 1950.We explored the research achievements,evolu-tion of hot spots,and key nodes in a historical context of nearly 65 years,and compared the tracks of domestic and international research on alfalfa.Our results showed that,since 1950,there has been an increase in the momentum of research on alfalfa conducted by Chinese scholars.According to the growth curve of the number of alfalfa publications,the period since 1950 can be divided into five periods,with the fast-growth stage in alfal-fa research occurring after 2000.Our analyses showed that the internationalization of Chinese alfalfa research has increased over time,and that China is now the second-most important source of alfalfa research.In the ear-ly years of alfalfa research,the main topics were the mining of local varieties and genetic resources.More re-cently,research topics have included yield improvement,quality improvement,and breeding and cultivation theory.Also,there has been a considerable body of research on the development of alfalfa industries,compari-sons of alfalfa cultivation and use between China and other countries,molecular biology,and interspecific rela-tionships.The growth of the alfalfa industry,the emergence of new science and technology journals,and the increase in funding for scientific research have contributed to the rapid developments in alfalfa research over the last 65 years.The results of this study suggest that with the transformation of food structure and the develop-ment of grassland agriculture in China,alfalfa research has shifted from basic theory to technology,so that it can support the needs of major national strategies and provide basic science knowledge.%苜蓿自汉朝被引入中国，距今历两千余年，当前已发展成为第一大栽培牧草，相对而言，我国苜蓿研究起步较晚，在近年始得以迅猛发展，但目前对其研究的历史脉络尚未见报道。为此，通过文献计量学的方法，获取 CNKI、WOS 数据库及相关的统计数据的资料，综合分析了1950年以来中国学者对苜蓿的研究轨迹，探究了近65年来成果数量、热点演进、关键节点等，并对比了国内、国际苜蓿研究的发展轨迹。结果表明，1）1950年来，中国学者在苜蓿方面的研究论文数量呈现强劲的增加态势，根据其自然增长特征，可分为5个时期，2000年以后进入极速增长阶段；2）近年来，中国学者对苜蓿研究的国际化程度逐年提高，目前中国已跃居全球第二大苜蓿研究国；3）中国学者最早较为注重对地方品种及其遗传资源的挖掘，近年对高产、优质、抗逆育种与栽培理论的研究较多，更加注重苜蓿产业发展相结合，相比于国外，对分子基础、种间互作等机理性研究尚显不足；4）苜蓿产业的成长、科技期刊的发展、科研项目资助强度的增大是近65年来苜蓿研究得以迅猛发展的重要因素。研究认为，在未来的食物结构转型、草地农业发展等历史趋势下，中国苜蓿研究将会从偏重于产业相关的技术研究，过渡到基础理论研究，从而全方位支撑国家重大战略需求和基础科学理论需要。