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Review
. 2022 May 2;3(2):225-228.
doi: 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.04.017. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Priorities for the development of alfalfa pasture in northern China

Tianzuo Wang  1 , Wen-Hao Zhang  1
Affiliations
Review

Priorities for the development of alfalfa pasture in northern China

Tianzuo Wang et al. Fundam Res. .

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is acclaimed as "Queen of forages" because of its great yield and high feeding value. China is the second biggest country in acreage of alfalfa cultivation, but the cultivation regions of alfalfa are distinguished by adverse climatic and edaphic conditions in northern China. Moreover, the lack of elite alfalfa varieties with great adaptation and poor field management are vital factors limiting development of alfalfa pasture in China. In addition, nutritional quality of alfalfa in China is also poor compared to that in countries of developed animal husbandry industrial. Here, we propose several priorities in terms of a comprehensive system of alfalfa breeding, field management, harvest and processing with Chinese characteristics, based on the theories and methodologies of breeding science, agronomy, plant physiology and agricultural machinery. Implementation of these priorities will greatly contribute to the sustainable development of the alfalfa pasture in China.

Keywords: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.); Breeding; Field management; Forage processing; Harvest.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
The climatic and edaphic conditions of the alfalfa cultivation regions in northern China. (a) Overall cultivation regions of alfalfa. (b) Arid and semi-arid regions. (c) Severe cold and cold regions. (d) Saline-alkali regions. These figures were drawn based on the standard map of China (No. GS (2016) 1570).
Fig 2
Fig. 2
The case examples of Medicago breeding and alfalfa pasture management. (a) Leaf size comparison of M. ruthenica ‘Zhongke No. 1’ and ‘Zhilixing’. (b) Alfalfa hay production of different planting models. (c) Crude protein concentration of different planting models. (d) Traditional planting model of alfalfa pasture. (e) Compact planting model of alfalfa pasture. Hay production and protein concentration of alfalfa hay were based on the data of 2017, 2018 and 2019. Photos of traditional and compact planting models were taken in 2017. ** means significant difference between the different planting models at P<0.01.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
The proposed priorities for the development of alfalfa pasture in northern China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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