Adaptability of 23 alfalfa varieties in Hetao Irrigation District

The Hetao region of China is a traditional agricultural and livestock farming region. The forage yield is low, of a single variety, poor quality, and cannot fully meet the animal husbandry development requirements of the region. To improve and accelerate the industrialisation and the scale development of the forage industry, we studied the adaptability, productivity, and nutrition of 23 new internal and external alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties in the Hetao area. We made the following conclusions: 1) There were significant differences in the winter survival rate of the different varieties of alfalfa; the winter survival rate of Gongnong No. 1 and Millionaire were higher, whereas Liangmu No. 1 was the lowest (55%); 2) Cuts of different height showed the first crop stubble tended to be higher than the second and third stubble; the first crop of the hay yield variation was higher than the second and third crop stubble; 3) The forage yield increased with an increase in height, whereas the stem/leaf ratio and protein showed a negative correlation; 4) The comprehensive evaluation of the indicators showed that Millionaire, WL353LH, and Sitel were better than the others. Therefore, preliminary results indicate their suitability for planting in the Inner Mongolia Hetao Irrigation District.