Adaptability of 43 Medicago sativa varieties in the irrigated agricultural area of Zhangye, Gansu Province

This research focused on 43 varieties of Medicago sativa selected from the Camel City in Gaotai County, Gansu Province. Over three years, investigations and measurements were conducted to analyze the hay yield, winter survival rate, plant height, branching number, leaf–stem ratio, fresh–dry ratio, crude protein content, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and relative feeding value during the early flowering stage. The grey correlation analysis method was used for detailed evaluation. The results indicated that ‘Daye 1’ had the highest hay yield, winter survival rate, and relative feeding value. Meanwhile, it had the lowest fresh–dry ratio, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber. ‘Lehan’ exhibited the highest plant height, ‘Huanghou’ had the highest branching number, and ‘Sandeli’ had the highest leaf–stem ratio. ‘WL358HQ’ had the highest crude protein content. Based on detailed evaluation, ‘Daye 1’ demonstrated the most successful overall performance, followed by ‘Lehan’, ‘Sandeli’, ‘Huanghou’, and ‘Qianjing’. These five Medicago sativa varieties have high potential for promotion and use in the Camel City of Gaotai County and in similar areas along the Hexi Corridor.