Growth characteristics of five alfalfa varieties in the oasis regions of Xinjiang Province

A field experiment was conducted to assess the height, hay production, leaf to stem ratio and nutrient components of five different varieties of alfalfa. This study showed that the height and hay yield of all alfalfa varieties decreased with the increase of cutting times, but they are different among five different varieties, in which the WL323 and Sandili performed well during the growth period. The crude protein content and crude fat in the second and third cutting are higher than that in the first cutting for all varieties, especially those in the second cutting was significantly higher than that in the first and the third cutting, while the crude fiber content was showed an opposite trend when compared to the crude protein content and crude fat. The Sandili and WL323 were the highest nutrient among the varieties. This study suggested that the Sandili and WL323 performed best in the oasis regions while Algonquin performed poor, and the second cutting was the best period for harvesting high quality alfalfa.