Alfalfa in China
Dr. Lu Xinshi
Beijing Forestry University
China Grassland Association. CAAA
National Grassland Innovation Alliance
China—Grassland country
Grassland 400m. ha 7% of world
Cattle 13m. 9% of world
Dairy caw 15m. 12% of world
Sheep & gaot 36m. 19% of world
products from Livestock
Beef 7.26 m. T
mutton 4.68m. T
Milk 35.45 m. T
Wool 1.20 m.T
Cashmere 19000 T
2018/12/20
Temprate Grassland
alpine Grassland
Arible land
Alfalfa as king in forage production
Alfalfa Growth area 4.7 million. h
Top among all kinds of forages Alfalfa using
▇ Environment revegetation
▇ Farm household feeding
▇ Cash Hay for dairy cow & other6350
597 487
3295
669
1760
366
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
alfalfa sheep grass ote corn Silege an. Raygrass per. Raygrass pennisetum
forage area in China /mu
Alfalfa Gremplasm System
1 Central Gene bank2 Backup Gene Banks7 germplasm pool10 collaboration groups
3497 accessions in gene banks
1000 accessions genetical evaluated
54 new cultivars
14.5t from seed produced system
200ha revegetation land from varieties
四大科技创新体系
Basic Research Units & facilities
32 Departments from Universities
12 National & local Institutes
1 national key laboratory
13 Province Key Laboratory
3 national basic research program
5 national technology program
315 National Science program
Technology support system
National grassland production Alliance
National forage Technology Alliance
National Forage Technology System
36 Research & education units
20 Forage enterprises
22 research experiment station
1115ha demonstration farms
Alfalfa research for production
Genepool and standards
6
——Forage germplasm information network
http://www.chinaforage.com
——National Sci-Tec Resources Platform
http://www.escience.gov.cn
Alfalfa Germplasm information database
China is a part of Original Center for alfalfa germplasm
Medicago sataiva紫花苜蓿
Medicago falcata黄花苜蓿
Medicago veria杂花苜蓿
C H I N A
Medicago Species:
World 56China 35
Xinjiang 19
Original
Center
8
Alfalfa germplasm ecotypes from China
● Eco-types
North Xinjing group very dormancy GD 0.028
South Xinjing group semi dormancy GD 0.005
Mainland intermediate group dormancy GD 0.024
I
IIIII
I 生态类型组
II 生态类型组
III 生态类型组
GD 0.028
GD 0.005
GD 0.024
Germplasm innovation
winter-resisting varieties
Root creeping Varieties
Disease resisting varieties
High yield varieties
Wildly domesticates varieties
Breeding germplasm
394 accessions
34 New Varieties
12 New lines
9
● Nature complex
● Wild sibling species
● Very dormancy germplasm
● Diploid materiel
● ecotypes
10
新品种登记证书
Certificates by
National Logy Committee
for Forage Variety
in China
Alfalfa regional planning depend on dormancy laver
Very suitSuitGeneral suitNot suitVery limit
similarity coefficient
General statue of alfalfa production in China
Distribution area
● Degradation grassland
area irrigated. by well
● Desert-land irr. by river
● Gobi-land by snow-water
● Oasis irri. by river
● Loess plateau dryland
● arable land by rainfull
Alfalfa production in degradation grassland area
raining full: 300-350mm
irrigated: by underground water
area:0.8——1.0 million hector
yield:12t—15t/h
Hay: for dairy cow
Alfalfa production in Gobi area
raining full: 50-100mm
irrigated: flooding by water from mountain snow
area:1——1.2 million hector
yield:12t—15t/h
Hay: for dairy cow
Alfalfa production in humite and warm area
raining full: 800-1000mm
irrigated: no
area:0.1 million hector
yield:12t—15t/h
silage: for dairy cow
Alfalfa production in loess Plateau area
raining full: 300-350mm
irrigated: dryland
area:1.5——2.0 million hector
yield:4t—6t/h
silage: for livestock
pallets: for rabbit/fish
Producibility for high lever Alfalfa Hay
seeding under the film
keep more leaves
cutting and dry
Hay bale making
57%
16%
13%
7% 7%
草捆 bale 草颗粒pellat 草块 cube 半干青贮Silege 其他 others
Propotion of alfalfa cash products for marketing
Hay bale
Pellet
Cube
SilegeOthers
The challenge for research & production
Land resources:
● Arable land is limited in China and there is no enough for forage growth
● The Forage land quality is not good enough, the yield not stable
● The environment condition is more stress
● mountain area more difficult for transportation
Water resources:
●Water resources are not enough for irrigation.
● Water-saving irrigation technology is very important
More Cooperation need for alfalfa future !
The first World Alfalfa Congress in China