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Agronomy
Volume 15
Issue 8
10.3390/agronomy15081828
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Yield and Quality of Alfalfa in Saline–Alkali Soils

by
Jiaqi Shi
1,2,
Nan Xie
1,2,
Lifeng Zhang
1,2,
Xuan Pan
1,2,
Yanling Wang
3,
Zhongkuan Liu
1,2,*,
Zhenyu Liu
1,2,*,
Jianfei Zhi
1,2,
Wenli Qin
1,2,
Wei Feng
1,2,
Guotong Sun
4 and
Hexing Yu
4
1
Institute of Agricultural Recourses and Environment, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050051, China
2
Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Fertilization and Agricultural Green Development, Shijiazhuang 050051, China
3
School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
4
Huanghua Agricultural and Rural Development Bureau, Cangzhou 061199, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 1828; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081828
Submission received: 20 June 2025 / Revised: 23 July 2025 / Accepted: 27 July 2025 / Published: 28 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responses of Forage Crops to Environmental Stresses and Stress Alleviating Strategies)
Versions Notes

Abstract

To elucidate the photosynthetic physiological mechanisms influencing alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield and quality under varying planting densities, the cultivar ‘Zhongmu No.1’ was used as experimental material. The effects of different row spacing (R1, R2, R3) and seeding rate (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5) combinations on chlorophyll content (ChlM), nitrogen flavonol index (NFI), chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, forage quality, and hay yield were systematically analyzed. Results showed that alfalfa under R1S3 treatment achieved peak values for ChIM, NFI, EE, and hay yield, whereas R1S4 treatment yielded the highest Fv/Fm and CP content. Redundancy analysis further indicated that yield was most strongly associated with ChlM, NFI, Y (II), and qP. Y (II), and qP significantly influenced alfalfa forage quality, exerting negative effects on ADF and NDF, while demonstrating positive effects on CP and EE. In conclusion, narrow row spacing (15 cm) with moderate seeding rates (22.5–30 kg·hm−2) optimizes photosynthetic performance while concurrently enhancing both productivity and forage quality in alfalfa cultivated, establishing a theoretical foundation for photosynthetic regulation in high-quality and high-yield alfalfa cultivation.
Keywords: alfalfa; row spacing and seeding rate configuration; planting density; chlorophyll fluorescence; nutritional quality; redundancy analysis alfalfa; row spacing and seeding rate configuration; planting density; chlorophyll fluorescence; nutritional quality; redundancy analysis

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Shi, J.; Xie, N.; Zhang, L.; Pan, X.; Wang, Y.; Liu, Z.; Liu, Z.; Zhi, J.; Qin, W.; Feng, W.; et al. Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Yield and Quality of Alfalfa in Saline–Alkali Soils. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081828

AMA Style

Shi J, Xie N, Zhang L, Pan X, Wang Y, Liu Z, Liu Z, Zhi J, Qin W, Feng W, et al. Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Yield and Quality of Alfalfa in Saline–Alkali Soils. Agronomy. 2025; 15(8):1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081828

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shi, Jiaqi, Nan Xie, Lifeng Zhang, Xuan Pan, Yanling Wang, Zhongkuan Liu, Zhenyu Liu, Jianfei Zhi, Wenli Qin, Wei Feng, and et al. 2025. "Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Yield and Quality of Alfalfa in Saline–Alkali Soils" Agronomy 15, no. 8: 1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081828

APA Style

Shi, J., Xie, N., Zhang, L., Pan, X., Wang, Y., Liu, Z., Liu, Z., Zhi, J., Qin, W., Feng, W., Sun, G., & Yu, H. (2025). Optimizing Row Spacing and Seeding Rate for Yield and Quality of Alfalfa in Saline–Alkali Soils. Agronomy, 15(8), 1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081828

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