Effects of seeding rate and row spacing configuration on alfalfa production performance

To study the effect of seeding rate and row spacing configuration on alfalfa production performance, two main seeding rate treatments were designed: 15 and 22.5 kg·ha⁻¹. The following five row spacings were used as secondary treatments: 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm. Changes in plant height, yield, and quality, and the number of plants in different treatments were measured continuously from 2019 to 2021. The effects of seeding rate and row spacing configuration on alfalfa production were comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that the yield of the two alfalfa varieties was the highest when the seeding rate was 22.5 kg·ha⁻¹ and the row spacing was 20 cm. The crude protein and relative feeding values first showed an increasing trend and then decreased with an increase in row spacing, with the best performance found at 20 cm. There were no significant differences in alfalfa quality traits between the two seeding rates. Based on the index membership function values of the different alfalfa seeding rate and row spacing treatments, it can be concluded that ‘Zhongmu No.3’ and ‘Juneng II’ ranked the highest and performed the best with a seeding rate of 22.5 kg·ha⁻¹ and a row spacing of 20 cm. In general, the planting mode with a seeding rate of 22.5 kg·ha⁻¹ and row spacing of 20 cm was the best for alfalfa planting in the eastern region of Cangzhou.