A Multi-Site Evaluation of Winter Hardiness in Indigenous Alfalfa Cultivars in Northern China

Integration of perennial grass species into the current food production systems, especially in agropastoral regions worldwide, may produce multiple benefits including, among others, a more stable productivity and smaller eco-environmental footprint. However, one fundamental challenges facing large-scale adoption such is their ability to withstand vagaries winter these regions. Here, we present comprehensive evaluation hardiness 50 indigenous Chinese cultivars alfalfa, high-quality leguminous grass, comparison with six introduced U.S. multi-site field experiment northern China. Our results reveal that have stronger than cultivars. Cultivars native north performed better southern cultivars, suggesting suitability an unavoidable step proceeding any regional implementations. also show metric used assess alfalfa’s hardiness, average score index (ASI), produced consistent another more-widely survival rate (WSR). These findings offer systematic evidence supports cropping system adjustment betterment ensure security under climate change region beyond.