Welcome to Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin,

Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (5): 186-195.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2025-0712

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evaluation of Climatic Suitability and Zoning for Alfalfa Cultivation in Hohhot Region

LIANG Yan1(), ZHANG Lanjing1, SU Lijun1(), WEN Xiaodong2, WANG Ni3   

  1. 1 Hohhot Meteorological Bureau, Hohhot 010020
    2 Tumed Left Banner Meteorological Bureau, Hohhot 010020
    3 Helingeer County Meteorological Bureau, Hohhot 010020
  • Received:2025-08-26 Revised:2025-11-28 Online:2026-03-18 Published:2026-03-18

Abstract:

To address the issues of scale mismatch, insufficient indicator integration, and methodological limitations in assessing the climatic suitability of alfalfa cultivation in Hohhot, this study aims to establish a high-resolution climatic zoning system, identify key climatic constraints, and provide a scientific basis for regional alfalfa industry planning. Based on high-resolution meteorological data (2017-2024) from 52 stations in Hohhot and field observations, 11 indicators encompassing thermal, moisture, light, and overwintering conditions were selected. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to quantify factor weights, and GIS spatial analysis was applied for comprehensive climatic suitability evaluation. The results showed that: (1) growing-season thermal conditions (weight 0.3971) and meteorological disaster risks (weight 0.1706) were the dominant factors, with ≥5℃ accumulated temperature and frost-free period contributing 51.5% to suitability; (2) spatial differentiation exhibited a ‘superior in the south, limited in the north’ pattern, where the central-southern plains were identified as suitable zones (accumulated temperature >3300℃, days with ≤-30℃ <2 d), supporting 3-4 harvests annually, while the northern high-altitude areas were classified as unsuitable due to insufficient accumulated temperature (<2899℃) and extreme cold (days with ≤-30℃ ≥5 d); (3) snow cover (≥16 d) significantly mitigated over wintering damage in the north, and consecutive no precipitation days (≥6 d) during harvest periods highlighted drying advantages in the central-western regions. This study innovatively developed a city-scale climatic evaluation system covering the entire alfalfa growth cycle and proposed strategy of implementing policies by region: prioritized large-scale cultivation in suitable zones, spring frost prevention in moderately suitable zones, and cold-resistant variety trials in unsuitable zones. The findings provide a replicable technical framework for adaptive forage management in arid and semi-arid regions.

Key words: alfalfa cultivation, climatic zoning, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), Hohhot