Kongqin Wei

1 Introduction Climate change and progressive degradation of arable land have been constraining the ability to sustain high productivity in forage systems for modern production agriculture (Chowdhuri and Pal 2025). Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the most widely cultivated perennial forage legume, plays a pivotal role in livestock production and agroecosystem sustainability due to its high yield potential, superior forage quality, and ecological functions (Annicchiarico et al. 2014; He et al.