Abstract: [Objective] To study the effects of different cultivation practices on plant height, fresh forage yield and seed yield of Medicago sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1, and to clarify the optimal row spacing and seeding rate for its production and cultivation in the desert steppe regions of central and western Inner Mongolia. [Methods] The experiment was carried out in Jining District, Inner Mongolia using M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1 as the experimental material. A randomized complete block design was adopted with three row spacings （50, 60, and 70 cm, designated as H1, H2, and H3, respectively） and four seeding rates （18, 24, 30, and 36 kg/hm², designated as P1, P2, P3, and P4, respectively）, which generated a total of 12 treatments, with three replicates per treatment. Sowing was carried out in late May 2021. Plant height of M. sativa was measured in mid-August, and fresh forage yield and seed yield were measured in late September from 2022 to 2024 for three consecutive years. [Results] ①In terms of plant height, when the row spacing was 60 cm and the seeding rate was 24 kg/hm², the plant height of M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1 was the highest, with a three-year average plant height of 84.90 cm. ②In terms of fresh forage yield, when the row spacing was 50 cm and the seeding rate was 36 kg/hm², the fresh forage yield of M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1 was the highest, with an average fresh forage yield of 14.39 t/hm², which was 48.05% higher than that of the lowest treatment. ③In terms of seed yield, the seed yield of M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1 was the highest when the row spacing was 70 cm and the seeding rate was 24 kg/hm², and the average seed yield was 85.87 kg/hm², which was significantly （P<0.05） higher those of other treatments. ④The results of grey relational analysis and ranking showed that the combination of H3P2 （row spacing of 70 cm, seeding rate of 24 kg/hm²）, H2P2 （row spacing of 60 cm, seeding rate of 24 kg/hm²） and H1P4 (row spacing of 50 cm, seeding rate of 36 kg/hm²） ranked the top three. [Conclusion] Different cultivation practices have significant effects on the growth and yield of M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1, and the optimal single factor combinations of plant height, fresh forage yield and seed yield are different. Comprehensively considering the production and application values of M. sativa （balancing seed propagation and sustainable grassland utilization）, the optimal cultivation conditions for M. sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1 planted in the desert steppe region of central and western Inner Mongolia （Jining region） is a row spacing of 70 cm and a seeding rate of 24 kg/hm².

Key words: Medicago sativa cv. Zhongke No. 1, row spacing, seeding rate, plant height, fresh forage yield, seed yield