Objective In response to the demand for high-quality leguminous forage and green manure in the southern region of China, particularly Fujian Province, breeding of new variety Astragalus sinicus, with characteristics of mid-maturity, high fresh grass yield, rich nutritional value, and broad adaptability, was necessary.

Method Using Wanzi 9-70-3 as the female parent and Zhezi 5-12 as the male parent, systematic hybrid breeding was conducted, followed by multi-year, multi-location comparative trials, regional trials, and production trials.

Result A new Astragalus sinicus line Minzi 8 was successfully bred, characterized by its high quality, high yield, and dual utility as both forage and green manure. Multi-year comparative trials in Fujian Province demonstrated that Minzi 8 has an average growth period of 210 days (ranging from 201 to 216 days), with an average fresh grass yield of 52189.9 kg·hm⁻¹, dry grass yield of 8699.2 kg·hm⁻¹, and seed yield of 634.4 kg·hm⁻¹. Compared to the control variety Shengzhong, Minzi 8 showed increases of 12.9%–16.9% in fresh grass yield, 9.2%–16.6% in dry grass yield, and 5.6%–8.3% in seed yield. When compared to the control variety Minzi 7, it exhibited increases of 10.6%–16.7% in fresh grass yield, 8.4%–17.3% in dry grass yield, and 6.0%–7.3% in seed yield. In 2021 to 2022, Minzi 8 participated in the national grass variety regional trials. The dry grass yield of Minzi 8 was significantly higher than that of the control varieties Minzi 7 and Shenzhong Chinese milk vetch in all four trial areas and six annual points . In 2023, Minzi 8 passed the national grass variety certification (National S-BV-AS-003-2023) and was also certified as a green manure variety in Fujian Province (Fujian Certification Fertilizer 2023001).

Conclusion The new variety Minzi 8 can be used as an excellent leguminous forage variety in the southern region of China and can also be used in short-term rotations in traditional farming areas or green manure crop varieties in orchards and tea plantations.