Breeding of a new forage shrub variety of Lespedeza formosa ‘Exibei’ with high quality

The breeding aims were high grass yield, good quality, and strong adaptability under high temperature and humidity conditions to solve the shortage of summer legume forage in the middle and low mountain and hilly areas of the Yangtze River. Natural germplasm materials were collected from Shennongjia Forestry District by the Poultry and Veterinarian Institute of Hubei Academy of Agricultural Science. Single plant selection and mixed harvesting offspring were used. The new forage shrub strain named Lespedeza formosa ‘Exibei’ was bred after 13 years of continuous effort and approved by the National Grass Variety Approval Committee in 2021. The type was a wild domesticated variety that grows well in Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, and other provinces. The average hay yield of the new variety was 5.16 t·ha⁻¹ (353.52% higher than that of ‘Jinnong No. 1’ and 538.55% higher than that of ‘Yanbian’) and differed significantly from that of the two control varieties (P < 0.01). It had more abundant productivity, better stability, and excellent quality. The crude protein, crude fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents in the branching stage were 13.1%, 2.19%, 50.9%, and 36.9%, respectively. The new variety also had strong resistance and was disease-free. It was suitable for cultivated grassland construction, grassy hills and slope improvement, and water and soil conservation in southern China.