This study implemented no-till reseeding of alfalfa （Medicago sativa） with irrigation （applied only in the establishment year） to restore degraded grassland in Yuyang district， Shaanxi Province. By investigating vegetation characteristics of enclosure， irrigation， the first year and the fourth year of alfalfa reseeding grasslands， the effects of restoration measures were evaluated to provide technical supports for the restoration of degraded grasslands in this region. The results showed that： （1） irrigation， as well as the first year and the fourth year of reseeding， significantly increased vegetation biomass and plant diversity compared to enclosure alone， while irrigation alone significantly increased the dry weight proportion （DWP） of annual grass and forb in the vegetation and decreased that of perennial grass， posing a potential threat to grassland ecosystem stability； （2） compared to irrigation alone， reseeding in the first year significantly increased the DWP of legume and decreased that of annual grass in the vegetation， indicating an optimized community structure； （3） as for reseeding in the fourth year， the community biomass reached 5321 kg·hm^-2， which was 5.58 and 2.63 times that of the enclose and irrigation， respectively， and there was 67.78% of the biomass contributed by the reseeded alfalfa， demonstrating high production potential while maintaining plant diversity. In conclusion， the reseeded alfalfa could be maintained in the improved grassland over the long term and reseeding alfalfa with irrigation （applied only in the establishment year） can be served as a primary measure for restoring the degraded grassland in this region.

Grassland restoration  /  Enclosure  /  Irrigation  /  No-till reseeding  /  Medicago sativa