Key Technical Points for Planting and Managing Ratgrass in Orchards

Ratgrass (Vulpia myuros) is a herbaceous plant that tolerates severe cold but not high temperatures. Introducing ratgrass planting in orchards achieves the effects of suppressing weeds with grass, conserving water and preserving soil moisture, increasing soil organic matter content, improving soil permeability, and reducing production costs.

Ratgrass seedlings, like wheat seedlings, survive through the winter, enter their vigorous growth period from March to May of the following year, and then wither and die together with their root systems in mid-to-late June. The withered grass reaches a thickness of about 7 cm, and the scattered seeds sprout and emerge after autumn. It can suppress the growth of various weeds over the long term and maintain good soil aeration. Within one year, it can reduce the labor cost of hoeing and loosening soil 5-6 times, and replenish 600-700 jin of dry organic matter per mu into the soil. The root system of ratgrass generally reaches 30 cm deep, with the deepest reaching 60 cm, producing a deep-tillage effect.

The lodging and withering period of ratgrass occurs relatively early, and the time during which it competes with fruit trees for water and nutrients is short. During its growth period and after its root system withers and rots, it maintains soil permeability and aeration, prevents surface waterlogging, and enhances the waterlogging resistance of fruit trees. At the same time, it covers the ground over the long term, preventing soil moisture evaporation and avoiding direct sun exposure on the ground, thereby enhancing the drought resistance of fruit trees.

In recent years, ratgrass planting technology in orchards has been vigorously promoted, and both the yield and quality of fruit in grass-covered orchards have improved greatly.