Worried that orchard grass cover crops will compete for fertilizer? Yellow-flowered Wedelia and red-leaf Alternanthera make the soil richer

Grass cover cultivation in orchards offers many benefits and is a powerful tool for reducing herbicide use and promoting friendly farming. Some people wonder why grass cover cultivation can reduce nutrient loss while also boosting crop production and benefiting the environment. Let the recent research from the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station explain it to you.

Suitable grass species do not compete with fruit trees for fertilizer, and their roots do not release toxic substances

Recent research by the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station found that the 6 currently recommended superior grass species - yellow flowered sweet nectar grass, spoon leaf lotus, red leaf star, silver wing grass, golden waist arrow sida, and heart leaf water mint - do not secrete large amounts of toxic substances such as mimosine and tannic acid from their roots, removing concerns that these toxic substances could harm fruit tree roots; in addition, the roots of the recommended grass species are mostly distributed within 20 cm of the topsoil and their distribution range is not wide, which can avoid competing with fruit trees for large amounts of nutrients.

Soil in grass cover cultivation areas contains potassium, calcium and magnesium significantly higher than bare areas

Moreover, the functional groups contained on the root surfaces of these grasses are mainly aliphatic hydrogen groups, hydrogen bonds and carboxyl groups, which are groups that adsorb nutrient ions such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Therefore, nutrients can be adsorbed onto the grass root surfaces to prevent loss and be slowly released for fruit trees to absorb and use.

If farmers have related questions or would like to request grass seeds, they can contact the technical staff at the Kaohsiung Station directly. Contact: Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Associate Researcher Lin Yonghong, telephone: 08-7746765