Ecological effects of inter-plantation of leguminous grass in Loquat orchard

Vegetation coverage,yield and regeneration of the fresh grass,as well as yield and quality of loquat fruits by inter-planting leguminous grasses in a loquat orchard were studied.The results showed that the coverage of the grass reached 70%-90% by inter-planting three different leguminous forages during the late growth period or initial flowering stage.The highest fresh grass yield occurred during seedling emergence until the late growth period with no more than twice in cutting.Chameacrista rotundifolia was a choice perennial for the inter-plantation in southern Fujian.Compared to the control(i.e.,without inter-planted grass),the inter-plantation increased the percentage of the top-grade fruits and average single fruit weight,and decreased the total acid content of the loquat harvested.