Effects of inter-planting forage with tea on yield and soil fertility

Studies on low-layer forage inter-planting with tea plants in China have been relatively late and considered less significant in classical research. Low-layer inter-planting models of forages in tea gardens are needed for in-deep understanding of economically viable forage-tea production. Comparison of none-forage interplant model in a field trial with three types of forages (bahiasgrass, white clover and amarillo) inter-planting in tea gardens for 3 years was carried out to determine the effects of tea yield and basic soil fertility. The results of the study showed that the three types of interplant models increased tea yield by 6.48%-20.26% and harvested fresh forage by 1 352-4 023 kg·hm^-2·a^-1. Compared with the first year of the experiment, the decreasing ranges of loss thickness of surface soil in tea gardens over the three years of experiment were respectively 25.0%-30.6%, 33.3%-38.9% and 53.3%-60.0%. Furthermore, basic soil fertility improved by three years of forage inter-planting. For example, soil fertility indexes of pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus increased respectively by 9.64%-11.76%, 8.23%-76.13%, 13.59%-245.63%, 3.41%-210.51%, 1.37%-9.65%, 69.63%-109.33% and 11.40%-34.20%. The results of the study also showed that inter-planting white clover or amarillo in tea gardens were better than inter-planting bahiasgrass in terms of increased tea yield or improved basic soil fertility. The two types of forages were worthy of widespread inter-planting modes in tea gardens in the study area and beyond.