Tea garden weeds are diverse, complex, and highly resilient. According to incomplete surveys, there are 202 common weed species across China's tea gardens, belonging to 49 families and 163 genera. These weeds affect the growth of tea plants by causing stunted growth, yellowing leaves, leaf drop, and delayed development. They may also carry diseases or pests that can indirectly harm tea plants by serving as intermediate hosts.
“Suppressing weeds with grass” is an integral part of Guizhou's green and efficient prevention and control system for tea gardens, embodying the philosophy of “ecology as the foundation, agriculture as the basis, and biological control as the priority.” Planting white clover (Trifolium repens) in tea gardens can effectively suppress weeds and resist tea plant diseases and pests.
Recently, as the weather has improved and Autumn Tea picking has been completed, some areas have started replanting Trifolium repens in their tea gardens.
Images of tea garden seeding in Douyun (photos provided by Tian Ruyong)
Images of planting Trifolium repens in Huishui tea gardens (photos provided by Yao Juan)
Images of planting Trifolium repens in Kaiyang tea gardens (photos provided by Ren Mingguo)
Extended Reading
Methods for “Suppressing Weeds with Grass”: Intercropping White Clover in Tea Gardens
In recent years, research teams from Guizhou University, the Plant Protection and Inspection Station, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the General Soil and Fertilizer Station of the province have conducted a series of studies and demonstrations on “suppressing weeds with grass” in tea gardens. These studies targeted the weed hazards in Guizhou's tea gardens and screened suitable green manure plants for intercropping. The studies evaluated the weed control effects, ecosystem assessments, tea yield measurements, quality evaluations, and cost-benefit analyses.
The results of research led by Academician Song Baobao's team at Guizhou University in Shiqian indicated that intercropping white clover in tea gardens could effectively control weeds through mechanisms such as “root allelopathic substance suppression,” “root and stem physiological occupancy control,” and “stolon physical occupancy control.”
Mechanism of weed control by planting Trifolium repens in tea gardens
The research showed that compared to the clean cultivation treatment group, the white clover treatment group had significantly fewer weed species, densities, and weed occurrences. For example, after surveys conducted between May and October 2025, the white clover treatment group in the Longtang tea industrial park had 35 weed species, while the clean cultivation treatment group had 58 species; the weed biomass occurrence in the white clover treatment group was 16.71 g/m2, while it was 146.88 g/m2 in the clean cultivation treatment group.
Weed surveys in the Longtang tea industrial park in Shiqian County
Insect surveys in tea gardens found that the white clover treatment group had a significant increase in the number of natural enemies, while the numbers of pests like tea green leafhoppers and tea thrips were significantly reduced, with pest damage levels significantly lowered by 20-35%. Additionally, field surveys showed that white clover has a long flowering period and abundant nectar sources, which can provide nectar for beneficial insects and bees in tea gardens, significantly increasing the bee population and improving the longevity of parasitic and predatory natural enemies. This increases the population of natural enemies in the field, enhancing their parasitism or predation capabilities and regulating the ratio of beneficial to harmful organisms in tea gardens, contributing to the construction of a good tea garden ecosystem.
Insect surveys in the Longtang tea industrial park in Shiqian County
Compared to clean cultivation weeding or manual weeding treatments, the annual labor costs for weeding are reduced by 4-6 times, with each acre of weeding labor costing approximately 120 yuan, resulting in savings of about 480-720 yuan per acre for weeding labor. Based on previous research, this scientific team considers intercropping white clover in young tea gardens to be a safe, simple, and economical measure for green prevention and control in tea gardens. In the next step, the team will conduct research on the weed control mechanism of Trifolium repens, the ecological regulation effects of intercropping white clover in tea gardens, and the relationship between planting Trifolium repens and bee populations in tea gardens.
Weed volume before planting Trifolium repens
One month after planting Trifolium repens
