South China where various tropical plants can be found is endowed with plentiful rainfall and heat. Tropical crops, such as rubber, sisal, coffee, pepper, coconut, cashew, mango, sugarcane and tea have been grown on a large scale. But tropical crops are often seriously damaged by cold currents in winter and typhoons in summer. Their growth is constrained by nutrient deficiency due to low fertility and poor physical properties of soils, and by drought and insufficient water supply. Soil and water loss results in lower soil fertility and productivity. Yet higher output from tropical crops crops can still be obtained and soil fertility can be retained well by implementing measures including the growth of green manure and cover crops, mulching, application of fertilizers based on the diagnosis of the nutritional status, deep tillage, and construction of soil and water conservation facilities.
South China, i.e. Hainan Province and the southern part of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Yunnan provinces, enjoys a tropical climate with abundant rainfall and heat. A great variety of tropical plants thrives well in the area, especially in Hainan Province and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province which are important bases in China for tropical crop production such as rubber, sisal and sugarcane.