[Objective] The vegetation cover of the Loess Plateau under different land uses was analyzed in order to provide data support for monitoring the changes of vegetation cover in the region, especially non-photosynthetic (f_NPV) vegetation cover, and provide a reliable basis for the application of remote sensing estimation of vegetation cover in soil erosion prediction. [Methods] Seven vegetation sample plots under different land use types on the Loess Plateau were selected. A stratified vegetation cover survey was carried out at half-month intervals by the sample band method. Then the intra-annual changes of f_PV (photosynthetic vegetation) and f_NPV for different vegetation types and layers were analyzed, thereby providing data support for acquiring vegetation factors for an erosion process model. [Results] ① The total projected cover of the six communities (i.e., sand land, grassland, artificial Caragana korshinskii forest, artificial Pinus tabuliformis. forest, and two natural forests at Huangling and Qinling area) did not vary significantly during the year. Both the projected f_PV and its proportion to total projected cover increased gradually over time and reached maximum values in July to September, and then decreased rapidly after September. However, the projected f_NPV showed the opposite change over time than observed for projected f_PV. The projected f_PV and f_NPV of agricultural land varied dramatically within a year because of the influence of tillage factors. ② During July to September, the proportion of projected f_PV was up to 100% in Huangling and Qinling natural forests, and 60.6%, 70.5%, 58.8%, and 84.9% in the other four species, respectively. This means that only considering the projected f_PV would ignore the ecological benefits of the f_NPV that account for 39.4%, 29.5%, 41.2%, and 15.1% of the total cover. ③ In the vegetation types with obvious vertical structure, such as artificial C. korshinskii forest, P. tabuliformis forest, and the two natural forests in Huangling and Qinling area, the intra-annual changes of f_PV and f_NPV in the tree layer, bush layer, and surface layer were generally consistent with the trend of the projected f_PV and f_NPV, respectively. The projected total cover of the four plots was positively related to the total cover of the surface layer (R² values up to 0.85). [Conclusion] The projection f_PV and f_NPV of agricultural land with different land use in Loess Plateau varied dramatically within the year, while the projection f_PV increased and then decreased in other sample sites within the year, and the projection f_NPV was the opposite of them. The projected f_NPV, which accounted for 15.1% to 41.2% of the projected total cover, was a non-negligible ground cover component in the area. The intra-annual trends of f_PV and f_NPV at different layer were consistent with the projected f_PV and f_NPV, and there was also a significant linear correlation between the total surface cover and the projected total cover. The extraction season of FVC of agricultural land and total surface cover should be focused on during regional monitoring.