Abstract
Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) leaves are harvested multiple times annually accompanied by a large amount of nitrogen (N) removed. Therefore, tea plantations are characterized by high requirements of N. This study aimed to assess the variations of N-level, apparent N remobilization efficiency (ANRE), and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) and their dynamic changes during growing seasons for twenty tea varieties. The N-level was highest in the one bud with two leaves as the youngest category, followed by mature leaves attached to green-red stems, and then by aging leaves attached to grey stems. The dynamic N-level presented different profiles of “S”-, “U”-, and “S-like”-shape in the three categories of leaves during the growing seasons. Here, specifically defined ANRE indicated N fluxes in a specific category of leaves, showing that sources and sinks alternate during the period of two consecutive rounds of growth. The dynamic of averaged NUtE followed an “S”-shape. The results revealed annual rhythms and physiological characters related with N indices, which were variety dependent and closely related with the amount of N requirements at proper time. An optimized NUtE is a complex character determined by the combination of tea plantation management and breeding practices to achieve sustainable development with economic benefit.
Highlights
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O
For the three categories of leaves over the growing period, N level was highest in the youngest leaves and declined as the leaves developed and matured to be the leaves attached to green-red stems
The dynamic changes of N level for one bud with two leaves were highly variable between two consecutive rounds during the growing period
Summary
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. The aerial portion of tea plant may take on several morphological types: arbor, semiarbor, and shrub, depending on factors such as cultivation practices, environments, and genotypes. Almost all cultivated tea plants showed semiarbor and shrub morphology [1]. Tea fresh young shoots are the harvest part. The phyllotaxy of tea leaves on a stem is alternate. Tea plants have multiple stems of different developmental stages due to the pruning practices. The color of tea plant stems changes from green to red, to brown, and to grey brown with age (see Figure A1).
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