Abstract
Fertilisation datasets collected from field experiments (n = 21) in tea-producing areas from 2016 to 2018 were used to build a quantitative evaluation of the fertility of tropical soils (QUEFTS) model to estimate nutrient uptake of tea plants, and to investigate relationships between tea yield and nutrient accumulation. The production of 1000 kg spring tea (based on one bud with two young expanding leaves) required 12.2 kg nitrogen (N), 1.2 kg phosphorus (P), and 3.9 kg potassium (K), and the corresponding internal efficiencies (IEs) for N, P, and K were 82.0, 833.3, and 256.4 kg kg−1. To produce 1000 kg summer tea, 9.1 kg N, 0.8 kg P, and 3.1 kg K were required, and the corresponding IEs for N, P, and K were 109.9, 1250.0, and 322.6 kg kg−1. For autumn tea, 8.8 kg N, 1.0 kg P, and 3.2 kg K were required to produce 1000 kg tea, and the corresponding IEs for N, P, and K were 113.6, 1000.0, and 312.5 kg kg−1. Field validation experiments performed in 2019 suggested that the QUEFTS model can appropriately estimate nutrient uptake of tea plants at a certain yield and contribute to developing a fertiliser recommendation strategy for tea production.
Highlights
Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the most consumed manufactured drink worldwide, and the plant is widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in Asian, African, and Latin American countries
Summer tea yield was significantly higher than spring and autumn tea yield (p < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between spring and autumn tea yield
The average internal efficiencies (IEs) of N, P, and K for spring tea were 75.7 kg kg−1, 733.2 kg kg−1, and 239.0 kg kg−1, respectively (Supplementary Table S1), and the corresponding RIEs were 13.6 kg t−1, 1.4 kg t−1, and 4.4 kg t−1 with an N:P:K ratio of 9.4:1:3.0
Summary
Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the most consumed manufactured drink worldwide, and the plant is widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. A quantitative evaluation of the fertility of tropical soils (QUEFTS) model has been successfully used to estimate the nutrient requirements of various crops, and to provide recommendations for fertiliser application during their cultivation[16,17]. This approach has been applied to maize[18,19,20], rice[15,21,22], wheat[20,23], and radish[24]. We assessed these data using a QUEFTS model to (1) explore temporal variation in fertiliser requirement among different harvest seasons of tea; (2) evaluate nutrient uptakes simulated by the QUEFTS model; and (3) recommend optimum fertilisation strategies based on nutrient uptake and yield over all three tea harvest seasons
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
