Ruan Li, Li Xin, Song Yuhang, Li Jianwu, Palansooriya Kumuduni Niroshika
Institute of Sericulture and Tea, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;12(4):905. doi: 10.3390/plants12040905.
Tea plants are widely planted in tropical and subtropical regions globally, especially in southern China. The high leaching and strong soil acidity in these areas, in addition to human factors (e.g., tea picking and inappropriate fertilization methods) aggravate the lack of nutrients in tea garden soil. Therefore, improving degraded tea-growing soil is urgently required. Although the influence of biological factors (e.g., tea plant variety) on soil nutrients has been explored in the existing literature, there are few studies on the inhibition of soil nutrient degradation using different tea plant varieties. In this study, two tea plant varieties with different nutrient efficiencies (high-nutrient-efficiency variety: Longjing43 (LJ43); low-nutrient-efficiency variety: Liyou002 (LY002)) were studied. Under a one-side fertilization mode of two rows and two plants, the tea plant growth status, soil pH, and available nutrients in the soil profiles were analyzed, aiming to reveal the improvement of degraded soil using different tea varieties. The results showed that (1) differences in the phenotypic features of growth (such as dry tea yield, chlorophyll, leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content) between the fertilization belts in LJ43 (LJ43-near and LJ43-far) were lower than those in LY002. (2) RDA results showed that the crucial soil nutrient factors which determine the features of tea plants included available P, slowly available K, and available K. Moreover, acidification was more serious near the fertilization belt. The pH of the soil near LJ43 was higher than that near LY002, indicating an improvement in soil acidification. (3) Soil nutrient heterogeneity between fertilization belts in LJ43 (LJ43-near and LJ43-far) was lower than in LY002. In conclusion, the long-term one-side fertilization mode of two rows and two plants usually causes spatial heterogeneities in soil nutrients and aggravates soil acidification. However, LJ43 can reduce the nutrient heterogeneities and soil acidification, which is probably due to the preferential development of secondary roots. These results are helpful in understanding the influence of tea plant variety on improving soil nutrients and provide a relevant scientific reference for breeding high-quality tea varieties, improving the state of degraded soil and maintaining soil health.
茶树在全球热带和亚热带地区广泛种植，尤其是在中国南方。这些地区土壤淋溶作用强且酸性大，再加上人为因素（如采茶和不当施肥方式），加剧了茶园土壤养分缺乏。因此，迫切需要改良退化的茶园土壤。尽管现有文献已探讨了生物因素（如茶树品种）对土壤养分的影响，但关于利用不同茶树品种抑制土壤养分退化的研究较少。本研究选取了两个养分效率不同的茶树品种（高养分效率品种：龙井43（LJ43）；低养分效率品种：丽友002（LY002））进行研究。在两行两株的单侧施肥模式下，分析了茶树生长状况、土壤pH值以及土壤剖面中的有效养分，旨在揭示不同茶树品种对退化土壤的改良作用。结果表明：（1）LJ43（LJ43-近和LJ43-远）施肥带之间生长表型特征（如干茶产量、叶绿素、叶片氮（N）、磷（P）和钾（K）含量）的差异低于LY002。（2）冗余分析（RDA）结果表明，决定茶树特征的关键土壤养分因素包括有效磷、缓效钾和速效钾。此外，施肥带附近酸化更严重。LJ43附近土壤的pH值高于LY002附近土壤，表明土壤酸化得到改善。（3）LJ43（LJ43-近和LJ43-远）施肥带之间的土壤养分异质性低于LY002。总之，两行两株的长期单侧施肥模式通常会导致土壤养分的空间异质性并加剧土壤酸化。然而，LJ43可以减少养分异质性和土壤酸化，这可能是由于次生根的优先发育。这些结果有助于理解茶树品种对改善土壤养分的影响，并为培育优质茶树品种、改善退化土壤状况和维持土壤健康提供相关科学参考。
