Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 33-43 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 33 Case Study Open Access High-Density Tea Planting: A Case Study in Commercial Tea Gardens Jiayao Zhou Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0005 Received: 19 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 21 Feb., 2025 Published: 28 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhou, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhou J.Y., 2025, High-density tea planting: a case study in commercial tea gardens, Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 15(1): 33-43 (doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0005) Abstract This study explores the impact of high-density planting on the yield, quality and earnings of tea. High-density planting means planting more tea trees than usual in plots of the same size. In actual planting, it has been found that doing so enables better utilization of sunlight, water and nutrients in the soil, thereby increasing the yield of tea. This study analyzed the influences of factors such as planting density, tea tree varieties, and local environmental conditions on the growth of tea trees and tea yield. It is also pointed out that daily management tasks such as watering, pruning and fertilizing are very important and play a key role in managing high-density tea gardens well. Although high-density planting can increase the yield and quality of tea, it also brings some problems, such as greater difficulty in pest and disease control and easier soil degradation. This study aims to strike a balance between increasing production and protecting the environment, ensuring the long-term sustainable development of high-density tea cultivation. Keywords High-density planting; Tea yield; Plant quality; Sustainable tea production; Agricultural practices 1 Introduction Tea is made from the leaves of the tea tree. It is one of the most popular beverages in the world and also an important money-making crop. It mainly grows in hot and relatively hot regions and is of great help in making money in countries such as China, India and Tanzania. In Tanzania, for instance, tea is an important cash crop, generating an annual income of over 45 million US dollars and supporting more than 30 000 small-scale farmers (Kigalu, 2007). Because tea tastes good and is beneficial to the body, and there are many good things in tea, more and more people around the world like to drink tea (Chen and Liu, 2024; Jibola-Shittu et al., 2024). In many places, tea has brought farmers the opportunity to make money and also helped the poor, which further highlights the economic value of tea (Jibola-Shittu et al., 2024). High-density planting is an agricultural planting method, which means growing more crops on the same size of land than traditional methods. This method is being used more and more in tea cultivation, with the aim of increasing the yield and quality of tea. Studies have shown that high-density planting can make full use of the land, improve the growth environment of crops and significantly increase the yield of tea. Just as the research in Tanzania found, with and without irrigation, planting 20 000 to 40 000 specific tea varieties per hectare would yield higher (Kigalu, 2007). In addition, high-density planting can also improve the quality of tea by influencing factors such as soil nutrient supply and plant health (Xie et al., 2018). Moreover, this planting method is not only applied to tea but has also achieved success in the cultivation of other crops such as citrus, which can increase yield and early returns (Ladaniya et al., 2020; Ladaniya et al., 2021). This study will explore the practical role of adopting high-density planting methods in commercial tea cultivation, understand the specific impact of this planting method on tea yield and quality, as well as the possible changes it may bring to the income of tea farmers. The research will determine the optimal planting density of different tea varieties under various growth conditions by analyzing actual planting cases and experimental data. This study aims to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of high-density planting in terms of the environment and economy, and then provide a sustainable tea planting plan, striving to increase tea yield while achieving effective protection of the ecological environment.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==