Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 262-272 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/jtsr 262 Research Report Open Access The Impact of Autumn and Winter Tea Garden Management on Spring Tea Yield and Quality Hui Xu1 , Yuanfeng Shi 2, Zhouyun Fan2 1 Hangzhou Huaijing Tea Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, 310013, Zhejiang, China 2 Pujiang Chayixuan Agricultural Products Development Co., Ltd., Jinhua, 322229, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: 1354350417@qq.com Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol.14, No.5 doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2024.14.0024 Received: 18 Jul., 2024 Accepted: 29 Aug., 2024 Published: 20 Sep., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Xu et al., 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: Xu H., Shi Y.F., and Fan Z.Y., 2024, The impact of autumn and winter tea garden management on spring tea yield and quality, Journal of Tea Science Research, 14(5): 262-272 (doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2024.14.0024) Abstract The autumn and winter management practices at the Qingxi Base of Zhejiang Dongping High Mountain Tea play a significant role in enhancing the yield and quality of spring tea. This study provides a systematic analysis of autumn and winter tea garden management practices, including weeding and fertilization, pruning and topping, garden clearing and sealing, as well as targeted management for key plots. The effects of these management measures on spring tea under different climatic conditions were explored. Results show that scientific management practices during autumn and winter can effectively improve the tea trees' resilience and nutrient reserves, ensuring robust bud growth. From 2022 to 2024, the tea garden maintained stable spring tea yield and quality through ecological protection measures and appropriate management, even under extreme climate conditions. Notably, in 2024, with higher temperatures, effective management resulted in a 47.9% increase in tea yield compared to the previous year, while quality remained stable. The study also found that ecological balance measures, such as diversified vegetation and microclimate regulation, help reduce pest and disease incidence, supporting the garden’s sustainability. This study provides valuable insights for autumn and winter management in other tea-growing regions, contributing to improved efficiency and ecological sustainability in tea garden management. Keywords Tea tree (Camellia sinensis); Autumn and winter management; Spring tea yield; Quality improvement; Ecological balance 1 Introduction Tea (Camellia sinensis) holds a prominent place in Chinese agriculture and culture, with its production dependent on a complex growth cycle and management techniques. To meet the market’s demand for high-quality tea, scientific and precise tea garden management is essential. The yield and quality of premium green tea not only rely on favorable climatic conditions and healthy tea tree growth but also require systematic year-round management (Li et al., 2014). Notably, the autumn and winter management phase, even when tea trees enter a dormancy period, significantly impacts the quality and yield of the following spring’s tea crop. Tea yield and quality directly influence market competitiveness and economic benefits. Particularly in the premium tea market, consumers increasingly demand natural, safe, and high-quality tea. Tea quality is typically assessed by the tenderness, aroma, taste, and color of fresh leaves, factors influenced by natural conditions and tea garden management practices (Duncan et al., 2016). Yield, on the other hand, affects the income of tea farmers and the production scale of tea enterprises. Given the long growth cycle of tea trees and the susceptibility of yield stability to climate fluctuations, scientific tea garden management can help mitigate the effects of climate variations on yield. Through scientific autumn and winter management practices, the healthy growth of tea trees is assured, laying a solid foundation for the following spring harvest (Dai et al., 2021; Ma et al., 2021). Autumn and winter management is a critical component of annual tea garden care, playing a decisive role in tea tree health and the quality of the next year’s tea leaves. Autumn is crucial for nutrient storage, while winter is a relative dormancy phase. During this time, tea trees still require nutrient replenishment and pest and disease
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