Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 262-272 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/jtsr 266 weed-induced pest and disease outbreaks. Garden clearing also involves repairing terraced paths and roads within the tea garden, ensuring ease of maintenance and harvesting. In severely diseased plots, affected branches and leaves are removed from the garden to prevent further spread. This management not only improves the overall environment of the tea garden but also reduces the risk of pest infestations, promoting healthy tea tree growth for the following spring. Garden clearing contributes to improved resilience, soil aeration, and ultimately, tea yield. Garden sealing involves pest control measures carried out when temperatures drop below 15 °C, typically using lime-sulfur spray on tea trees. Lime-sulfur, a high-efficiency, low-toxicity inorganic sulfur compound, is suitable for organic tea gardens. Its calcium polysulfide content has strong alkalinity, penetrating the cell walls of pathogens and pests, effectively killing them and their eggs (Cernava et al., 2019). During spraying, the tea trees should be evenly covered from bottom to top, ensuring thorough contact with potential pest habitats. Lime-sulfur spray controls common diseases such as powdery mildew, rust, and blight, as well as pests like red spider mites and scale insects. This sealing process not only limits pest spread but also prevents pest invasion in the coming spring, ensuring healthy tea tree growth. 3.4 Key plot management In certain garden plots, unique factors such as terrain, soil properties, and groundwater levels may hinder tea tree growth, necessitating targeted management. For elevated, infertile plots prone to soil erosion, green manure crops can be planted in autumn and winter to preserve soil and water. Green manure fixes soil and, when decomposed, provides additional organic matter, gradually improving soil structure and suitability for tea tree growth (Doley et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2023). In areas with underdeveloped, rocky soils, deep plowing with loosening equipment accelerates rock weathering, enhances soil fertility, and generally improves soil conditions to support nutrient absorption for tea trees in the coming year. In high-groundwater plots where Baiye No.1 shows poor growth, excessive water levels can lead to root oxygen deficiency and nutrient uptake issues, reducing tea tree resilience. For these cases, managers can dig deep drainage ditches in the lowest areas to improve drainage, reduce soil moisture, and enhance root health, minimizing the growth of algae and other unfavorable plants. In addition, for highly infertile soil plots, organic fertilizer can be applied to boost soil water and nutrient retention, increase microbial activity, and promote stronger growth and resilience in tea trees. 4 Analysis of the Impact of Autumn and Winter Management on Spring Tea Yield and Quality 4.1 Variation in spring tea yield and influencing factors From 2022 to 2024, the spring tea yield at the Dongping High Mountain Tea Garden fluctuated due to differing climate conditions and management practices. The 2022 spring tea harvest season, from March 16 to April 29, experienced moderate but variable temperatures, peaking at 24 °C and 28 °C, with a cold snap in April (Figure 3). Despite these conditions, the complex terrain and diverse vegetation helped prevent frost damage, maintaining a stable yield of fresh leaves. However, the 2023 spring tea yield was significantly impacted by prolonged high temperatures and drought in the latter half of 2022. Data indicate a reduction in yield compared to the previous year, with weaker production branches and slower bud growth. This outcome reflects the notable influence of climate, particularly drought, in inhibiting nutrient accumulation. In 2024, spring tea yield rebounded substantially, with the harvest period from March 19 to April 28, during which overall temperatures were higher and monthly temperature variations were smaller. Data show a 47.9% increase in spring tea yield compared to 2023, and a 3.7% increase relative to 2022 (Figure 4). Favorable climate conditions, combined with optimized autumn and winter management practices, improved nutrient availability and led to stronger tea buds, contributing to increased spring tea yield. Results indicate that the synergy of suitable temperatures and effective management can significantly boost yield, providing economic benefits to farmers and tea enterprises (Figure 5).
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