Foliar Fertilizers for Cultivating Tea Seedlings in Large Container

Objective Effects of foliar fertilizers on the growth of tea seedlings in large containers were analyzed to optimize the fertilization practice.

Method Four different types of foliar fertilizers were applied to one-year asexual Zhongcha 108 tea seedlings in large containers. The experiment included applications of water as control (CK) or treatments of 0.5% urea (LF1), 0.5% urea + 0.125% potassium dihydrogen phosphate (LF2), and 1% humic acid solution (LF3). Development of the seedlings was monitored according to the morphological, growth, and photosynthetic indicators displayed by the plants.

Result In comparison to CK, LF2 and LF3 significantly increased the biomass collected from two rounds of new shoot plucking, the dry and fresh weights of aboveground parts, the numbers of total and long branches, and the girth of top-quality lateral branches. LF2, especially, produced significantly more new shoots with leaves spread out instead of curled up and longer length, as well as greater total leaf area that showed significantly higher photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance on the seedlings than CK and the other treatments.

Conclusion The application of a fertilizer containing 0.5% urea and 0.125% potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the foliage significantly promoted the plant growth in a container.