Objective Effects of various fertilizer applications on the yield and quality of white tea made of leaves plucked from densely cultivated bushes were analyzed to optimize the operation at plantations.
Method Camellia sinensis cv. Fudingdahao plants were densely planted at a tea plantation under various methods of fertilization. The testing lots were either spread with a compound fertilizer as control (CK) or treated by furrowing the compound fertilizer (T1), furrowing a specially formulated fertilizer (T2), furrowing the special fertilizer and pruning the bushes (T3) or burrowing the special fertilizer (T4). Leaf yield of the bushes as well as chemical composition and sensory quality of the white teas made were determined.
Result In comparison to CK, the treatment of T2 helped grow tea plants significantly higher on bud density, hundred shoots weight, and leaf yield; T3, on bud density and leaf yield; all treatments, on taste and aroma of brewed teas; and T1 and T2, on sensory evaluation scores (1.95 and 1.40 points higher than CK, respectively). The contents and ratios of tea polyphenols and free amino acids of the teas did not significantly differ by the varied treatments. The polyphenol/free amino acids ratios of the teas grown under the treatments were slightly lower than that of CK. A low ratio, in fact, meant high on the freshness connotation of the brewed teas. Benzyl alcohol, phenylethanol, linalool, β-ionone, 3,5-octadien-2-one, and nonanal were the key chemicals that distinguished the different teas. Phenylethanol, linalool, β-ionone, and (E)-2-nonanal were the critical compounds that contributed to the floral aroma of the T2 and T4 treatment teas.
Conclusion By furrowing the compound fertilizer on the ground for fertilization, the tea plants cultivated increased leaf yield and produced white tea with improved sensory quality. Meanwhile, the use of fertilizer could be reduced at a densely planted plantation.
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