Effects of Compost Applied to the Furrow Surface on the Soil Environment of Tea Field and on the Root System of Tea Plants

Deep placement of nitrogen fertilizer in autumn improves N utilization by spring tea (Camellia sinensis L.)

“…As a perennial woody plant, quite a large portion of the tea plant's roots (ca. 30–40%) are located in the 20–45 cm subsoil (Hirose et al., 2010). Deep placement of urea and ammonium fertilizers therefore promoted N availability and root accessibility, consequently increased N uptake by tea plants which turns out to be greater N storage during winter dormancy (Huang et al., 2016; Ti et al., 2019).…”

“…The quality of green tea is affected by production seasons, and the spring tea is of the best quality among others (summer and autumn) for high content of free amino acids and desirable contents of catechins (Dai et al., 2015; Xu et al., 2012). Organic and inorganic fertilizers are frequently applied in tea plantations to sustain yields with desirable quality components (Hirose et al., 2010; Kamau et al., 2008; Ni et al., 2019; Venkatesan et al., 2004). In China, a large fraction of tea plantations is located on highly leached and strongly acidic red soils (ferrosols, luvisols, and ferralisols).…”

“…The effect appears to be affected by the interaction with soil water conditions; localized fertilizer application causes moderate salinity that in turn negatively affects the root morphology and physiological responses of Quillaja saponaria seedlings under water restriction (Ovalle et al., 2016). Previous work showed that tea plants have dense roots (70–90%) within 0–30 cm depth and the root systems can reach depths of 50 cm or more (Hirose et al., 2010), which differs from those of field crops and most forest and fruit trees. It is expected that such differences will affect tea's ability to acquire nutrients from different locations.…”