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Basic Information about the Journal
Journal title: Journal of Tea science
Inscription of journal title: ZHU De
Responsible Institution: China Association for Science and Technology
Sponsored by: China Tea Science Society
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science
Editing and Publishing: Editorial Office, Journal of Tea Science
Start time: 1964
No. of issues: Bi-monthly
Two-Dimensional Code of Tea Science Website
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    Research Progress on Colored Substances in Tea
    LONG Piaopiao, SU Shengxiao, ZHANG Liang
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 593-606.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.010
    Abstract830)      PDF(pc) (733KB)(1144)       Save
    The color of tea leaves and infusions is an important attribute to tea flavor and quality. Colored substances contain chromophore and auxochrome groups, which contribute to producing different shades of green, yellow, and red hue in tea infusion. As the concentrations of colored substances increase, the tea infusions’ color will increase accordingly, presenting different colors such as yellowish-green, reddish-yellow and reddish-brown. Furthermore, fermentation (enzymatic oxidation) and drying stages during processing, as well as temperature, pH, and concentration in sensory evaluation, affect the color and brightness of tea infusions. This review revealed the color formation mechanisms by summarizing the chemical structures, color characteristics, coloration mechanisms and other factors of color substances in tea. It also provided a theoretical evidence for the quality improvement of tea flavor and the innovation of processing technology.
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    Advances in the Application of Metabolomics in the Study of Physiological and Biochemical Metabolism of Tea Plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze]
    MAO Chun, HE Ji, WEN Xuefeng, WU Chuanmei, YI Chengxi, LIAN Jianhong, GUO Wenmin
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 607-620.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.009
    Abstract819)      PDF(pc) (477KB)(814)       Save
    Tea is a leafy perennial crop, and its physiological metabolism is significantly affected by external environmental factors. Main biochemical components such as amino acids, caffeine and tea polyphenols not only give tea unique flavor quality and health characteristics, but also are important contributors to the resistance of tea plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Metabolomics technologies have the characteristics of high throughput, high sensitivity and systematization. They can identify and quantify tea metabolites comprehensively, accurately and quickly. The in-depth study of metabolomics provides a technical platform for the further development and utilization of tea metabolites. This paper reviewed the applications of metabolomics in the study of physiological and biochemical metabolism (photosynthesis, respiration, carbon and nitrogen metabolism) and metabolism of main quality biochemical components (flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, etc.) of tea plants in recent years, and prospected the future applications of metabolomics in the field of tea, so as to provide some theoretical references for further tea management, cultivar breeding and quality improvement.
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    Construction of Polyphenol Self-assembly Antibacterial Biomaterials and Progress in Their Applications
    XU Wei, YU Rongxin, ZHANG Xiangchun, ZHANG Yiwen, CHEN Hongping, TIAN Baoming, ZHENG Qinqin, WU Yuanyuan, XIA Chen, WEI Bing
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 1-15.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.004
    Abstract731)      PDF(pc) (4782KB)(810)       Save
    Bacterial infection, a leading cause of global mortality, can result in various diseases. While antibiotics are the primary treatment for infections, their excessive and irrational use has led to the emergence of a variety of bacterial drug resistance, posing a serious threat to human health. Plant polyphenols have natural antibacterial properties, but the instability of the phenolic hydroxyl structure limits their bioavailability. To solve this problem, researchers have explored the self-assembly of polyphenols with other substances to construct new nano-biomaterials. These biomaterials not only enhance the stability and bioavailability of polyphenols but also exhibit synergistic antibacterial activity, showing a great promise in the field of antibacterial applications. This review examined the construction strategies and antibacterial properties of different types of polyphenol self-assembled biomaterials developed in recent years, including polyphenol-metal, polyphenol-hydrogel, polyphenol-chitosan, polyphenol-protein and polyphenol-liposome. Furthermore, the challenges and future prospects of the novel polyphenol self-assembling biomaterials in the field of antibacterial application were discussed.
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    Present Status and Development Trends of Research on Tea Polysaccharides
    LI Yan, LIN Yongfeng, LIU Wenmei, ZOU Zehua, LIU Guangming, LIU Qingmei
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (4): 447-459.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.04.001
    Abstract693)      PDF(pc) (475KB)(673)       Save
    Tea polysaccharides are important active ingredients in tea. Studying the properties of tea polysaccharides and promoting the development of tea polysaccharides products will benefit both the tea industry and the health industry. In the present paper, literatures related to tea polysaccharides from the Web of Science database over the past decade were visually analyzed. The results show that the overall number of papers related to tea polysaccharides showed an increasing trend from 2013 to 2022. The co-occurrence, emergence and frequency analysis of keywords show that the antioxidant activities of tea polysaccharides are a continuous research hotspot, which may also be one of the main trends in future research. At present, global research on tea polysaccharides mainly focuses on the physicochemical properties including monosaccharide composition, solubility, emulsification and biological activities such as antioxidation, anticancer and antidiabetic. Although tea polysaccharides exhibit a variety of biological activities, the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. Recent studies have shown that tea polysaccharides can exert probiotic potential by affecting gut microbiota. In addition, the transformation and development of tea polysaccharide-related products are particularly insufficient. In the future, researchers can focus on developing biofilm products, drug delivery vehicles and functional foods using tea polysaccharides. Overall, the present paper summarized the main contents and hot spots in the field of tea polysaccharides, aiming to serve as a reference for researchers in this field as well as for the development of the tea polysaccharide industry.
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    Analysis of Aroma Characteristics and Volatile Components of Zhenghe White Tea with Different Storage Years
    HUANG Wei, ZHANG Lingzhi, ZHANG Jialin, LIN Fuming, RONG Jiefeng, XIAO Chunyan, YUE Penghang, YU Huazhu, SUN Weijiang, HUANG Yan
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 667-680.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.006
    Abstract611)      PDF(pc) (1492KB)(1105)       Save
    In order to investigate the aroma characteristics of Zhenghe white tea with different storage years, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) was used to analyze the aroma characteristics and volatile components of Zhenghe white peony tea stored for 0, 5, 10 and 15 years. The results show that the aroma characteristics of Zhenghe white peony tea varied significantly among different storage years. The aroma characteristics of BMD0 were mainly pekoe, fresh, sweet and floral. With the extension of storage time, the pekoe, fresh, sweet and floral weakened, while the stale flavour and woody increased. A total of 66 volatile components were detected in Zhenghe white peony tea with different storage years, mainly alcohols, esters and acids, with the highest alcohol content in BMD0 and BMD5, and the highest ester content in BMD10 and BMD15. With the extension of storage time, the total volatile components decreased significantly, and the composition and proportion of relative contents changed significantly. The Orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) model could effectively discriminate Zhenghe white peony tea with different storage years. A total of 14 volatile components were screened based on relative odor activity value (rOAV)>1, while 30 volatile components were screened based on variable importance for the projection (VIP)>1. Based on rOAV value>1 and VIP value>1, 6 major volatile components were screened, including β-ionone, α-ionone, nerolidol, benzyl alcohol, benzeneacetaldehyde, linolenic acid. This study provided a theoretical reference and basis for the scientific storage of white tea and the flavour analysis of aged white tea.
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    Study on the Influence of Tea Green Leafhopper Infestation on the Tenderness of Fresh Tea Leaves and the Extraction Rate of Metabolites Related to Oolong Tea Quality
    WU Shuhua, MAO Kaiquan, CHEN Jiaming, LI Jianlong, XUE Jinghua, ZENG Lanting, YANG Yuhua, GU Dachuan
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (6): 806-822.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.06.005
    Abstract562)      PDF(pc) (4187KB)(556)       Save
    Tea green leafhopper is a major insect widely distributed in tea gardens, which has a significant impact on the yield and quality of tea. However, the effects of tea green leafhopper infestation on the tenderness of fresh tea leaves and the extraction rate of metabolites related to oolong tea quality remain unclear. By means of shear force measurement, broken tea rate analysis, oolong tea brewing, metabolite analysis and correlation analysis, it was found that the infestation of tea green leafhoppers significantly increased the contents of cell wall materials lignin, cellulose and pectin, and decreased the tenderness of fresh tea leaves and broken tea rate. The extraction rates of tea polyphenols, free amino acids, soluble sugars, catechin monomers, amino acid monomers and theanine were affected. Moreover, except for epicatechin gallate (ECG), the extraction of these taste substances and the tenderness of fresh tea leaves were significantly correlated with the contents of cell wall materials. In this study, the extraction rule of taste quality metabolites after tea green leafhoppers infestation was explored, and the influence of tea green leafhopper infestation on quality traits was explored from three aspects: tea picking, processing and brewing.
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    Research Progress of Quantitative Evaluation Methods for Tea Grade
    ZOU Dan, YIN Xiaoli, GU Huiwen, LONG Wanjun, FU Haiyan, SHE Yuanbin
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (6): 733-746.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.06.011
    Abstract526)      PDF(pc) (2029KB)(543)       Save
    Grade is an important indicator for discerning the quality of green tea and other types of tea, and it is directly related to their selling prices. However, there is often a phenomenon of falsely labeling tea grades in the market, which seriously undermines consumer rights. At present, tea grade is mainly assessed by sensory evaluation. Sensory evaluation, after long-term development, has formed relatively unified standard, but it still has a certain subjectivity. To evaluate the tea grade more accurately and objectively, researchers have developed a series of quantitative evaluation methods for tea grade. Given the significant practical importance of evaluating tea grade, this article provided a comprehensive review of the recent research status in the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of tea grades, including bionic sensing intelligent sensory detection technology, specific chemical components detection and metabolomics techniques. Major problems and challenges on tea grade evaluation were discussed, and future development trend was also prospected in this study. It has positive guiding significance for objective, scientific and standardized evaluation and quality control of tea quality.
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    Changes of Endogenous Hormone Contents and Expression Analysis of Related Genes in Leaves of Tea Plants Under Heat and Drought Stresses
    TANG Ziyi, DU Yue, YANG Hongbin, LI Xinghui, YU Youben, WANG Weidong
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (4): 489-500.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.04.006
    Abstract526)      PDF(pc) (1970KB)(725)       Save
    Extreme environments, such as heat and drought, seriously affect the growth and development of tea plants and the quality of tea production. Hormones are important signaling factors, but the molecular mechanisms of hormones involved in the response of tea plants to heat and drought stresses are rarely reported. In this study, we systematically analyzed the changes in endogenous hormone contents and the expression levels of related genes in leaves of tea plants under heat and drought stresses. The results show that the contents of IAA and GA3 were significantly reduced and the contents of ZR were slightly increased in leaves of tea plants under heat and drought stresses, which were presumably used to delay the growth of tea plants to adapt to the environment stresses. Meanwhile, many genes related to biosynthesis and signal response of IAA, GA3 and ZR were significantly differentially expressed, which provided a molecular basis for explaining the hormone content changes and signal transduction. In addition, the contents of ABA and JA increased significantly under both heat and drought stresses, which may depend on the up-regulated expressions of ABA biosynthetic pathway genes such as ZEP, NCED, SDR and JA biosynthetic pathway genes such as LOX, OPR, ACX. Furthermore, many ABA signal responsive genes such as PYR/PYL, PP2C and JA signal responsive genes such as JAZ, MYC2 were also significantly differentially expressed, suggesting the important role of ABA and JA signaling pathways in the response of tea plants to heat and drought stresses. These results provided theoretical references for further exploring the molecular mechanisms of tea plants response to heat and drought stresses, which rely on endogenous hormones.
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    Diversity Analysis of Leaf Phenotype and Biochemical Components in Tea Local Population Resources
    TANG Lu, LI Changle, GE Yue, WANG Pu, ZHAO Hua, WANG Mingle, WANG Yu, GUO Fei, NI Dejiang
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (4): 473-488.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.04.008
    Abstract515)      PDF(pc) (528KB)(1069)       Save
    In order to protect tea germplasm resources and promote tea germplasm innovation, the phenotypic character and biochemical component diversity of 32 tea germplasm resources from 12 provinces were studied. The results showed that the genetic diversity index of 16 phenotypic character ranged from 0.81 to 1.94, and the phenotypic genetic diversity of the test population was high. The cumulative contribution rate of the six phenotypic characters including leaf area, leaf shape, leaf upper surface, young shoot pubescence, leaf tip shape and leaf cross section were 71.78%, which was the main factor causing the phenotypic difference of the tested tea population. Based on the determination results of biochemical components in two years, the variation coefficient of caffeine content (17.95% and 14.55%) was the largest, followed by the variation coefficient of tea polyphenol content (13.61% and 8.11%). The variation coefficient of free amino acid (5.62% and 7.52%) was the lowest. Cluster analysis based on the results of biochemical component content determination was conducted to divide the tested tea tree populations into three groups, each including different types of germplasm. From the geographical distribution of the tested tea populations, the content of biochemical components showed regional differences.
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    Construction of Flavor Wheel and Quantitative Sensory Description Analysis of Pu'er Tea and Fu Brick Tea
    CHEN Guohe, HU Tengfei, XIE He, FU Wenjie, ZHAI Yuke, BAO Sudou, AN Qin, WANG Chao, WANG Yingzi, LIU Zhonghua, HUANG Jian'an
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 631-644.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.008
    Abstract511)      PDF(pc) (1988KB)(1035)       Save
    Flavor wheel is a simple and easy method to understand descriptor system, which is convenient for consumers to communicate the sensory flavor attributes of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea. In this study, by establishing a sensory evaluation team, sensory evaluation was conducted on the flavor of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea, and the flavor wheels of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea were drawn from two dimensions: aroma and taste. On this basis, a vocabulary for quantitative sensory description of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea was established by setting reference samples with different intensities for 23 typical sensory descriptions. Furthermore, using the M-value method combined with analysis of variance and multivariate statistical analysis, the main sensory descriptors that can better describe Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea were selected. A total of 7 aroma descriptors (woody, sweet aroma, herbal, ferment, glutinous, jujube and aged) and 5 flavor descriptors (sweet taste, bitter, astringent, sour and mellow and thick) were selected for Pu'er tea, and 5 aroma descriptors (woody, sweet aroma, herbal, aged and fungal floral) and 5 flavor descriptors (sweet taste, bitter, astringent, sour and mellow and thick) were identified for Fu brick tea, and these descriptors can better evaluate the sensory quality characteristics of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea samples. The results of this study provide application value for distinguishing and evaluating the sensory flavor characteristics of Pu'er tea and Fu brick tea, as well as in the development of their products.
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    Research on the Effect Evaluation and Dynamic Mechanism of the Integrated Development of Tea and Tourism Industry
    LIN Xi, WU Qinyao, YANG Jiangfan
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 718-732.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.011
    Abstract498)      PDF(pc) (624KB)(552)       Save
    This study was based on the theories of industry integration, industry chain value, and coupling coordination, as well as previous research results. Taking the development level of the tea industry and tourism industry in the eight main tea-producing areas in China from 2011 to 2020 as the empirical research object, a quality evaluation index system for the development of the tea and tourism industry was constructed, and the coupling coordination model and spatial analysis method were used to evaluate and present the effect of tea tourism integration. And regression models were used to explore the driving mechanism of tea tourism integration development. The results indicate that the tea and tourism industries in the main tea-producing areas over the past decade were highly coupled, which were present in the middle to late stages of integrated development. The overall trend shows a spatial feature of "high in the middle and low on both sides", with an inverted "U" shape in the east-west direction. The high value area at the provincial level has always been Yunnan Province. The driving force mechanism is the joint influence of internal and external factors: the internal driving force is the internal coupling between the tea and tourism industries, which drives the formation of a new business model: the integration of tea and tourism. In terms of external macro environment, policy guidance and support are the leading forces, sustained economic development is the driving force, social and cultural prosperity is the pulling force, and technological innovation and application are the supporting forces. Suggestions were also made on further promoting the integrated development of tea tourism consisting of strengthening government guidance and support to improve factor protection, promoting the improvement of industry quality and efficiency to consolidate the foundation of development, digging and highlighting cultural connotations to expand the depth of development, applying technology to cultivate talents and thus strengthen development support.
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    Research Progress on the Mechanism of Natural Tea Components in Alleviating Acne
    WU Zhiyuan, WANG Kaibo, CHEN Silin, ZHAO Bi, SHEN Shiquan
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 16-26.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.010
    Abstract488)      PDF(pc) (1220KB)(448)       Save
    Tea, as a natural beverage, is highly favored due to its clear health benefits. With in-depth research on the active ingredients of tea in recent years, it has been confirmed that natural components can have positive effects on various disease models. Acne is an inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence and recurrence rate. In addition to traditional clinical diagnosis and treatment, complementary and alternative therapies represented by patches, skin care, and dietary improvement are also popular. In the market, more and more acne control products claim to add tea active ingredients to the raw materials. Natural components such as tea polyphenols, caffeine, theanine and tea saponins have shown great potential in alleviating acne. In this paper, the effects and molecular mechanisms of different functional components of tea on inhibiting sebum secretion, alleviating acne, improving skin microbial imbalance, and alleviating skin focal inflammation were reviewed, in order to provide reference for the research and development of tea natural products.
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    Experimental Study on High-quality Tea Plucking by Robot
    LI Yatao, ZHOU Yujie, WANG Shaoqing, CHEN Jianneng, HE Leiying, JIA Jiangming, WU Chuanyu
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 75-83.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.003
    Abstract476)      PDF(pc) (1757KB)(480)       Save
    This study evaluated the performance of a newly developed track-type tea plucking robot on Longjing tea picking, including its detection accuracy, localization accuracy, end effector plucking accuracy, time consumption across each stage. The results show that the detection success rate of the developed robot was 88.54%, the localization success rate was 84.07%, the end effector plucking success rate was 87.22%, and the overall plucking success rate was 61.30%. The plucked tea leaves met the requirements of middle-grade Longjing tea. The single tea shoot plucking time was approximately 1.51 s, and the machine could pluck over 2 000 tea shoots per hour, basically achieving the picking efficiency of one machine replacing one worker.
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    Research on the Path to Realize the Value of Tea Agricultural Cultural Heritage: Empirical Analysis Based on 31 Typical Cases
    MA Jie, YE Chaoyang, MAO Liyu
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 161-174.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.013
    Abstract471)      PDF(pc) (584KB)(486)       Save
    The realization of the value of tea agricultural cultural heritage (TACH) is an important way for its protection and sustainable development. Based on the technology-organization-environment framework (TOE), this study explored the configuration effects of TOE condition variables on TACH value realization, as well as the linkage matching relationship among different elements. Based on 31 typical cases of TACH as research samples, the Fuzzy-sets qualitative comparative analysis (FsQCA) method was applied to explore the influencing factors and driving paths of TACH value realization. This study found that: (1) the realization of the value of TACH is the result of the combined action of necessary and sufficient conditions. (2) the realization of the value of high-level TACH is the result of the combination of core conditions and marginal conditions, with three typical models: "Collaborative Organizational Environment Type", "Social Resource Driven Type " and "Comprehensive Coupling Type". (3) The driving combination for the realization of non-high-level and high-level TACH value is asymmetric. Therefore, different paths could be chosen based on one's own resource endowment and external factors, in order to promote TACH value realization.
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    A Grading Identification Method for Tea Buds Based on Improved YOLOv7-tiny
    HONG Konglin, WU Minghui, GAO Bo, FENG Yening
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 62-74.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.006
    Abstract462)      PDF(pc) (2946KB)(471)       Save
    The intelligent grading and recognition of tea buds in a natural environment are fundamental for the automation of premium tea harvesting. To address the problems of low recognition accuracy and limited robustness caused by complex environmental factors like lighting, obstruction, and dense foliage, we propose an enhanced model based on YOLOv7-tiny. Firstly, a CBAM module was added into the small object detection layer of the YOLOv7-tiny model to enhance the model's ability to focus on small object features and reduce the interference of complex environments on tea bud recognition. We adjusted the spatial pyramid pooling structure to lower computational costs and improve detection speed. Additionally, we utilized a loss function combining IoU and NWD to further enhance the model's robustness in small object detection by addressing the sensitivity of the IoU mechanism to position deviations. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves a detection accuracy of 91.15%, a recall rate of 88.54%, and a mean average precision of 92.66%. The model's size is 12.4 MB. Compared to the original model, this represents an improvement of 2.83%, 2.00%, and 1.47% in accuracy, recall rate, and mean average precision, respectively, with a significant increase of 0.1 MB in model size. Comparative experiments with different models show that our model exhibits fewer false negatives and false positives in multiple scenarios, along with higher confidence scores. The improved model can be applied to the bud grading and recognition process of premium tea harvesting robots.
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    Identification of Transcription Factors Interacting with CsNCED2 Promoter and Their Response to Abiotic Stress
    LI Jiasi, LIU Yingqing, ZHANG Yongheng, ZHANG Ying'ao, XIAO Yezi, LIU Lu, YU Youben
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (3): 325-334.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.03.007
    Abstract458)      PDF(pc) (1496KB)(444)       Save
    Nine cis epoxide carotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis and widely involved in plant growth and development as well as abiotic stress response. CsNCED2 is involved in the response to drought and salt stress in tea plants, while the transcriptional regulation mechanism involved is still unclear. In this study, two transcription factors, CsDof5.4 and CsERF38, which binded to the CsNCED2 promoter were identified by yeast single hybrid (Y1H) library screening. Subcellular localization, yeast self-activation and luciferase (LUC) assay show that they were located in the cell nucleus and could activate the expression of CsNCED2. RT-qPCR results show that the expressions of CsERF38 and CsDof5.4 were highly correlated with CsNCED2 under salt stress. While under drought stress, only the expression of CsERF38was highly correlated with that of CsNCED2. In this study, two transcription factors (CsDof5.4 and CsERF38) binding to the CsNCED2 promoter were identified. Both drought and salt stresses could induce the expression of CsNCED2, thus participate in the abiotic stress response in tea plants.
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    Risk Assessment and Source Analysis of Heavy Metal Pollution in Chinese Tea Gardens in 2000-2022 Based on Meta-analysis
    YANG Yanhu, CHEN Xiaohan, ZHANG Xiaoqing, REN Dajun, ZHANG Shuqin, CHEN Wangsheng
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 37-52.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.002
    Abstract452)      PDF(pc) (1446KB)(446)       Save
    Heavy metal pollution is one of the important factors affecting the ecological environment of tea gardens and the safety of tea products. This study collected literature on heavy metal (Cu, Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Zn, Ni) pollutions in tea garden soils in major tea producing areas in China, including Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. The weight of a single study was obtained using meta-analysis method to obtain the weighted average of heavy metal concentrations in tea garden soils in each province and across the country. The potential ecological risk index method and geological accumulation index method were used for ecological risk assessment, and source analysis using the APCS-MLR model was applied. The results show that compared with the background values, all 8 heavy metals were enriched to a certain extent, with Hg and Cd pollutions being more severe. The moderate and above risks of Hg were mainly distributed in inland provinces such as Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Anhui. The moderate and above risks of Cd were mainly distributed in coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hainan, etc. The two heavy metals show mild to moderate risks. Compared with other countries in the world, tea gardens or agricultural land in developing countries generally have higher levels of heavy metals, with Cd and Hg being the elements with more severe pollution levels. The source analysis results show that the first, second, third, and fourth principal components are natural sources, industrial activity pollution sources, traffic exhaust pollution sources, and agricultural activity pollution sources, respectively. Industrial and agricultural activities are the main pollution factors, with Hg mainly coming from industrial activities and Cd mainly coming from agricultural activities.
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    Glyphosate-stress Effects on Shikimic Acid in Tea Leaves
    LIU Hongxia, LIU Yingying, CHEN Hongping, CHAI Yunfeng
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (5): 657-666.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.05.005
    Abstract450)      PDF(pc) (1058KB)(474)       Save
    To investigate the effect of glyphosate stress on the growth and shikimic acid metabolism of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants, tea seedlings were cultured in nutrient solution with different concentrations of glyphosate and the visual phytotoxicity on tea leaves was observed. The non-targeted analysis of non-volatile metabolites in the leaves and quantitative determination of shikimic acid and glyphosate in the leaves were carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. The results show that the tea seedlings under the high dose of glyphosate (200 mg·L-1) treatment exhibited characteristics of pesticide damage, while the tea seedlings under the low dose of glyphosate (50 mg·L-1) treatment and control did not show apparent pesticide damage. Mass spectrometric and statistical analysis indicates that there were significant changes in the contents of shikimic acid pathway metabolites in the leaves of glyphosate-treated tea seedlings, with shikimic acid being one of the main differential metabolites. Within 21 d, the accumulation of shikimic acid in leaves was highly positively correlated with the absorption amount and action time of glyphosate. When the absorption amount of glyphosate was larger than 28 mg·kg-1, the shikimic acid metabolism in tea plants was significantly inhibited, resulting in a large accumulation of shikimic acid in tea leaves. Compared with the control group, the content of shikimic acid in tea leaves affected by pesticides increased about 16-fold. This study shows that shikimic acid is one of the main metabolites of tea plants in response to glyphosate stress.
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    Study on the Spatiotemporal Evolution and Spatial Differentiation Pattern of Carbon Sink in China’s Tea Industry
    YUAN Liwen, ZHANG Junbiao, QIN Jiangnan
    Journal of Tea Science    2024, 44 (1): 149-160.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.01.011
    Abstract441)      PDF(pc) (655KB)(471)       Save
    The tea garden ecosystem has an important carbon storage function. Analyzing and evaluating the carbon sink level during the production and planting process of tea gardens is of great significance for scientifically evaluating the potential ecological value of tea gardens and promoting the green and low-carbon development of the tea industry. This paper selected data from 16 major tea producing provinces in China from 1978 to 2020, used biomass models of tea plant growth cycles and soil carbon content models to calculate and evaluate the basic situation of carbon sinks in China’s tea industry. The center of gravity fitting model was used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon sinks in the tea industry, and the driving factors of spatial differentiation were explored in conjunction with geographic detector models. The results show that: (1) The total carbon sink of China’s tea industry had shown a phased growth trend, reaching 735.311 million tons in 2020, and the accumulation of soil carbon sink was higher than that of plant carbon sink. The carbon sink intensity showed a “rise-decrease-rise” characteristic. (2) There were significant differences in carbon sink intensity among different provinces in the tea industry. High-intensity provinces were concentrated in the eastern coastal and western regions of China, and the carbon sink gravity center had long been located within Hunan province, but there was a slight trend of westward displacement. (3) The agricultural subsidies and the development level of agricultural economy were important driving forces that affect the spatial distribution pattern of carbon sinks in China’s tea industry, but there were differences in the dominant factors for the spatial differentiation of carbon sinks in different regions. Based on this, this paper proposed relevant suggestions from the management and operation of carbon sinks in the tea industry, as well as the formulation of industrial policies.
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    Ecological Thoughts in Ancient Chinese Tea Books and Their Contemporary Value
    LIU Xinqiu, DU Xiya
    Journal of Tea Science    2023, 43 (3): 437-446.   DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2023.03.013
    Abstract436)      PDF(pc) (362KB)(743)       Save
    Chinese traditional ecological thoughts with the core of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism culture, in the pursuit of harmony in the process of human and nature, are consisted of a series of environmental protection and respect for life. It is formed by the particular geographical environment, political status, economic conditions and cultural factors, which thereby formed an agriculture production system of intensive cultivation. Under the influence of the ecological thoughts, a special system of tea planting management and tea drinking methods has been established in the production and development of tea industry, which was mostly recorded in the tea books of all dynasties. The ecological thoughts of tea industry were embodied in different periods, including the historical understanding of tea planting ecological environment, the development and evolution of tea garden management technologies and the stage change of tea drinking mode. The ecological concept of ancient tea industry has been inherited and can still be used for reference and implementation today.
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