Agriculture

A gentle breeze sweeps over the central-western part of Raoping County in Chaozhou City, where the vast sea of tea plants in Fubin Town stretches as far as the eye can see, undulating along the mountainside, and the tea fields are filled with a fresh aroma. Following winding mountain roads, the verdant tea trees gradually merge with the blue sky and white clouds, painting a beautiful summer landscape. Recently, relevant leaders of the Chaozhou Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee led a group of deputies to the people's congress and representatives from related departments to conduct the "Green and Beautiful Chaozhou - Deputies in Action" themed activity in Fubin Town, Raoping County, and Fenghuang Town, Guilu Town in Chao'an District. The focus was on a special investigation into the handling of key proposals concerning "Cultivating Tax Sources in the Tea Industry to Promote Fiscal Revenue Growth." During the event, the deputies were constantly on the move, gaining a comprehensive understanding of tea production and sales, tea tax revenue, quality control, brand promotion, and tea plant protection through site visits, listening to reports, and holding symposiums. They actively collected public opinions and fully leveraged their roles as people's congress deputies to empower…

In recent years, the area of tea gardens has grown annually in response to the increasing demand in the tea market. However, the expansion of tea garden areas has brought about a series of issues including soil erosion, acidification, and reduced fertility, which are detrimental to tea yield and quality. This article, based on the current distribution of tea gardens in our country, summarizes the more common problems in the tea garden soil environment. It also analyzes the remediation effects and mechanisms of applying biochar, microbial fertilizers, and compound conditioners, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for future soil improvement work in tea gardens and the promotion of soil conditioners. This article, based on the current distribution of tea gardens in our country, summarizes the more common problems in the tea garden soil environment. It also analyzes the remediation effects and mechanisms of applying biochar, microbial fertilizers, and compound conditioners, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for future soil improvement work in tea gardens and the promotion of soil conditioners. I. The Area and Distribution Characteristics of Tea Gardens in Our Country As of 2022, the total area of tea gardens in our country has reached 3.3303 million hectares, ranking…

With the drop in temperature, the growth of the above-ground parts of tea trees slows down gradually while that of the underground parts remains relatively active. Applying base fertilizer in autumn can improve the efficiency of fertilizer use by the tea trees and contribute to enhancing the quality and yield of spring tea the following year. Therefore, it is essential to apply base fertilizers scientifically to tea trees in autumn. I. Principles of Fertilization 1. Organic and chemical fertilizers should be used in combination, with organic fertilizers replacing part of the chemical fertilizers, and base fertilizers should be applied deeply; 2. Maintain a suitable nutrient ratio. Based on soil fertility conditions and tea yield, determine the nitrogen fertilizer amount and enhance the combined application of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium fertilizers, paying attention to the supplementation of sulfur, boron, and other nutrients; 3. For tea gardens with severely acidified soils (soil pH < 4), measures such as applying lime, soil conditioners, or increasing the application of mature livestock manure can be taken to gradually improve the soil; 4. Combine scientific fertilization with green cultivation techniques that increase yield and efficiency. II. Methods of Fertilization 1. Timing of base fertilizer application: It…

Photography by Donghua Huang China Tea Capital - Anxi Upon entering the China Tea Capital in Anxi, one is greeted by rows of tea shops, the air filled with the aroma of tea, and a dazzling array of teas including Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Pu'er, Longjing, white tea, dark tea, and more—making it a true "Capital of a Hundred Teas Trade." Anxi, the birthplace of Chinese Oolong tea and the origin of the world-famous Tieguanyin, has leveraged its strengths to develop its tea industry, setting national records for tea plantation area, tea production, and per capita tea income, shedding its title as the "largest state-designated impoverished county." Photography by Guoping Chen However, this major tea-producing county once lacked a large-scale trading market, preventing farmers from directly connecting with domestic and overseas buyers, making it difficult to sell their tea. Photography by Donghua Huang In 2000, with the assistance of the provincial government, Anxi County raised 120 million RMB through auctions and leases, primarily from domestic and overseas sources, to build the China Tea Capital – Anxi National Tea Wholesale Market. After the market was established, transactions became active, and farmers' incomes increased. Photography by Ying Lin On the evening of October 15,…

What is good Hubei tea? A seemingly simple question, but it's hard to sum up in a single phrase. Is expensive tea necessarily good tea? Is scarce tea necessarily good tea? Is tea that boasts ancient trees or master craftsmanship necessarily good tea? The answer to all these is “not necessarily.” Image | Hubei tea mountains shrouded in mist and clouds 01 Hubei’s Good Tea: The Three Essential Elements at the Source Must Not Be Missing For truly good tea, the three essential elements at the source must be right. What are the three essential elements at the source of tea? They are: region, variety, and processing method. Region More than a thousand years ago, Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, wrote in Chapter One of "The Classic of Tea," about "the origin of tea"; then, in another chapter titled "where tea comes from," he detailed the various sources of tea production in the Tang Empire that he had researched and that were recorded in historical documents. This shows the importance of the origin of tea, that is, "region." Image | "The Classic of Tea" by Lu Yu Currently, 21 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in our country produce tea,…

Impacted by a moderate-strength El Niño event, and superimposed on the backdrop of global warming, the global average temperature in 2023 may break the record for the warmest year set in 2016. It is expected that temperatures in most regions of China will be close to or higher than the long-term average this winter through to next spring, but with active cold air phases. Precipitation in southern regions is expected to be above normal, increasing the risk of compound meteorological disasters. Given these complex climate changes, timely management of tea gardens during winter can help them safely overwinter and lay a foundation for high-quality tea production and increased income for tea farmers in the coming year. So how should we manage tea gardens in winter? Follow along as we look at the winter and spring tea garden management technical guidelines developed jointly by the Department of Plant Industry Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, and the Expert Advisory Group for Tea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. 1. Disaster Prevention 1.1 Preventing Frost Damage Monitor weather forecasts closely. Before a cold wave, implement frost protection measures such as…

Summer and autumn are critical periods for tea garden management. Strengthening summer and autumn tea garden production management is the foundation for ensuring high-quality and high-yield summer and autumn tea and the following spring tea. The Planting Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, the Expert Advisory Group for Tea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Tea Industry Technology System, have developed the following technical guidance on summer and autumn tea garden production management and disaster prevention and mitigation. Strengthening Tea Garden Production Management (1) Tea Plant Pruning - For year-round harvesting tea gardens, promptly perform the initial light pruning after spring tea harvesting, cutting off the top 5-10 cm of shoots from the canopy. During summer tea harvesting, it is advisable to allow some growth retention and use the leaf-retention method or tip-picking method to maintain an appropriate leaf layer thickness. Harvesting should be appropriately stopped earlier in autumn to avoid affecting the yield and quality of the following year's spring tea. To cultivate a good picking surface, the second light pruning should be completed before mid-July, with the pruning height…

In order to do a good job in the spring tea garden management throughout the city in 2023 and ensure high yields and quality of this year's tea production, the City's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau has formulated the following technical recommendations for spring tea garden management. 01. Timely Removal of Winter Protective Materials For young tea gardens that have been protected with soil over winter, the soil should be removed promptly to promote normal growth of the tea seedlings. Soil removal is typically done in two stages, with the first stage after the "Spring Equinox," removing half the height of the plants, and the second stage around the "Pure Brightness" period, removing all the covering soil. For tea gardens protected by plastic greenhouses over winter, ventilation should be adjusted according to temperature changes to prevent leaf scorching; the plastic film can be removed when temperatures rise. For tea gardens using windbreaks, inter-row straw mulching, or canopy coverings, these protective materials should be removed around the "Awakening of Insects" period. 02. Tea Garden Fertilization Spring fertilization in tea gardens should use tea plant-specific bio-fertilizers, slow-release fertilizers, and foliar fertilizers. After fertilizing, not only will the tea plants quickly regain vitality,…

At 30°N, the golden latitude belt for world-renowned teas, Yellow Mountain stands out like a gem inlaid with jade. Here, the variety of teas is abundant, cultivation history spans centuries, and traditional tea-making techniques are mature and advanced. It is home to three top-tier teas—Yellow Mountain Maofeng, Keemun Black Tea, and Taiping Monkey King—and is one of the country's key regions for renowned tea production. From July 26 to August 1, the Yellow Mountain City Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yellow Mountain Industrial Investment Group, and Yellow Mountain City Supply and Marketing Cooperative (Yellow Mountain Supply and Marketing Group) organized six training and deployment meetings for data collection work for the Yellow Mountain Tea Industry Brain in Yixian, Shexian, Huangshan District, Xiuning, Qimen, and Tunxi District, attended by over 500 people. These meetings further advanced the construction of Phase I of the Yellow Mountain City Tea Industry Brain project, integrated information resources for the tea industry, strengthened quality and safety supervision of teas, and empowered the high-quality development of the Yellow Mountain tea industry with new-form productive forces. The meeting mobilized and deployed the construction of the Yellow Mountain Tea Industry Brain project and provided specialized training on basic…

At 9 a.m. on August 4, Tan Xianglan delved into the lush tea bushes, pinching a tender tea bud between her thumb and index finger, smiling as she demonstrated to over thirty other tea pickers: "Everyone should snap it like I do; you must not pinch it. Only by snapping can the harvested tea maintain its quality!" Tea leaves (file photo) Tan Xianglan, 51 years old, is from Longquan Village, Changchi Town, Nanjiang County, Bazhong City. Due to poverty in her childhood, she dropped out of school at an early age. From the moment she carefully kneaded her first handful of tea, she knew that her life would be inseparable from tea. With sheer determination, Tan Xianglan worked tirelessly for decades, transforming from an obscure peasant woman into a prominent tea grower in Nanjiang. Her life has become increasingly prosperous. While doing tea business, she realized that the high-quality and excellent-tasting Nanjiang tea could indeed lead to prosperity for local residents. She also led her neighbors towards a path of wealth and rural revitalization. She still remembers a day in 2018 when a customer contacted her to order eight pounds of tea. For the then-struggling Tan Xianglan, this was a…

Fujian Anxi is the birthplace of Oolong tea and the origin of the famous Tieguanyin variety. The people of Anxi have capitalized on their strengths by developing the tea industry, ranking among the top in the country in terms of tea plantation area, tea production, and per capita tea income. However, this major tea-producing county once lacked a large-scale trading market, preventing direct transactions between tea farmers and buyers from home and abroad, making it difficult to sell tea.In 2000, with assistance from the Fujian provincial government, Anxi County raised 120 million RMB through auctions and leasing, primarily from domestic and overseas sources, to build the China Tea Capital – Anxi National Tea Wholesale Market. After its construction, trading activity increased, and tea farmers' incomes rose as well. Tea farmers picking tea. Photograph by Chen Guoping The key to industrialization is marketization. To that end, Anxi not only built the China Tea Capital but also established other national and regional wholesale markets and trading centers like the China Specialty City and China Tea Expo, which have been designated as “designated markets” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and awarded titles such as “key tea market” and “capital of…

Recently, there has been a significant temperature drop in the tea-growing areas north of the Yangtze River, south of the Yangtze River, eastern parts of the southwestern region, and southern China. Some regions have experienced temperature drops exceeding 18°C. The province has seen the most extensive freezing weather since winter began, with minimum temperatures dropping below 0°C in all areas except parts of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Prolonged low temperatures, freezing conditions, and snowfall will cause varying degrees of damage to factories and seedling greenhouses in some tea-growing areas, adversely affecting young tea seedlings and mature tea plants, delaying harvesting times, and reducing tea production. Urgent action is needed to prevent and mitigate the impact of freezing weather. To cope with the cold snap and minimize freeze damage to tea gardens and facilities, based on technical guidance developed by the Department of Crop Management under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, the Expert Advisory Group on Tea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and considering the actual situation in Guizhou, the following preventive…

Recently, the "Tea Revitalizes Agriculture" practice team from the School of Economics and Law at Chaohu University conducted a rural revitalization field research in Huoshan County, Lu'an City, promoting rural revitalization within the context of tea culture. During the research, team members wore uniform attire and carried small baskets to personally experience the daily work of tea farmers. Under the guidance of experienced tea farmers, the team not only quickly mastered basic tea-picking skills but also gained an understanding of the inheritance and development of tea-making techniques, an intangible cultural heritage. Everyone agreed that they should inherit and promote Chinese tea culture, allowing more people to understand tea etiquette, pass on tea virtues, experience the charm of tea culture, and deeply appreciate this gift from nature. Additionally, the practice team utilized new media platforms to promote the spread of Huoshan's tea culture through live streaming, increasing publicity and promotional efforts. This aims to bring Huoshan's teas and its red culture out of the mountains and into the national and global markets, achieving the goal of transforming tea mountains into gold mines.

According to forecasts from our city's meteorological station, from 14:00 on July 10 to 08:00 on July 11, the average precipitation in our city was 52.6 millimeters, with a maximum of 179.2 millimeters. Four towns and streets experienced heavy rainstorms (100–250 millimeters), 24 towns and streets experienced storms (50–100 millimeters), and 13 towns and streets experienced heavy rain (25–50 millimeters). Other towns and streets experienced moderate rain (10–25 millimeters). To effectively mitigate the impact of disastrous weather on tea gardens and tea production and stabilize summer and autumn tea production, the following technical guidance is proposed. I. Strengthen Patrols and Preventive Measures in Tea Gardens The flood season has arrived, and strong winds and heavy rains may occur at any time. We should closely monitor weather forecasts. Before heavy rains, strengthen patrols of tea gardens and reinforce greenhouses and other production facilities. Check and dredge drainage ditches in advance; dig drainage trenches where necessary, especially in low-lying or high groundwater areas, where trenches should be at least one meter deep. Move tea, production materials, and equipment from low-lying areas as a precaution against heavy rains. II. Promptly Drain Flooded Tea Gardens After heavy rains, organize labor to drain water from…

Affecting a moderate-strength El Niño event and superimposed on the backdrop of global warming, the average global temperature in 2023 may break the record for the warmest year set in 2016. It is expected that most regions in China will have temperatures similar to or higher than the long-term average this winter through next spring, but with active cold air phases. Precipitation in southern regions will be above normal, increasing the risk of compound meteorological disasters. In response to complex climate changes, timely management of tea gardens during winter can help ensure their safe overwintering and lay the groundwork for high-quality and high-yield tea production and increased income for tea farmers in the coming year. So how can we properly manage tea gardens in winter? Follow along as we explore the winter-spring tea garden management guidelines developed by the Department of Plant Industry Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center and the Expert Advisory Group on Tea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. 1. Disaster Prevention 1.1 Freeze Prevention Closely monitor weather forecasts and implement protective measures such as mulching between rows and covering the canopy…

Technical Guidance on Winter and Spring Tea Garden Management National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, Expert Advisory Group of Tea, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs The spring tea is the most crucial part of the annual tea production. The winter and spring seasons are critical for enhancing tea garden management and improving the quality and efficiency of spring tea. To strengthen the management of tea gardens in winter and spring, the Planting Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has collaborated with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center and the Expert Advisory Group of Tea, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to develop the following technical guidance for winter and spring tea garden production management. I. Disaster Prevention 1. Freeze Prevention: Closely monitor weather forecasts. Before cold waves, apply straw mulch between rows and cover the tea canopy with straw mats, plastic films, or shade nets to prevent freezing. After the cold wave, remove the canopy coverings promptly. During a cold wave, irrigation or spray irrigation can be used to mitigate cold and freeze damage. After temperatures return to normal, prune the frost-damaged tea garden. For mild frost damage, perform light pruning to remove…

Taishun County is located in the southwestern part of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It has extensive mountainous areas, distinct seasons, and abundant rainfall, providing superior natural resources and a favorable ecological environment that are conducive to tea plant growth. In recent years, Taishun County has attached great importance to the development of the tea industry. Currently, the total area of tea gardens in Taishun County is approximately 6,000 hectares, with the majority (about 60%) concentrated in the five towns of Shiyang, Yayang, Pengxi, Luoyang, and Bai Zhang. Sanbei Fragrant Green Tea is the main product in these towns, characterized by its high fragrance and rich flavor, as well as its lingering aroma after three infusions. It has won nearly one hundred awards, including the China Tea Cup, National Drink Cup, and International Famous Tea Gold Award. "Sanbei Fragrant" is the leading tea brand in Taishun County, with a comprehensive annual output value reaching 1.2 billion RMB. The tea industry has become a pillar industry in local ecological agriculture, and tea income is one of the primary sources of income for local farmers. 01 Current Situation of Sanbei Fragrant Green Tea Processing The "Sanbei Fragrant" tea regional public brand has been…

In recent years, Sinan County has leveraged its ecological resource advantages to carefully cultivate and enhance its ecological tea brand. Through strengthening close cooperation and a coordinated development mechanism among tea enterprises, it has successfully attracted the attention of numerous high-quality clients. At Guizhou BaiFuyuan Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. in Xujia Basin Town, Sinan County, the workshop is bustling with activity as workers are busily packing boxes of red oolong tea for shipment. This batch of tea was ordered by Guizhou Dingjia Tea Industry Co., Ltd., a tea ingredient supplier for Wahaha Group, and is destined for Wahaha's tea product beverage production line. Speaking about the 800-ton order of red oolong tea, Liu Housi, head of the Sinan County Tea Industry Association, said: “The first delivery consists of 60 tons, divided into three batches to be delivered to the customer’s designated location. The first truckload, carrying 20 tons of premium tea, has already departed smoothly.” Thanks to the matchmaking efforts of the Sinan County Tea and Mulberry Technology Promotion Center, Guizhou Dingjia Tea Industry conducted in-depth inspections of several local tea enterprises in Sinan, eventually leading to this collaboration. Lin Songrong, head of Guizhou Dingjia Tea Industry, remarked: “The…

Tea gardens are characterized by a diverse range of weeds, complex weed communities, and strong stability. According to incomplete surveys and statistics, there are as many as 202 common weed species found in domestic tea gardens, belonging to 49 families and 163 genera. Weeds can impact the growth of tea plants, causing symptoms such as stunted growth, yellowing leaves, leaf drop, and delayed development. They may also carry diseases or pests that affect tea plants directly or act as intermediate hosts, indirectly impacting the growth and development of tea plants. "Grass to suppress grass" is an integral part of the green and efficient prevention and control technology system for Guizhou tea gardens, embodying the concept of "ecology at its root, agriculture at its core, and biological control first." Planting white clover in tea gardens can effectively suppress weeds and resist tea plant diseases and pests. Below are key technical points for reference. White clover in tea gardens and pollinating insects - bees Intercropping white clover in tea gardens Effective "grass to suppress grass" In recent years, research teams from Guizhou University, the Provincial Plant Protection and Inspection Station, the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Provincial Soil and Fertilizer…

"Elon Musk is doing something earth-shattering; I'm not that great. But I've maintained a normal income for farmers, which is my contribution, and I am proud of it." On the evening of August 10th, during the CCTV program "Dialogue," Zhong Shanshan addressed issues such as being China's richest man, online attacks, internet traffic, slowness, competition, and succession for the first time in a systematic manner. This statement perhaps best represents Zhong Shanshan's mindset. Moving from selling water downstream to farming upstream, whether it's Gan'nan navel oranges or Yili apples, Nongfu Spring's investments have been unprofitable so far, but Zhong Shanshan remains content. Even though Oriental Leaf has become a super hit, he is still committed to entering the tea industry. Zhong Shanshan sees all this as "strategic losses," but after more than a decade of such losses, it is difficult to explain them solely through commercial logic. The true reason lies within Zhong Shanshan's heart, where there resides an "idealistic madman." The Seven-Year Loss of Oriental Leaf "Our tea has been around since 2012, 2013, and for over a decade, we didn't make any profit for the first six years, but by 2021, our growth curve started to rise." In…

To strengthen the management of tea gardens during summer and autumn and ensure production of teas during these seasons as well as the following spring, the Department of Plant Industry Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, the Expert Advisory Group on Tea of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Tea Industry Technology System, have proposed technical guidelines for tea production in summer and autumn 2024. Strengthen Fertilization Management of Tea Gardens 1. Top-Dressing Fertilization in Tea Gardens (a) Root Fertilization: Top-dressing fertilization for summer tea should be carried out after the spring tea harvest, and for autumn tea after the summer tea harvest. For tea gardens in production, about 15-20 kg of urea or 20-30 kg of specialized compound fertilizer for tea (with a formula of 18:8:12 N:P2O5:K2O) is generally applied per mu, with higher-yielding gardens receiving slightly more. Image Source: Anji White Tea Website Fertilizer should be applied in trenches dug vertically below the edge of the tree canopy, with a depth of about 10-15 cm. Broadcasting of fertilizer is prohibited. In young tea gardens (1-2 years old), fertilizer should be applied 5-10…

On August 16, 2024, the "Tea and the World" Global Promotion Launch Ceremony for Chinese Tea was held at the Beijing Friendship Hotel, under the guidance of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the China International Publishing Group, and hosted by the Cultural Exchange Center of the China International Publishing Group. The event, themed "Inheriting, Promoting, and Benefitting the World through Tea Culture Exchange and Mutual Learning," announced the 2024 Forbes China Tea Industry Series Selections. "Wuzhou Liubao Tea" successfully made it into the annual regional public brand selection for the 2024 Forbes China Tea Industry Series. Mr. Zhong Weijun, Deputy Director of the Wuzhou City Tea Industry Development Bureau, attended the event and received the certificate. Wuzhou Liubao Tea is renowned for its distinctive characteristics of "redness, thickness, agedness, and richness," along with its unique betel nut fragrance. It has been one of China's twenty-four famous teas since the Qing Dynasty, with a long history and outstanding quality, becoming an important historical symbol and calling card for Wuzhou City, Guangxi. In recent years, Wuzhou City has used the "Wuzhou Liubao Tea" regional public brand and the "Ancient Tea-Ship Route" cultural brand as dual engines to…