Freezing rain

(1) Timely Pruning When pruning tea trees that have suffered from freezing, it is essential to tailor the approach based on local conditions and specific gardens. For tea gardens primarily focused on harvesting high-quality teas, different levels of pruning should be applied according to the severity of freezing damage. If only some tender leaves are affected, no pruning may be necessary; if parts of the branches and leaves lose vitality after freezing, pruning is required to encourage new shoots and develop a strong framework and picking surface. When most tea plants suffer damage to the foliage and branches 3-5 cm above the picking surface, light pruning is recommended; in cases of more severe damage where the main branches are also affected, heavy pruning should be performed; if the damage is extremely severe and the above-ground branches and leaves have lost vitality, coppicing (cutting back severely) is appropriate. Pruning should ideally be carried out in early spring when temperatures have stabilized and there is no risk of a late cold snap. For mechanical harvesting gardens focused on bulk tea production, pruning should follow the principle of "catering to the majority, consistency within the garden." Different depths of pruning should be used…

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…