Seed

"Heroic Mountain Tongbai, Ecological Huaiyuan Tea." Located at the source of the thousand-mile-long Huai River, Tongbai County boasts beautiful mountains and clear waters, providing an excellent ecological environment for the tea industry. In recent years, Tongbai County has leveraged its local advantages and embraced technological advancements to transform the entire tea industry chain, from tea garden management to tea picking and processing, accelerating the development of the tea industry. Tri-Level Coordination Transforms Tea Leaves into "Golden Leaves" "Every year, provincial, municipal, and county-level technology extension workers bring their expertise to rural areas, establishing partnerships with companies and offering valuable advice on tea garden management and tea processing techniques. In 2019, some of our tea plants were not growing well, and when we were at a loss, provincial technology extension workers came to our rescue like a 'timely rain.' They conducted soil tests and guided us in improving the soil using rape seed cake, among other methods. As a result, the yield of these tea plants increased by about 30%, and the quality of the tea leaves significantly improved," said Wang Yeqing, manager of Tonghuai Tea Industry Co., Ltd. After years of development, Tongbai County now boasts 167,000 mu (approximately 11,133…

Countermeasures for Tea Gardens Affected by High Temperature and Heat StressDuring the height of summer, tea plants are susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures and droughts, which can severely impact their normal growth, yield, and quality. Therefore, implementing measures to prevent and respond to droughts and heat stress in tea gardens is crucial to minimize economic losses. After tea plants suffer from drought, garden management should focus on the following: 1 Differentiate Levels of Drought Damage Caused by High Temperatures After a tea garden experiences high temperature and drought damage, it can generally be categorized into four levels: Light – some leaves gradually turn yellowish-green, develop brown spots, and slightly curl or deform; Moderate – most tender leaves (1-4 leaves) turn reddish-brown, curl, wilt, become scorched, and fall off, but the top buds (1 bud with 2 leaves) are not completely dead; Severe – old and young leaves scorch and fall off, resulting in bare branches, and many branches die, although the main trunk is not completely dead; Extreme – the root system dies, all leaves fall off, and the ground-level branches and main trunk wither, leading to the death of the entire plant. 2 Preventative Measures…

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…

Weed control is a critical aspect of managing young tea gardens in Guizhou. Techniques such as manual weeding, tillage weeding, and mulching have proven effective, but they require significant labor and material inputs. Manual weeding alone can cost 700 to 800 RMB per mu, increasing the overall management costs of the tea garden. Intercropping soybeans in young tea gardens can effectively suppress weed growth, improve the ecological environment, and enhance soil fertility. Additionally, this practice generates supplementary income of around 1,000 RMB per mu. Soybeans are an important oilseed crop, and China's current production falls short of domestic demand. Intercropping soybeans in young tea gardens aligns with national policies aimed at increasing soybean production capacity and ensuring food security. To leverage the weed control and soil fertility benefits of intercropping soybeans, the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute has developed this plan. Soybean intercropping in tea gardens in Datun Village, Shiqian County General Requirements 1. Adhere to Tea Garden Safety Principles All pesticides and fertilizers used in tea gardens must comply with Guizhou's safety standards. No pesticides or fertilizers prohibited in tea gardens should be applied, even if they are suitable for soybeans. 2. Balance Tea Management and…

Green manure is a clean organic fertilizer free from heavy metals, antibiotics, hormones, and other residues. It is also an effective measure to reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and improve soil fertility. Intercropping winter green manure in tea gardens is an effective way to maintain and improve soil fertility, utilizing garden resources to nourish the garden and trees. This practice can maximize resource utilization, as green manure covering the soil surface reduces soil erosion by rainwater, absorbs and activates soil nutrients, and prevents nutrient loss. Since there is less competition between winter green manure and tea plants, it has good prospects for wider application in tea gardens. Based on years of experimental research, this article introduces suitable varieties of winter green manure for tea gardens and key points in their cultivation techniques. Suitable Varieties of Winter Green Manure for Tea Gardens and Their Characteristics Tea garden soils are typically acidic and rich in aluminum, so the green manure crops grown must be acid and aluminum tolerant. The main criteria for selecting suitable green manure crops are biomass yield and quality, which are important indicators of a variety's stress tolerance and productivity. Nitrogen content is one of the most critical…

Twelve slimming teas, tailored for dieters, those with edema, meat lovers, those hoping to burn fat, constipation sufferers, and more. This summer, let these teas help you easily sip away your body fat. 1. Dieters Should Drink Oolong Tea Due to dieting for weight loss, eating less means there's less food residue, sometimes accumulating for several days before a bowel movement, which can easily lead to dryness. We recommend drinking oolong tea. Ingredients: Oolong tea. Preparation: Simply steep in boiling water. Benefits: Aids digestion, expels phlegm, detoxifies from alcohol and greasy foods, and reduces fat. 2. Those with Edema Should Drink Job's Tears Tea The causes of edema are numerous. If it is simply due to water retention causing the edema, we recommend drinking job's tears tea. Ingredients: 10 grams of stir-fried job's tears, 5 grams of fresh lotus leaf, 5 grams of hawthorn. Preparation: Boil with hot water and drink. Benefits: Heat-clearing, dampness-expelling, treats edema. 3. Stress-Induced Constipation? Drink Lotus Leaf Tea Low mood and high stress may increase the sensitivity of the intestines, leading to constipation. We recommend drinking lotus leaf tea. Ingredients: 3 grams of lotus leaf, 6 grams of stir-fried cape jasmine seeds, 3 flowers of…

With the recent spell of high temperatures, the air has become stiflingly hot. Have you turned on your electric fan or perhaps the air conditioner to cool off in this sultry weather? The humid climate brought about by such heat can lead to an accumulation of dampness within the body. When dampness accumulates in the body, it can cause a lack of appetite and other issues. Excessive dampness can also lead to digestive problems, which are typically addressed through dietary adjustments. Chenpi is particularly helpful for those suffering from poor digestion and loss of appetite. The Benefits of Chenpi Chenpi is a type of Chinese medicinal herb that has a pungent and slightly bitter taste and is warm in nature. It can effectively dry dampness and transform phlegm, helping to remove excess dampness from the body. It is known for its ability to regulate qi and relieve pain, as well as to strengthen the spleen and harmonize the middle energizer. These properties make it useful for improving spleen and stomach weakness. For those who frequently consume greasy or cold foods or live in cold and damp environments, leading to excessive dampness in the body, chenpi can help regulate the spleen…

Tea plants are perennial woody plants: they have a total developmental cycle that spans their entire life, as well as an annual developmental cycle that governs their growth and dormancy throughout the year. The total developmental cycle builds upon the annual cycle, which is constrained by and follows the rules of the overall development.Based on the reproductive characteristics of tea plants and practical applications in production, they can be divided into four biological age periods: seedling stage, juvenile stage, adult stage, and senescent stage. 1Seedling Stage of Tea Plants This typically begins from seed germination or successful cuttings until the tea plant emerges from the ground and reaches its first period of growth cessation, usually lasting for one year. The key management focus during this period is to ensure water supply, maintain humidity, and provide shade. 2Juvenile Stage of Tea Plants This stage runs from the first period of growth cessation (usually winter) until the tea plant is ready for commercial production. It generally lasts 3 to 4 years. The duration of this period is closely related to cultivation management and natural conditions. The juvenile stage is the most malleable period for tea plants. Cultivation practices must focus on shaping…

Green Pest Management Techniques for Tea Trees Main Targets of Control ↑ Tea Blight Disease → Tea Looper Pests: Tea Green Leafhopper, Tea Looper, Tea Caterpillar, Tea Black Worm Moth, Black Scale Psyllid, Tea Red Mite. Diseases: Tea Blight Disease, Tea Anthracnose. Key Control Measures Agricultural Control 1. Timely Harvesting. Harvest young buds and leaves according to the requirements of tea production to reduce the population of pests like the tea green leafhopper, mites, and some bud diseases residing on the canopy surface of the tea tree. 2. Pruning as Needed. Prune tea trees after the spring harvest and in late autumn according to the requirements of tea garden management, reducing pest populations and creating conditions unfavorable for pests. Generally, deep pruning or heavy pruning is done after the spring harvest, and light pruning is performed in late autumn. 3. Garden Tilling. In late autumn, till the tea garden combined with the application of base fertilizer, which is detrimental to the survival of scale insects and weevils overwintering in the soil, thus reducing their occurrence in the following year. 4. Timely Garden Cleanup. Clear and bury leaves and topsoil near the roots of tea plants in late autumn, which can…

Let's start with a chart of the Longjing family relationships. The head of the family is Hang Jiahe, who has a daughter named Hang Pan with his former wife Fang Xiling. In the previous article, we mentioned the love at first sight between Hang Pan and Nationalist pilot Cao Jiayuan. Hang Pan is in charge of overseeing hundreds of acres of tea garden, including the famous Lion Peak Hu Gong Temple area. By "overseeing," it mainly means managing the garden rather than preventing others from stealing tea leaves. During the month or so when Longjing tea is picked and processed, there are many people bustling about on the mountain, making it difficult to steal tea. If it's not the picking and processing season, stealing tea would be pointless because the resulting tea would taste terrible and couldn't even be sold as vegetables. Hang Pan's oversight is essentially garden management. The People's Liberation Army took over ten days to capture Hangzhou, officially announcing its liberation on May 3, 1949. The first third of "Looking South of the River" describes the winter and spring before the liberation of Hangzhou. In her diary, Hang Pan wrote: "The fighting has started again, and everywhere…

Cool tea is a beverage commonly prepared in the Chaoshan region by boiling compound or single local herbal ingredients. In the 18th century, Li Qingxiang, a resident of Xikeng Village in Puning, summarized and formulated multiple recipes for cool tea, each composed of twenty-four medicinal ingredients, along with their preparation methods. Through generations of inheritance and innovation, today's 24-ingredient cool tea is made from authentic Chinese medicinal herbs using modern scientific techniques to extract and separate its active components, ultimately producing granulated formulations. The 24-ingredient cool tea is composed of 24 herbs sourced from a list of ingredients that are both food and medicine. The main ingredients include: dandelion, lotus leaf, Houttuynia cordata, mulberry leaf, lophatherum, Prunella vulgaris, gardenia, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, polygonatum, fat sea date, green plum, kudzu root, Chinese yam, fresh rhizome of reed, hawthorn, lophatherum, lily, jujube, cassia seed, black sesame, poria, tangerine peel, and mint. The 24-ingredient cool tea is guided by traditional Chinese medicine theory and based on herbal ingredients, with effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, quenching thirst, removing fire and dampness, becoming a popular health care method, especially prevalent in the Chaoshan area. The craft of making the 24-ingredient herbal (cool) tea was…

Severe Infestation of Tea Looper How to Cope, Find Out Here It is currently late summer and early autumn, with cool weather in the morning and evening. This year has seen more rain than usual, resulting in vigorous growth of tea plants with lush green leaves, providing rich food for tea plant pests. According to investigations into the infestation of tea loopers in Longwu tea gardens, various age groups of larvae coexist, with severe overlapping generations. In some severely affected areas of tea gardens, the older leaves have been completely consumed, affecting the growth of tea plants, which requires close attention from tea garden managers. Due to differences in cultivation and management practices among individual households, the timing of infestations and the degree of damage vary across different tea gardens, making pest control challenging. It is essential to strengthen pest monitoring through field observations and the use of trapping devices, promptly understanding the dynamics of pest outbreaks and implementing appropriate measures: 1. Turn on insect-killing lamps, taking advantage of the fact that adult tea loopers are most active between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. Set the operating times of the lamps accordingly, ideally using a light-controlled mode where they automatically…

In the pleasant April weather, with a gentle breeze blowing. In the tea garden of the Pomegranate Seed Group in Naxian Village, New Comfort Town, Mengjiang County, old tea trees taller than a person are sprouting new green leaves. Tea farmers are seen climbing wooden scaffolds or pulling on tree branches to pick the fresh buds. Stepping into the home of Li Kang, a tea farmer in the Pomegranate Seed Group of Naxian Village, New Comfort Town, one is greeted by the aroma of tea. He is diligently inspecting every step of the tea processing and production. Before long, freshly stir-fried spring tea is ready. According to Li Kang, Naxian Village has tea trees over a hundred years old. However, due to a lack of business management concepts, the villagers operated independently without forming a united front, which prevented them from capitalizing on their valuable resource. In 2022, Li Kang registered Mengjiang New Comfort Youzhi Tea Processing Factory, leasing more than 50 mu (approx. 33,333 square meters) of land with over 1,600 tea trees aged 80 years or older across two groups, Baiye Village and Pomegranate Seed Group. He invited experts with over 30 years of experience in producing Pu'er…

The four types of pots—Lotus Seed, Drum Imitation, Duetsphere, and Duet—are very similar and often confused. Let's clarify these four pot styles: As shown above, the Drum Imitation is generally the shortest among these four pots, with a handle that may have an inverted ear (a small ear-like protrusion at the end). The Lotus Seed pot is slightly taller than the Drum Imitation and also has an inverted ear on its handle. The Duetsphere pot is the tallest of the four, and its handle does not have an ear-like protrusion. The bottoms of the first three pots—Drum Imitation, Lotus Seed, and Duetsphere—are all fitted with a false bottom; looking straight down, there is no visible "foot," as the body curves directly to the bottom. The last style, the Duet pot, easily reveals its bottom, which features a "line" or "foot." This makes it relatively easy to distinguish. Its handle also lacks an ear-like protrusion. Lotus Seed The "Lotus Seed" pot shape consists of circles stacked from small to large, symbolizing the Chinese traditional meaning of "successive generations of noble offspring." Ancestral customs often use homophones for auspiciousness. The basic characteristics of the Lotus Seed pot are: overall fullness, broad shoulders…

When did the variety of Wuyi Rock Tea originate? According to "The New Gazetteer of Tong'an County," "Wuyi tea was originally wild, not planted by human hands. It is said that it was first discovered by an old man... The old man first offered the tea and after his death, he was revered as a mountain deity and enjoyed temple sacrifices." In Fan Zhongyan's "Song of Tea Competition with Zhang Min," it states: "The miraculous tea by the stream surpasses all in the world, cultivated since ancient times by the immortals of Wuyi." The "immortals of Wuyi" likely refer to the distant ancestors of the Wuyi tea region, traditionally believed to be Wuyi Jun or Pengzu. According to Hu Haochuan's research, Wuyi Caicha evolved from a wild species. Professor Zhuang Wanfang believes that Wuyi tea was cultivated by ancients or possibly introduced from Wulong Ridge in Zhejiang Province. Caicha is the mother of Wuyi teas and is the collective term for the sexually propagated group of tea trees in Wuyi. This means these teas are as common as the vegetables grown around the house, only for everyday drinking. In the natural environment of Wuyi Mountain, due to the cross-pollination of…

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…

When the journalist arrived in Xingcun Town, Wuyishan City, on the 13th, the town's mayor, Wu Wang, warmly greeted us and invited us to taste some tea. Boiling water was poured into a cup, and as the leaves unfurled in the water, the tea broth gradually turned amber, emitting a rich aroma. "This is the main venue for professional tea competitions that have been held here for 800 years. As they say, 'Tea doesn't truly emit its fragrance until it reaches Xingcun.' We are a significant hub along the ancient Tea Road and the birthplace of black tea in the world." Mayor Wu said with a smile. Photo by Shi Chenjing, Fujian Daily – Swallows' Nest Ecological Tea Garden A short distance away lies the Swallows' Nest Ecological Tea Garden. Although the tea-picking season had passed, there were still five or six tea farmers moving about deep within the garden, pruning the tea plants to lay the groundwork for an increased yield in the coming year. Tea farmer Yang Wen Chun bent down and pointed to the soybeans planted among the tea plants: "Professor Liao Hong from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University proposed an intercropping model of planting soybeans in…

There’s a folk saying: “When the hoe digs deep, there’s no lack of gold or silver.” Winter management of tea gardens is crucial for laying the groundwork for a bountiful harvest the following year, ensuring high-quality tea based on the “heaven, earth, human, and seed” foundation. The tea garden should be pruned into a cockscomb shape or uniformly flat, with the choice of heavy pruning or light trimming of side branches depending on the growth status of the garden. The appropriate height of shrub-like tea plants benefits both their growth and the ease of picking fresh leaves. After pruning, the old leaves can be buried through deep cultivation to ferment into organic fertilizer, which loosens the soil and promotes the growth of tea plants. Weeds along the edges or nearby can also be used to cover the garden, providing insulation, water retention, nutrient conservation, and support for microorganisms. Once these weeds decompose, they too become organic fertilizers for the tea garden. Many tea gardens in my hometown are terraced in ridges. For those with low embankments, adding a layer of turf and garden soil can help reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss, maintaining the vigorous vitality of the tea plants.…

Leopard-skin-like tree trunks, arm-thick branches, and scattered blossoms among the tea leaves... Recently, on several ancient eagle tea trees in Wuxi, Chongqing, tea flowers have bloomed, clear and delicate.It is said that the eagle tea comes from the evergreen tree Alseodaphne semicarpifolia of the Lauraceae family, with very hard seed shells. According to legend, the seeds need to be swallowed by eagles, and after the shell is softened by stomach acid and excreted, they can germinate, hence the name "eagle tea." In Wuxi, there are more than 50,000 mu (about 3,333 hectares) of eagle tea planted, including ten eagle tea trees that are a thousand years old and 2,500 eagle tea trees over a hundred years old. Image of an ancient eagle tea tree. Photo by Wang Qiang, courtesy of Xinhua News Agency. Image of tourists admiring the ancient tree. Photo by Wang Qiang, courtesy of Xinhua News Agency. Image of tea flowers on the tree. Photo by Wang Qiang, courtesy of Xinhua News Agency. Image of an ancient eagle tea tree. Photo by Wang Qiang, courtesy of Xinhua News Agency. Image of tourists admiring the tea flowers. Photo by Wang Qiang, courtesy of Xinhua News Agency. Image of tea…