According to information from the Zhejiang Meteorological Bureau, “Plum Girl” is expected to persist for a while. On June 25-26, there will be heavy rains and possibly severe convective weather in parts of Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, northern Shaoxing, and northern Quzhou. Recently, the central and northern regions of Zhejiang have experienced continuous rainfall with significant cumulative precipitation.
Image Source: Central Meteorological Observatory
For tea farmers, while tea plants thrive in moisture, they are not tolerant of waterlogging. Prolonged waterlogging can lead to root damage, increased incidence of pests and diseases, reduced tea production, and decreased quality and yield of tea leaves. Will the consecutive heavy rains affect the growth of tea plants? What protective measures should be taken? Chao News interviewed Lu Debiao, the chief tea expert at the Zhejiang Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and researcher, for insights.
On June 21, Lu Debiao (right) inspected the condition of tea plants after consecutive heavy rains in Liandu District, Lishui City, together with local stakeholders.
“The current weather conditions have had little overall impact on tea gardens and tea production,” emphasized Lu Debiao. In dealing with the upcoming prolonged rainy period, the most critical protective measure is to promptly inspect and clear drainage ditches in tea gardens to ensure proper drainage, with special attention given to flat tea gardens and nursery areas. Isolation trenches should be established around tea gardens, particularly above hillside tea gardens adjacent to forests, to prevent runoff from forested areas from washing into the tea garden. If water accumulates in tea gardens or nurseries, drainage channels should be cleared immediately to drain the excess water as soon as possible.
For tea gardens with severely damaged infrastructure, post-disaster efforts should focus on repairing dams, ditches, roads, and other essential facilities affected by water damage. Collapsed walls and roads within tea gardens should be cleared promptly, and drainage ditches should be unblocked to prevent secondary disasters. It is especially important to ensure that any tea garden affected by landslides is only cleared and repaired after confirming the stability of the geological conditions. For flat tea gardens, priority should be given to digging perimeter ditches around the gardens and intermediate ditches or field ditches within them to ensure smooth drainage and reduce Soil and environmental humidity as quickly as possible, preventing root rot caused by prolonged waterlogging.
For tea gardens severely affected by flooding, when the surface soil is nearly dry, shallow cultivation and loosening of the soil should be conducted promptly to restore soil permeability and promote new root growth, aiding in the recovery of the tea plants.