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 and remedial measures are proposed:
I. Preventive Measures
(1) Freeze Prevention Measures for Established Tea Trees
1. Pay attention to cold wave forecasts.
Strengthen predictions and early warnings for extreme weather events and prepare in advance. After receiving a cold wave forecast, promptly secure necessary materials to reduce freeze damage.
2. Covering to prevent freezing.
Make full use of local resources in mountainous areas, covering the tea rows with straw, ensuring that the ground is not exposed. For tea gardens facing the wind that are prone to freezing, cover the Canopy with rice straw, miscellaneous grass, or shade nets, removing the covers after the cold wave passes.
3. Irrigation to prevent freezing.
For tea gardens with adequate Water sources and good irrigation facilities, spray or irrigate the garden before the cold wave arrives to maintain Soil temperature and increase air humidity, making it harder for cold air to penetrate and reducing the risk of freeze damage to the tea trees.
4. Timely snow removal.
Remove accumulated snow from the tree canopy promptly to prevent damage from heavy snow or prolonged coverage.
(2) Freeze Prevention Measures for Tea Seedling Nurseries
1. Timely snow clearance.
For plots located in low-lying areas with poor drainage, clear ditches and dig additional drainage channels to prevent standing water from ice and snow melt from causing freeze damage to the root systems of tea plants. In mountainous tea gardens with thick snow accumulation, remove snow from the canopy when temperatures rise to reduce the occurrence of freeze damage.
2. Strengthen water management.
Pay attention to water management in the nursery to prevent tea seedlings from becoming dehydrated due to frozen soil lifting them out of the ground.
3. Timely covering.
Cover the nursery with straw or other materials, checking and repairing film covers as necessary. Film covers should be buried at all four sides to create a sealed environment. Reinforce and repair damaged structures, lower the shade net close to the film and press firmly. Directly cover the shade net with straw. After the spring frost ends and temperatures stabilize, remove the covers. In mountainous tea gardens, use local materials like grass, rice straw, or stalks to cover the spaces between tea rows. For tea gardens facing the wind that are prone to freezing, cover the canopy with rice straw, miscellaneous grass, or shade nets, removing the covers after extreme weather passes.
(3) Hardware Implementation Prevention Measures
Conduct inspections of processing factories, electrical equipment, water facilities, and seedling greenhouses, taking appropriate preventive measures to eliminate risks posed by extreme weather. Focus on reinforcing vulnerable areas such as factory roofs and seedling greenhouses. Remove accumulated snow and ice promptly to prevent collapses of buildings, warehouses, and seedling greenhouses.
II. Remedial Measures
1. Timely pruning.
After a freeze, some branches and leaves lose their vitality and must be pruned to encourage new growth. Pruning should be done when temperatures have risen and there is no further risk of severe freeze damage. The depth of pruning depends on the severity of the freeze, typically 1-2 cm deeper than the dead part. For lightly affected tea trees where only the edges of the leaves are frozen, pruning is not necessary.
2. Strengthen fertilizer and water management.
After pruning, strengthen fertilizer and water management, applying early spring fertilizers. Tea trees that have suffered from freezing have depleted much of their nutrients and need replenishment to recover and sprout. Early spring fertilizers should be applied by the end of February, using specialized organic fertilizers for tea.
3. Retain new spring and summer leaves.
After a freeze, many leaves fall off. Next year, focus on retaining new leaves. For deeply pruned tea trees, leave one leaf during late spring tea picking and also retain more leaves during summer tea picking. For severely affected tea gardens that have undergone heavy pruning, retain spring shoots and top-pick summer shoots to quickly restore the tree canopy.
4. Replanting.
For old tea gardens severely affected by freezing and where remedial measures are ineffective, replanting should be considered. Clear existing plants and plant new frost-resistant clonal varieties, strengthening fertilizer and water management to ensure the survival rate of transplanted seedlings and promote young plant growth.
5. Intercropping annual crops.
For young tea gardens and replanted tea gardens affected by disasters, intercrop annual grains and short-statured cash crops to compensate for losses.
6. Timely replanting of tea seedlings.
For young tea trees in newly planted tea gardens that have died from freezing, replant tea seedlings in early spring the following year. Purchase and transport seedlings as soon as possible to ensure timely replanting.
7. Rebuilding hardware infrastructure.
After hardware infrastructure is damaged, promptly repair, reinforce, or rebuild damaged facilities and equipment.
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