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Horticulturae
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Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations
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Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 3296

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lingfei Ji

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Center, Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: plant nutrition; soil biology; nutrient cycling; soil ecology; soil analysis; fertilizers; tea plantations soil
Dr. Yiyang Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Center, Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: ecological tea plantation; organic fertilizer; nutrient uptake and metabolism; tea quality
Prof. Dr. Jianyun Ruan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: plant nutrition and fertilization; soil science; agronomy; ecophysiology of tea plant; tea quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tea plantations worldwide are facing increasing challenges such as soil degradation, acidification, and nutrient imbalances that directly impact tea yield, quality, and the sustainability of production systems. This Special Issue aims to explore innovative approaches and best practices for sustainable soil management, specifically tailored to tea cultivation environments. We invite contributions addressing critical aspects of soil health in tea plantations, including organic and inorganic fertilization strategies, soil acidification management, microbial community dynamics, nutrient cycling, and erosion control measures. Particular emphasis will be placed on research that demonstrates the interconnections between sustainable soil management practices and tea quality parameters, environmental protection, climate resilience, and economic viability for tea growers.

The Special Issue welcomes original research, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that advance our understanding of soil–plant interactions in tea ecosystems and provide practical solutions for enhancing soil fertility while minimizing environmental impacts. By compiling cutting-edge research in this field, we aim to support the development of sustainable management systems that ensure the long-term productivity and quality of tea plantations while preserving soil resources for future generations.

Dr. Lingfei Ji
Dr. Yiyang Yang
Prof. Dr. Jianyun Ruan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tea plantation soil
  • sustainable fertilization
  • soil acidification
  • nutrient management
  • soil microbial communities
  • tea quality parameters
  • different tea cultivars
  • climate-resilient tea cultivation
  • soil erosion control
  • organic soil amendment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1270 KB  
Article
Effects of Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization on Soil Respiration in Acidic Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Plantation Soils
by Zhidan Wu, Yunni Chang, Xiangde Yang and Fuying Jiang
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030372 - 18 Mar 2026
Viewed by 327
Abstract
Soil respiration (Rs) plays an important role in the carbon (C) dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems and is strongly regulated by nitrogen (N) inputs. While the impact of N fertilization on Rs has been widely documented in conventional farmland ecosystems, its patterns and influencing [...] Read more.
Soil respiration (Rs) plays an important role in the carbon (C) dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems and is strongly regulated by nitrogen (N) inputs. While the impact of N fertilization on Rs has been widely documented in conventional farmland ecosystems, its patterns and influencing factors in perennial tea plantation systems are still poorly understood. In the study, we conducted a 15-year field experiment in a representative tea plantation to investigate the effects of different N rates (0, 112.5, 225, and 450 kg N ha−1 yr−1) on Rs. Compared to the control (N0), soil pH decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by 6.07%, 11.82%, and 16.12% under N112.5, N225, and N450, respectively. Concurrently, cation exchange capacity (CEC), ammonium (NH4+-N), nitrate (NO3−-N), and available phosphorus (AP) increased with increasing N rates, whereas available potassium (AK) decreased. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) initially increased and then decreased with increasing N rates, while dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content increased consistently. The Rs rate exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern with a single peak in August. The annual mean Rs rates were 2.79, 3.15, 4.06, and 3.85 μmol·m−2·s−1 for the N0, N112.5, N225, and N450 treatments, respectively. Soil temperature explained 55.41% to 61.08% of the variation in Rs rates across N treatments, and a composite model incorporating both soil temperature and moisture further improved the prediction of Rs dynamics. Cumulative soil CO2 emissions (CCEs) over the study period ranged from 10,427 to 14,221 kg CO2-C ha−1 across treatments and were significantly negatively correlated with soil pH, and positively correlated with DOC, MBC, and NO3−-N content. A non-linear relationship between N application rate and CCEs was observed, highlighting the complexity of optimizing N management for balancing productivity and climate mitigation in tea plantation systems. These findings provide a theoretical basis for developing rational N fertilization strategies and improving the predictive capacity of C cycle models in agroecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations)
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20 pages, 12332 KB  
Article
NH4+-N Promotes Fluoride Transport and NO3−-N Increases Fluoride Fixation in Roots of Camellia sinensis
by Anqi Xing, Chunju Peng, Yan Tang, Renyong Cao, Shifu Ma, Xuefeng Xu, Zichen Wu, Yi Sun, Chunyan Wang, Shujing Liu, Jing Zhuang, Xuan Chen, Xinghui Li and Yuhua Wang
Horticulturae 2026, 12(1), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12010094 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 544
Abstract
Tea plants (Camellia sinensis) uniquely hyperaccumulate fluoride (F) and concurrently exhibit a preference for ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) over nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N). However, the mechanistic basis for co-existence of NH4+-N preference and F [...] Read more.
Tea plants (Camellia sinensis) uniquely hyperaccumulate fluoride (F) and concurrently exhibit a preference for ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) over nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N). However, the mechanistic basis for co-existence of NH4+-N preference and F hyperaccumulation in C. sinensis remains unexplored. Here, we investigated F accumulation and translocation with varying N supplies (0 mM and 2.854 mM N with NH4+-N:NO3−-N ratios of 3:1, 4:0 and 0:4) and F concentrations (0, 8 and 16 mg·L−1 NaF) to reveal the mechanism driving NH4+-N preference and F hyperaccumulation in C. sinensis. Results show that NH4+-N supply enhanced H+ efflux, mobilizing aluminum (Al) to form mobile Al-F complexes for translocation to shoots, thereby alleviating F toxicity in roots. This process was facilitated by transporters including CsCLCd, CsCLCe, CsCLCf2 and CsFEX. In contrast, NO3−-N promoted root sequestration of F as immobile calcium (Ca)-F complexes, exacerbating damage. Under NO3−-N supply, CsCLCb primarily mediated NO3− transport, while CsCLCc, CsCLCe, CsCLCf1, CsCLCf2 and CsFEX were involved in F transport. In leaves, CsCLCd, CsCLCe, CsCLCf1, CsCLCf2, CsCLCg and CsFEX mediated vacuolar sequestration under both N conditions. These findings elucidate that NH4+-N preference is mechanistically linked to F hyperaccumulation through an Al-assisted translocation pathway, which confers tolerance by exporting F from roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations)
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18 pages, 1213 KB  
Article
Contrasting Responses of N2O Mitigation to Different Nitrification Inhibitors in Tea Plantation Soils
by Wei Hua, Siyun Niu, Chenguang Zhao, Jie Wang, Xiangde Yang, Yuanzhi Shi and Kang Ni
Horticulturae 2025, 11(12), 1470; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11121470 - 5 Dec 2025
Viewed by 651
Abstract
Tea plantations are a hot-spot source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the agricultural system. Using nitrification inhibitors (NIs) is a promising way to mitigate agricultural N2O emissions and has been widely tested in many croplands. However, the efficiency [...] Read more.
Tea plantations are a hot-spot source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the agricultural system. Using nitrification inhibitors (NIs) is a promising way to mitigate agricultural N2O emissions and has been widely tested in many croplands. However, the efficiency of different NIs and whether there are soil-specific effects are still unclear in tea plantations with typical acidic soil conditions. This study evaluated the effects of three widely used NIs, i.e., dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (Nitrapyrin), through a lab incubation trial, on the nitrification suppression, N2O emissions, and ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities in two tea plantation soils with contrasting physicochemical properties (pH and texture). During the 50-day incubation, the soil with a higher pH and coarse texture (TA) exhibited a four-times-higher apparent nitrification ratio (ANR) than the more acidic and clay soil (HZ). Nitrification inhibitor addition resulted in about a 60% and 80% reduction in the ANR in HZ and TA soils, respectively. During the entire incubation, ammonium sulfate (N) addition without NIs emitted N2O at 64.1 ± 1.2 and 61.5 ± 0.4 μg N kg−1 (mean ± standard deviation, and the same in the following text) in the HZ and TA soils, respectively. Compared with the N alone, the N2O mitigation efficiency of DCD, DMPP, and Nitrapyrin was 38.3% ± 0.4% (standard deviation), 33.8% ± 0.99%, and 36.5% ± 0.59% in the HZ soil and 94.1% ± 0.39%, 52.8% ± 1.05%, and 95.6% ± 0.65% in the TA soil, respectively. Nitrapyrin more effectively suppressed both ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) abundance, particularly in the acidic soil (HZ), where ammonia-oxidizing archaea dominate nitrification. These results revealed the pivotal role of soil properties in controlling NI efficiency and highlighted Nitrapyrin as a potential superior nitrification inhibitor for N2O mitigation under the tested conditions in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations)
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21 pages, 547 KB  
Article
Farmers’ Perceptions, Preferences and Choices of Commercial Tea Clones in Uganda: From the Smallholder Out-Growers’ Perspective
by Kenneth Akankwasa, Tadeo Kaweesi, Venansio Tumwine, Peter B. Ssenyonga, Boaz B. Mwesigwa, Vereriano Turyahebwa, Gerald Agaba, Ronald Kawooya, Robooni Tumuhimbise, Ji Lingfei, Yang Yiyang and Stanley T. Nkalubo
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1401; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111401 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Tea (Camellia sinensis (L). Kuntze) cultivation by smallholder out-growers has grown significantly. Recent government initiatives have expanded production from traditional tea growing regions. This study investigated how smallholder farmers perceive and prefer different commercial tea clones. It also looked at the factors [...] Read more.
Tea (Camellia sinensis (L). Kuntze) cultivation by smallholder out-growers has grown significantly. Recent government initiatives have expanded production from traditional tea growing regions. This study investigated how smallholder farmers perceive and prefer different commercial tea clones. It also looked at the factors that influence their choices across major tea-growing regions of Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 324 randomly selected tea out-growers from Central, Western, Kigezi, and West Nile regions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a Tea Preference Index (rating clone attributes on a 1–5 scale), and a multivariate Probit (MVP) model to evaluate farmers’ choices and preferences. Clone 303/577 is the most cultivated, accounting for 59%. Adoption rates were high in West Nile (98%), Kigezi (77%), and Central (67%) regions. Clone 6/8 ranked second at 47%, while clone 100/5 had the lowest cultivation rate at 10%. The ranking of clones by preference was 303/577, 6/8, 108/82, 31/8, and 100/5. Key attributes influencing preferences included, yield potential, canopy width, post-plucking/pruning recovery rate, shoot tenderness and cup quality. Results showed that a farmers’ choice of clone 303/577 was significantly influenced by shoot density, gender and tea farming experience. For clone 108/82, the most important factors were quick recovery after plucking/pruning, education level and household size. This information is vital for agricultural policy, extension services, tea breeding and genetic improvement programs in the tea sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil Management for Tea Plantations)
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