Effects of Shellfish and Organic Fertilizer Amendments on Soil Nutrients and Tea Yield and Quality

Soil acidification in tea plantations leads to an excessive heavy metal content in tea, decreasing its yield and quality. How to apply shellfish and organic fertilizers to improve soil and ensure the safe production of tea is still not clear. A two-year field experiment was conducted in tea plantations in which the soil was characterized by a pH of 4.16 and concentrations of lead (Pb) (85.28 mg/kg) and cadmium (Cd) (0.43 mg/kg) exceeding the standard. We used shellfish amendments (750, 1500, 2250 kg/ha) and organic fertilizers (3750, 7500 kg/ha) to amend the soils. The experimental results showed that compared with the treatment without any amendment (CK), the soil pH increased by 0.46 on average; the soil available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents increased by 21.68%, 19.01%, and 17.51% respectively; and the soil available Pb, Cd, Cr, and As contents decreased by 24.64%, 24.36%, 20.83%, and 26.39%, respectively. In comparison to CK, the average yield of tea also increased by 90.94 kg/ha; tea polyphenols, free amino acids, caffeine, and water extract increased by 9.17%, 15.71%, 7.54%, and 5.27%, respectively; and the contents of Pb, Cd, As, and Cr in the tea decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by 29.44–61.38%, 21.43–61.38%, 10.43–25.22%, and 10.00–33.33%, respectively. The greatest effects on all parameters occurred with the largest amendment of both shellfish (2250 kg/ha) and organic fertilizer (7500 kg/ha) combined. This finding suggests that the optimized amendment of shellfish could be used as a technical measure to improve the health quality of both soil and tea in acidified tea plantations in the future.

[1]  Jiemin Cheng,et al.  Whole-Process Risk Management of Soil Amendments for Remediation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soil—A Review , 2023, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[2]  G. Lu,et al.  Application of bovine bone meal and oyster shell meal to heavy metals polluted soil: Vegetable safety and bacterial community. , 2022, Chemosphere.

[3]  X. Yi,et al.  Organic amendments improved soil quality and reduced ecological risks of heavy metals in a long-term tea plantation field trial on an Alfisol. , 2022, The Science of the total environment.

[4]  Jianming Xu,et al.  Biochar accelerates soil organic carbon mineralization via rhizodeposit-activated Actinobacteria , 2022, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[5]  Zhenzhen Yu,et al.  Potential to Reduce Chemical Fertilizer Application in Tea Plantations at Various Spatial Scales , 2022, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[6]  Ke-xing Liu,et al.  Effects of oyster shell powder on leaching characteristics of nutrients in low-fertility latosol in South China , 2022, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[7]  Tao Zeng,et al.  Oyster shell amendment reduces cadmium and lead availability and uptake by rice in contaminated paddy soil , 2022, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[8]  Yiyong Chen,et al.  Soil nutrient deficiency decreases the postharvest quality-related metabolite contents of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) leaves. , 2022, Food chemistry.

[9]  L. Guangrong,et al.  Long-term organic fertilizer substitution increases rice yield by improving soil properties and regulating soil bacteria , 2021 .

[10]  S. Lam,et al.  A state-of-the-art review on producing engineered biochar from shellfish waste and its application in aquaculture wastewater treatment. , 2021, Chemosphere.

[11]  Yonglin Ren,et al.  Correlation among Metabolic Changes in Tea Plant Camellia sinensis (L.) Shoots, Green Tea Quality and the Application of Cow Manure to Tea Plantation Soils , 2021, Molecules.

[12]  K. Siddique,et al.  Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nutrients, and yield under different straw returning methods , 2021 .

[13]  G. Ayoko,et al.  Geological load and health risk of heavy metals uptake by tea from soil: What are the significant influencing factors? , 2021 .

[14]  Jinhui Luo,et al.  Enhancement of soil microstructural stability and alleviation of aluminium toxicity in acidic latosols via alkaline humic acid fertiliser amendment , 2021 .

[15]  Wenquan Yu,et al.  Effects of Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization on the Formation of Metabolites Related to Tea Quality in Subtropical China , 2021, Metabolites.

[16]  Peter K. Dunn,et al.  Biochar co-applied with organic amendments increased soil-plant potassium and root biomass but not crop yield , 2021, Journal of Soils and Sediments.

[17]  X. Yi,et al.  Response of tea yield, quality and soil bacterial characteristics to long-term nitrogen fertilization in an eleven-year field experiment , 2021 .

[18]  Yanbo Jia,et al.  Remediation of fluoride contaminated soil with nano-hydroxyapatite amendment: Response of soil fluoride bioavailability and microbial communities. , 2020, Journal of hazardous materials.

[19]  K. He,et al.  Biochar amendment ameliorates soil properties and promotes Miscanthus growth in a coastal saline-alkali soil , 2020 .

[20]  Xiuying Li,et al.  Possibility of using modified fly ash and organic fertilizers for remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soils , 2020 .

[21]  Liang Xiao,et al.  Conversion of Oyster Shell Waste to Amendment for Immobilising Cadmium and Arsenic in Agricultural Soil , 2020, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.

[22]  Yuncong C. Li,et al.  Distribution, accumulation, and potential risks of heavy metals in soil and tea leaves from geologically different plantations. , 2020, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[23]  Shiwei Guo,et al.  Effect of organic substitution rates on soil quality and fungal community composition in a tea plantation with long-term fertilization , 2020, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[24]  Jianyu Fu,et al.  Soil acidification in Chinese tea plantations. , 2020, The Science of the total environment.

[25]  Ye Deng,et al.  Application of organic fertilizer improves microbial community diversity and alters microbial network structure in tea (Camellia sinensis) plantation soils , 2019 .

[26]  Daniel C W Tsang,et al.  Soil amendments for immobilization of potentially toxic elements in contaminated soils: A critical review. , 2019, Environment international.

[27]  Xujun Zhu,et al.  Characteristics of soil nutrients, heavy metals and tea quality in different intercropping patterns , 2019, Agroforestry Systems.

[28]  Xujun Zhu,et al.  Effects of soybean–tea intercropping on soil-available nutrients and tea quality , 2019, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum.

[29]  G. Brodie,et al.  Effect of biochar on Pb, Cd and Cr availability and maize growth in artificial contaminated soil , 2019, Annals of Agricultural Sciences.

[30]  G. Feng,et al.  The links between potassium availability and soil exchangeable calcium, magnesium, and aluminum are mediated by lime in acidic soil , 2018, Journal of Soils and Sediments.

[31]  Xin Li,et al.  Tea planting affects soil acidification and nitrogen and phosphorus distribution in soil , 2018 .

[32]  P. Brookes,et al.  Potential role of biochars in decreasing soil acidification - A critical review. , 2017, The Science of the total environment.

[33]  H. Zheng,et al.  Use of biochar-compost to improve properties and productivity of the degraded coastal soil in the Yellow River Delta, China , 2017, Journal of Soils and Sediments.

[34]  C. Butterly,et al.  Surface Amendments Can Ameliorate Subsoil Acidity in Tea Garden Soils of High-Rainfall Environments , 2016 .

[35]  Wen-Si Zhong,et al.  Determination of Pb (Lead), Cd (Cadmium), Cr (Chromium), Cu (Copper), and Ni (Nickel) in Chinese tea with high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry , 2015, Journal of food and drug analysis.

[36]  P. Hooda,et al.  Opportunities and challenges in the use of coal fly ash for soil improvements--a review. , 2014, Journal of environmental management.

[37]  Raphaël Charles,et al.  Effect of organic fertilizers and reduced-tillage on soil properties, crop nitrogen response and crop yield: Results of a 12-year experiment in Changins, Switzerland , 2013 .

[38]  Y. Qi,et al.  Effects of phosphorus supply on the quality of green tea , 2012 .

[39]  R. Norman,et al.  Predicting Nitrogen Fertilizer Needs for Rice in Arkansas Using Alkaline Hydrolyzable-Nitrogen , 2011 .

[40]  Jae-E. Yang,et al.  Effects of natural and calcined oyster shells on Cd and Pb immobilization in contaminated soils , 2010 .

[41]  I. Mitsios,et al.  Sorption of Cadmium and Arsenic by Goethite and Clinoptilolite , 2009 .

[42]  Dinesh Mohan,et al.  Sorption of arsenic, cadmium, and lead by chars produced from fast pyrolysis of wood and bark during bio-oil production. , 2007, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[43]  L. Fang,et al.  Tea Plantation–Induced Activation of Soil Heavy Metals , 2007 .

[44]  Guo Wang,et al.  Soil arsenic availability and the transfer of soil arsenic to crops in suburban areas in Fujian Province, southeast China. , 2006, The Science of the total environment.

[45]  S. Murugesan,et al.  Impact of sources and doses of potassium on biochemical and greenleaf parameters of tea , 2005 .

[46]  S. Venkatesan,et al.  Impact of nitrogen and potassium fertiliser application on quality of CTC teas , 2004 .

[47]  A. N. Macgregor,et al.  Changes in potassium availability and other soil properties due to soil ingestion by earthworms , 1994, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[48]  A. L. Leaf.  Determination of Available Potassium in Soils of Forest Plantations 1 , 1958 .

[49]  R. K. Schofield,et al.  Measurement of soil pH , 1955 .

[50]  W. Bennett,et al.  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Content of the Corn Leaf and Grain as Related to Nitrogen Fertilization and Yield1 , 1953 .

[51]  R. H. Bray,et al.  DETERMINATION OF TOTAL, ORGANIC, AND AVAILABLE FORMS OF PHOSPHORUS IN SOILS , 1945 .

[52]  Tao Sun,et al.  Effects of combined application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers on tea (Camellia sinensis) growth and fungal community , 2022, Applied Soil Ecology.