Objective Degree and distribution of tea plantations soil fertility in Anxi County, Fujian were determined and statistically analyzed.
Method Soil specimens were collected from plantations in 22 major tea-producing towns in Anxi. pH, organic matter, total NPK, alkaline N, available P, and available K of the soils were measured. Fertility IFI for each sampling site was calculated by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method.
Result From the randomly sampled 243 specimens, the following results were obtained. (1) pH of the plantation soils ranged 3.79-4.97 averaging 4.36 with a coefficient of variation of 11.51%. There were significant differentiations among the towns (P＜0.05). (2) On the content of organic matter, only one town did not meet the Grade I standard of being higher than 20.00g·kg-1. (3) Alkaline N, available P, and available K in the soils ranged 109.70-184.70 mg·kg-1, 5.34-257.21 mg·kg-1, and 78.18-272.20 mg·kg-1, respectively. Hence, the alkaline N in all specimens reached the Grade I level, but the available P and K left two localities fall into Grade II. (4) The total N, P, and K at all sites were 0.38-2.05 g·kg-1, 0.14-1.76g·kg-1, and 4.83-24.06 g·kg-1, respectively. On account of total N, two towns were rated Grade II and two Grade III; on total K, 4 were Grade II and one Grade III; and on P, only one qualified for Grade I and 68.18% of the towns rated Grade II and 27.27% Grade III. Significant differences were evident among the towns and villages. And (5) on account of IFI, 81.82% of the sites belonged to Grade I, 4.55% Grade II, 9.09% Grade III, and 4.55% Grade IV.
Conclusion Soil acidification was severe at the tea plantations in the county. The soil was generally rich in organic matter and available nutrients, but deficient in total nutrients, especially P. The IFI at the plantations was generally of acceptable grades, however, the structure and spatial distribution of soil fertility were not well balanced. To overcome such shortcomings, it was recommended the following measures be implemented for the region: (1) using green manure to enrich organic matter content mitigating soil acidification, (2) increasing NPK application to enhance total nutrient reserve, and (3) formulating precise and efficient fertilization with routine soil testing to foster technical advancements.
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