Since July, rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin has been lower than normal, and the persistent high temperatures and drought have caused some Tea gardens to suffer from heat and drought damage. To provide guidance on drought resistance in tea gardens and promote stable tea production, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, the Expert Advisory Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for Tea, and the National Tea Industry Technology System have developed technical guidelines for tea gardens to cope with high temperatures and drought.

I. Tea Plant High Temperature and Drought Response Techniques

During periods of high temperature and drought, it is not advisable to perform field operations such as picking, pruning, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, cultivation, and weeding. Localities should respond to high temperatures and drought based on actual conditions and adapt measures to local conditions to mitigate the impact of disasters on tea plants.

(1) Timely Irrigation. For tea gardens with water sources, when the relative soil moisture content in the tillage layer drops to around 70%, or the daily average temperature reaches above 28°C and there has been no rain for more than seven days, irrigation should be carried out using sprinkler irrigation or ground furrow irrigation to ensure thorough watering. During periods of high temperatures and drought, irrigation should not be carried out during sunny daytime hours but rather in the early morning, evening, or at night.

(2) Shade Protection. Implement shade netting using structures or ropes within the tea garden to reduce light intensity and alleviate the effects of high temperatures and drought. A shading rate of 20% to 30% is appropriate, ensuring good ventilation around the perimeter and maintaining a distance of over 50 centimeters between the shade netting and the canopy to prevent scorching of the tea plants.

(3) Straw Mulching. Apply straw mulch between the rows of tea plants to cool the ground and retain moisture. Use about one ton of dry straw per mu (about 0.067 hectares), with a thickness of 5 to 10 centimeters. Straw materials can be sourced by cutting mountain grass and weeds, or using rice straw, wheat stalks, bean stalks, sugarcane residue, wood chips, or pruned branches and leaves from the tea garden.

(4) Improving Facilities. In tea gardens located in hilly and mountainous areas, construct rainwater collection wells, reservoirs, drainage ditches, and water channels, and where conditions permit, install sprinkler and drip irrigation systems to improve water intake and storage capacity as well as irrigation capabilities.

II. Tea Plant Recovery Techniques After High Temperatures and Drought

Based on local weather forecasts, once the high temperatures and drought have subsided and the tea garden soil is moist again, implement the following techniques to restore the growth of tea plants.

(1) Timely and Moderate Pruning. For tea plants that have suffered minor to moderate damage, pruning may not be necessary, allowing them to maintain their canopy. For severely damaged tea plants, moderate pruning should be carried out according to the principle of “considering the majority, consistency within the same garden, and preferring lighter pruning over heavier pruning,” promptly removing parts that have lost vitality. For those with dead surface branches and leaves, pruning should be done about 1 to 2 centimeters below the dead part. For those with damaged main branches, heavy pruning should be performed. For those suffering severe damage above ground but still normal below the root neck, stump cutting should be implemented.

(2) Strengthening Fertilizer and Water Management. Once the tea plants resume growth and new shoots emerge to the stage of one bud and one to two leaves, mature tea gardens can apply 10 to 20 kilograms of compound fertilizer (15-15-15) per mu; young tea gardens can apply 5 to 10 kilograms of compound fertilizer (15-15-15) per mu. Before the recovery of tea plant growth, excessive use of fertilizers should be avoided. Before winter, apply 100 to 200 kilograms of rapeseed cake fertilizer and 5 to 10 kilograms of urea per mu, mixing them evenly and applying them deeply in trenches 15 to 20 centimeters deep to promote downward growth of roots.

(3) Managing Autumn Tea Bud Retention. Regardless of whether pruning was performed, tea gardens affected by drought should retain autumn tea buds to strengthen the canopy and lay the foundation for the next year's Spring Tea harvest. However, care should be taken to prevent tender shoots from overwintering. In November, consider topping control as needed. If the tea buds are still green after the tea plants stop growing at the end of autumn, a topping or light pruning should be performed once.