Effects of Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization on the Formation of Metabolites Related to Tea Quality in Subtropical China
Yuzhen Chen,
Feng Wang,
Zhidan Wu,
Fuying Jiang,
Wenquan Yu,
Jie Yang,
Jiaming Chen,
Guotai Jian,
Zhiming You,
Lanting Zeng
Affiliations
Yuzhen Chen
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 104 Pudang Road, Xindian Town, Jin’an District, Fuzhou 350012, China
Feng Wang
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 104 Pudang Road, Xindian Town, Jin’an District, Fuzhou 350012, China
Zhidan Wu
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 104 Pudang Road, Xindian Town, Jin’an District, Fuzhou 350012, China
Fuying Jiang
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 104 Pudang Road, Xindian Town, Jin’an District, Fuzhou 350012, China
Wenquan Yu
Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 247 Wusi Road, Gulou District, Fuzhou 350013, China
Jie Yang
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
Jiaming Chen
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
Guotai Jian
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
Zhiming You
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 104 Pudang Road, Xindian Town, Jin’an District, Fuzhou 350012, China
Lanting Zeng
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
As a main agronomic intervention in tea cultivation, nitrogen (N) application is useful to improve tea yield and quality. However, the effects of N application on the formation of tea quality-related metabolites have not been fully studied, especially in long-term field trials. In this study, a 10-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of long-term N application treatments on tea quality-related metabolites, their precursors, and related gene expression. Long-term N application up-regulated the expression of key genes for chlorophyll synthesis and promoted its synthesis, thus increasing tea yield. It also significantly increased the contents of total free amino acids, especially l-theanine, in fresh tea leaves, while decreasing the catechin content, which is conducive to enhancing tea liquor freshness. However, long-term N application significantly reduced the contents of benzyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol in fresh tea leaves, and also reduced (E)-nerolidol and indole in withered leaves, which were not conducive to the formation of floral and fruity aroma compounds. In general, an appropriate amount of N fertilizer (225 kg/hm2) balanced tea yield and quality. These results not only provide essential information on how N application affects tea quality, but also provide detailed experimental data for field fertilization.
