The Detection of Wolbachia in Tea Green Leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda) and Its Influence on the Host

Tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda) is a critical pest in tea production. Wolbachia has attracted much attention as a new direction of pest biological control for its ability of manipulating the hosts’ reproductive biology. In this work, we focused on the detection of Wolbachia in tea green leafhopper and its effect on host reproduction and development. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques were used to detect the distribution of Wolbachia in tea green leafhopper. Wolbachia infection levels were different in different organs of hosts in different insect stages. In addition, comparison between the infected populations and cured population (treated by tetracyclines) revealed that presence of Wolbachia apparently influenced the growth, life cycle, and other reproductive factors of tea green leafhopper, caused, for example, by cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), thereby reducing number of offspring, shortening lifespan, and causing female-biased sex ratio. This research confirmed that the bacteria Wolbachia was of high incidence in tea leafhoppers and could significantly affect the hosts’ reproductive development and evolution.

Environmental protection and pollution prevention: What determines the intention of tea farmers’ ecosystem construction

Pesticide is inevitable in the process of tea production. Residual chemical pesticides absorbed by human body and soil will pose a great threat to human health. The construction of tea garden ecosystem that uses the principle of mutual restriction between species can effectively reduce the number of pests and the dependence on pesticides. In order to improve the adoption and attention of green production among farmers, the government strongly supports rural financial institutions to lend to farmers and encourages resources to be inclined to farmers. The aim of this study was to find out what factors affect the intention of tea farmers’ ecosystem construction and the differences of influence on intention of Chinese tea farmers' ecosystem construction under different financing modes. The results of the empirical research showed that the attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms of tea farmers have a significant positive impact on the behavioral intention. And for tea farmers who get bank financing, the influencing intensity and significance of factors are different from those who obtain private credit. This study provided a theoretical basis for government to promote the development of ecosystem construction in the agricultural section, and put forward suggestions for financial institutions to serve environmental protection.

Rainfall distribution and tea production in Bangladesh: Socio-economic impact analysis

The study aimed to assess the present pattern of tea production and the impacts of rainfall patterns on tea yield and made tea quality. The cost of production and profit-loss were examined to link with rainfall distribution. Likewise, the daily income of permanent workers, the job market of the contractual workers, and the workers' associated welfare were critically analyzed to understand the social impact. The Rangpur division showed an incremental dryness; in contrast, the Sylhet division showed a steady pattern with a high frequency of continuous heavy rainfall. The rainfall pattern of the Chottogram division was highly unpredictable and oscillated. Long spell drought and heavy showers followed by flash floods affect tea yield. According to respondents' perception, the rainfall pattern showed changing behaviours that are not favourable for tea production. The emergence of new pests and deterioration of soil characteristics were reported. Bangladesh enjoyed the most pleasant weather for tea production in 2019. The cost of production increased with the adverse weather, which increases the loss for the growers. Profit loss of growers is a determinant of the welfare of the workers impacting their livelihoods. The organic tea garden is not affected by climatic events. Consequently, the socio-economic conditions of the organic garden are safeguarded. Hence, the study recommends following organic farming to cope with climate change. Differently, it was reported that the intermediaries' hegemony in the market chain is more problematic than climate change. Policy initiatives are warranted to correct the market and to establish growers and consumers' rights.

Konsentrasi Polyfenol pada Teh Hitam Celup Komersial Produksi Perkebunan Teh di Jawa Tengah

Teh merupakan minuman yang dihasilkan dari pucuk daun tanaman Camellia sinensis yang tumbuh di pegunungan pada ketinggian 600–2500 m dpl. Teh hitam merupakan jenis teh yang banyak dikonsumsi masyarakat Indonesia. Teh ini diproduksi dengan cara fermentasi melalui proses oksidasi enzimatis katekin oleh polifenol oksidase. Teh hitam yang dikemas dalam bentuk the celup banyak digemari konsumen. Tujuan dari penelitian ini mengetahui konsentrasi polyfenol dalam teh hitam celup komersial. Sampel teh hitam celup komersial dengan merk dagang TP, TDT, TB, TL, TD, dan TM diproduksi oleh enam perkebunan teh di Jawa Tengah yang diperoleh secara acak dari swalayan di Kota Semarang. Kandungan polyfenol pada sampel teh hitam celup dianalisa dengan menggunakan spetrofotometer UV-Vis pada panjang gelombang 725nm. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa teh hitam celup komersial yang beredar di Kota Semarang telah memenuhi standard SNI 3753–2014, dengan rata-rata konsentrasi polyfenol 8,83-43,63 %b/b. Analisa Zscore menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan yang sangat nyata antar konsentrasi polyfenol di enam sampel teh hitam celup komersial, hal ini dimungkinkan dengan adanya standarisasi proses produksi teh hitam di berbagai industri teh di Indonesia. Dan teh hitam celup komersial TDT mempunyai konsentrasi polyfenol diatas rata-rata yaitu 43,63 % b/b. Tea is a drink produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant that thrives in the mountains at an altitude of 600–2500 m above sea level. Black tea is a type of tea that is widely consumed by Indonesian people. Black tea is produced by fermentation, namely the process of enzymatic oxidation of catechins by polyphenol oxidase. Black tea is produced in several packages, including as black tea bags. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of polyphenols in commercial black tea bags. Samples of commercial black tea bags with the trademarks TP, TDT, TB, TL, TD, and TM were produced by six tea plantations in Central Java which were obtained randomly from supermarkets/stores in Semarang City. The polyphenol content in black teabag samples was analyzed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 725nm. The results showed that the commercial black tea bags marketed in the Semarang City had met the standards of SNI 3753–2014, with an average polyphenol concentration of 8.83-43.63% w/w. The Zscore analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the concentrations of polyphenols in the six samples of commercial black tea bags, this may cause by the standardization of black tea production processes in various tea industries in Indonesia, but commercial black tea bags with the trademark TDT had polyphenol concentrations above the average is 43.63% w/w.

Efisiensi Kinerja dan Hasil Panen Teh Menggunakan Gunting dan Mesin pada Beragam Kemiringan Lahan

<p><em>Tea leaf plucking is an important activity that can determine the quantity and quality of tea production. Tea plantations characteristically have variations of slopes that affect the performance of the picking process. This study aimed to analyze the performance efficiency of tea plucking activities using plucking machines and scissors. Field data were collected from several blocks in the South Gambung and North Gambung afdeling. Data collected consisted of the elevation of the place, the slope of the land, the plucking area, plucking time, the number of pluckers, the plots length of the plucking activity, the width of the plots, and the harvested tea's weight. The data collected were processed into field capacity and tea plucking performance efficiency, which were then analyzed descriptively. Results showed that the slope of the land has an effect on work efficiency of 3.00%-8.68%. The effective and theoretical field capacity of tea plucking machines is 0.14 hectares per hour and 0.20 hectares per hour, respectively, while the scissors is 0.015 hectares per hour and 0.020 hectares per hour. The quality of tea harvested with machines that meet the requirements is 44.10%, better than scissors harvested, which is only 28.09%.</em></p>

Roosting ecology of insectivorous bats in a tropical agricultural landscape

Bats spend more than half of their life in roosts, where key life events transpire. Therefore the availability and selection of roosts are important to bats everywhere, and may limit their ability to exploit every habitat, including agricultural landscapes such as paddy fields, orchards and tea plantations. This study aimed to investigate the day roosts used by insectivorous bat species in tea plantations of Sri Lanka. We surveyed 18 tea plantations where we recorded a total of 44 roosts involving five families and nine species of bats (Hipposideros galeritus, Hipposideros lankadiva, Hipposideros speoris, Rhinolophus beddomei, Rhinolophus rouxii, Megaderma spasma, Pipistrellus ceylonicus, Pipistrellus coromandra and Miniopterus cf. fuliginosus). Most (26) of the recorded roosts were geomorphic, (11) were anthropogenic, and (7) were in vegetation. H. lankadiva and M. cf. fuliginosus are the only species known to roost exclusively in geomorphic roosts; all others were opportunistic. Although protecting bat roosts is crucial for their conservation, it is challenging in view of existing tea management practices. Therefore, natural roosts should be maintained and protected. The introduction of artificial roosts might increase the number of bats able to forage over tea plantations and maximize their consumption of agricultural pests, thereby increasing tea production.

Effects of reduced application of special organic fertilizers on tea production

A trial of special fertilizer reduction and combined application of organic fertilizer on tea production, nutrients and economic benefits was carried out in the tea garden at Shihe Port, Xinyang, Henan Province, China. The experiment has six treatments of customary fertilization (CK), 100% special fertilizer for tea (T1), nitrogen reduction 20% (T2), 40% (T3), 60% (T4) and 100% (T5), and special fertilizers at the same time. Among the special fertilizer treatments for tea plants, the germination density, 100-bud weight, fresh tea yield, N, P, and K content of new shoots and economic benefits were the highest in T1 treatment, Results showed that the yield range of the five treatments was 460～632.4kg hm2. Compared with CK, the yield increase rates were 6.11, 1.99, -4.21, -13.76 and -22.82%, respectively. The growth rates of barber bud density and 100-bud weight were -20.00～25.83 and 8.40～ 8.40%, respectively. The content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the new shoots varied by 0.623～1.070, 0.047～0.183 and 1.380～2.237%, respectively. Therefore, the special fertilizer for tea plants can reduce the nitrogen by 20% to save costs and increase efficiency. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(3): 939-945, 2021 (September) Special

Development and Validation of Near-Infrared Methods for the Quantitation of Caffeine, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and Moisture in Green Tea Production

The quality of tea leaves (e.g., their color, appearance, and taste) can be directly influenced by the tea production process, which is closely connected with the content of a number of chemical components formed during the production of the tea leaves. However, the production process is now controlled by people's experience, making its quality significantly different. NIRS is a time-saving, cost-saving, and nondestructive method. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce NIRS technology into the quality control of the tea production process. In this study, a quantitative analysis model of caffeine, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and moisture content was established by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) which was united simultaneously with partial least squares (PLSR) for online process monitoring of tea production. The model parameters show that the established model has fine robustness and outstanding measuring accuracy. Then, the feasibility of the established method is verified by the traditional method. Through the verification of the precision of the instrument and the stability of the sample, it is clarified that the model can be further utilized to monitor tea product quality online in a productive process.

Predicting Possible Distribution of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) under Climate Change Scenarios Using MaxEnt Model in China

Climate change has dramatic impacts on the growth and the geographical distribution of tea (Camellia sinensis L.). Assessing the potential distribution of tea will help decision makers to formulate appropriate adaptation measures to use the altered climatic resources and avoid the damage from climate hazards. The objective in this study is to model the current and future distribution of tea species based on the four SSPs scenarios using the MaxEnt model in China. For the modeling procedure, tea growth records in 410 sites and 9 climate variables were used in this paper. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the performance of the model. The AUC value was over 0.9 in this study, showing the excellent simulation result of the model. In relation to the current distribution, areas of 82.01 × 104 km2 (8.51% of total land area in China), 115.97 × 104 km2 (12.03% of total land area in China), and 67.14 × 104 km2 (6.97% of total land area in China) were recognized as Marginal, Medium, and Optimal climate suitable habitats for tea over China. Compared to the current distribution, most of the Optimal suitability areas in southeast China would be lost in four scenarios. The area of Marginal and Medium suitable habitats would expand in SSP370 and SSP585, especially in 2041–2061 and 2081–2100. The suitable area of tea would expand northwards and westwards, suggesting that additional new suitable habitats could be created for tea production with the future climate change, especially in Shandong, Henan, Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces. This research would provide vital scientific understanding for policy making on tea production, tea garden site chosen and adopyion of adaptation methods in the future.