Guidelines for pest control of intercropping plants in tea gardens

China is located in the subtropical zone, with warm and humid natural climate conditions that are suitable for the growth of tea trees, but also prone to breeding pests. In the early days, chemical control became the main means for tea farmers to deal with pest infestations. However, the long-term and unreasonable use of chemical pesticides has caused multiple negative impacts on the ecology of tea gardens, the tea industry, and the surrounding environment. Especially in tea gardens with large-scale monoculture planting, frequent application of chemical pesticides can lead to explosive pest damage.

At present, the tea industry is moving towards high-quality and efficient development, and high-quality and high-yield tea has become the core goal of promoting sustainable development of the industry. Therefore, green prevention and control of harmful organisms in tea gardens have received increasing attention. As an important ecological regulation technology, intercropping functional plants in tea gardens have shown significant potential in reducing dependence on chemical pesticides, maintaining ecological balance, and improving tea quality. It is gradually becoming an important practical path to achieve green and sustainable development of tea gardens.

This article summarizes the selection principles, common types, and application practices of functional plants, aiming to provide theoretical support and practical reference for the standardized promotion and application of this technology in tea gardens and the efficient construction of green prevention and control systems.

Principles for selecting functional plants for intercropping in tea gardens

The core function of functional plants is to release volatile compounds to attract pests, provide honey sources or habitats to attract parasitic wasps, predatory insects, etc. to protect natural enemies, improve soil health through nitrogen fixation, carbonization, or secretion of antibacterial substances, and form isolation zones for high-density planting to hinder pest migration. Scientific allocation of functional plants in tea gardens is a key measure for building a stable and sustainable ecosystem

(1) To get along well with each other

The selection of functional plants should ensure that they have no common pests and diseases with tea trees, are non invasive species, and have a wide range of adaptability. This principle can avoid ecological competition between functional plants and tea trees, reduce the risk of cross infection of pests and diseases, and ensure the stability of the tea garden ecosystem

(2) To relay on duty

In response to the differences in flowering and growth periods of plants with different functions, priority should be given to selecting diverse variety combinations with complementary growth cycles and staggered flowering times to increase the diversity of tea garden species and the richness of natural enemy biological communities, in order to ensure that during critical periods of disease and pest occurrence in tea gardens, plants in the functional period always play a continuous ecological regulatory role and avoid functional gaps.

(3) Reasonable layout is necessary

In terms of spatial layout, it is necessary to design vegetation patches of functional plants reasonably, taking into account both above ground shading regulation and underground root distribution. Prioritize shallow rooted plants to reduce their competition with tea trees in terms of water and fertilizer, ensuring that tea tree growth is not excessively affected.

(4) Easy to use and worry free

The selected functional plants and their configuration modes should be easy for field pruning, picking and other agricultural operations. Management measures should be simplified to ensure convenient agricultural operations, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and ensure the feasibility of ecological environment protection measures and the long-term stability and sustainability of tea garden ecosystems. In addition, if you need to balance sightseeing functions and economic benefits, you can choose crops such as rapeseed and cherry blossoms that have both ornamental value and by-product economic value. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid tree species such as Eucalyptus grandis and walnuts that have strong allelopathic inhibition or whose secretions have antagonistic effects on tea trees, in order to prevent adverse effects on the ecological environment of tea gardens and the growth of tea trees.

Types and application practices of common intercropping functional plants in tea gardens

(1) Pest behavior regulation plants – direct intervention of pests by releasing allelopathic substances

Plants that regulate pest behavior directly intervene in pest behavior through the release of allelopathic substances, mainly including three types: avoidance, attraction, and insecticidal.

Avoidant plants:

Marigold: Its released alpha pinene can effectively repel leafhopper pests

 

Xiaofeipeng: D-limonene and β – caryophyllene in its volatile compounds exhibit significant repellent effects on tea leafhoppers

Lured plants:

Rosemary: Its volatile compounds can attract tea leafhoppers to gather, making it easier to concentrate on prevention and control

Insecticidal plants:

Sheng Hong Ji: As a representative insecticidal plant, its early maturing hormone I and early maturing hormone II can effectively interfere with insect embryonic development, causing abnormal symptoms such as small body size, decreased vitality, and even death in larvae. Further research has shown that different concentrations of Red Cirsium essential oil exhibit repellent and fumigant activity against tea leafhoppers, and this activity increases with the increase of essential oil concentration

(2) Enemy supporting plants – natural enemies that attract and feed pests

The core function of natural enemy supporting plants is to attract natural enemy insects and enhance biological pest control capabilities. Typical plants include nectar source types such as pollen and habitat carrier types

Honey powder source plants:

Including plants such as basil and goldenrod. Having abundant pollen, nectar, or honeydew, it can provide food resources for natural enemies such as sandflies and parasitic wasps, prolong their survival period, and improve their reproductive capacity; Research has shown that intercropping basil in tea gardens can provide nectar for natural enemies, significantly increasing the population of sand flies, spiders, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps.

Habitat carrying body type plants:

Including plants such as thistle and alfalfa. By constructing multi-level habitats, it can provide breeding and refuge places for natural enemies such as spiders and ladybugs, and improve community diversity.

(3) Soil optimization plants – improve land and cultivate tea trees well

Soil optimization plants can improve soil physical structure, enhance soil comprehensive fertility, strengthen soil and water conservation efficiency, and maintain soil health. Common soil optimization plants include leguminous nitrogen fixing plants such as Trifolium repens, Astragalus membranaceus, and Cassia grandiflorus, as well as organic matter supplementing plants such as Agaricus bisporus and Geotrichum macrophylla.

Leguminous nitrogen fixing plants:

The root systems of white clover, purple clover, and round leaved cassia have rhizobia, which can significantly increase soil nitrogen content through biological nitrogen fixation. It has been found that intercropping white clover in tea gardens can promote the transfer of deep soil moisture to the surface, thereby improving water use efficiency and playing a bidirectional regulatory role in the microenvironment temperature of tea gardens.

Organic matter supplement plants:

Fungi and grasses such as the big ball mushroom and giant mushroom grass have well-developed root systems, which can loosen soil, enhance soil permeability, and reduce soil compaction. Giant mushroom grass can continuously increase soil organic matter content and effectively improve soil fertility through its dense root activity and degradation of a large amount of litter. Intercropping large ball mushroom can help increase the soil moisture content in winter tea gardens.

(4) Economic ecological composite plants – achieving multiple benefits at once, both useful and able to increase income

Economic ecological composite plants not only enhance the value of tea tourism by beautifying the landscape, but also directly increase economic benefits through the production of aromatic products and other means. Common types include cherry blossoms and azaleas used for tea tourism, as well as lavender and mint that have both insect repellent and aromatic value.

Sightseeing category:

Cherry blossoms and azaleas can beautify tea gardens and promote the integration of tea and tourism.

Aromatic plants:

The aroma of lavender and mint can repel some pests, and their flowers or leaves can be processed into products for sale. Research has shown that intercropping basil and lavender can also help improve tea quality and yield.

Comprehensive category:

Rapeseed is not only an excellent green manure (nourishing land), but also a tourist attraction during the flowering period. Rapeseed can be used for oil extraction, and has high ecological and economic value.

By intercropping functional plants in tea gardens, a more complex and stable ecosystem can be constructed to naturally suppress pests and reduce dependence on chemical pesticides. This technology shifts pest control from “confrontation” to “ecological regulation”, and is an important path to achieving green and sustainable development in tea gardens.