Effects of spraying rare earths on contents of rare Earth elements and effective components in tea

Rare earth (RE) fertilizer is widely applied in China to increase the yield and the quality of crops including tea. However, the effects of spraying RE fertilizer on the contents of rare earth elements (REE) and effective components in tea are unknown. The results from basin and field experiments show that the values of the REE concentrations in new shoots of tea plants and the concentration of REE in the soil (REE/REEs) either from control basins or from treatment basins were smaller than those in other parts of tea plant and similar between control and treatment. The longer the interval between spraying RE fertilizer and picking the shoots of tea plants, the less the effects from spraying. About 80% summation operator REE (the sum of the concentrations of 15 REE) in tea, whether it came from spraying or not, was insoluble in the infusion. About 10% the soluble REE of summation operator REE in tea infusion was bound to polysaccharide, and the amount of REE bound polysaccharide decreased over time. At least a 25 day safety interval is needed between spraying and picking if the microelement fertilizer is used, in order to enhance tea output and to ensure tea safety.