Comparison of Tea Leaf Physiological Characteristics and Made Tea Quality in Ancient Tea Gardens at Different Altitudes and Slopes

Gong Songyin; Huang Xiaoxia; Yao Shifu; Hou Mengyue; Zheng Chuancan

doi:10.14083/j.issn.1001-4942.2026.02.009

Abstract：This study used tea leaves of the ancient tea gardens from Qiongying(QY),Longtan(LT)and Daqing(DQ)varying in altitude and slope in Guodazhai Township,Fengqing County,Yunnan Province as materials,and the effects of altitude and slope on tea leaf growth and made tea quality by measuring physio-logical traits of fresh leaves and chemical components of made tea.The results were as follows.(1)The tea leaves from the DQ tea garden,which was at a higher altitude and located on the northern slope,had the high-est content of photosynthetic pigments,soluble sugars(SS),soluble proteins(SP),free proline(Pro)and malondialdehyde(MDA),as well as the highest activities of peroxidase(POD)and catalase(CAT).These indicators were significantly higher than those in the QY tea garden,higher than those in the LT tea garden and mostly reached significant levels.The phenol-ammonia ratio in the DQ tea garden was higher than that in the LT tea garden.(2)The tea leaves from the LT tea garden,which was at a higher altitude and located on the southern slope,had photosynthetic pigment,MDA and soluble substances contents second to those in the DQ tea garden,and the activities of POD and CAT and the content of theanine in made tea were significantly higher than those in the QY tea garden,but the tea polyphenol content and phenol-ammonia ratio were the lowest.(3)The tea leaves from the QY tea garden,which was at a lower altitude and located on the northeast-ern slope,had the lowest content of photosynthetic pigments,soluble substances,and theanine in made tea,and significantly higher activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and ascorbate peroxidase(APX),but the tea polyphenol content was higher than that in the LT tea garden,and the phenol-ammonia ratio was the high-est.Comprehensive analysis of physiological characteristics and chemical components indicated that the tea quality from DQ and LT tea gardens was superior.These findings could provide technical references for the cul-tivation management of ancient tea trees and processed tea production in Yunnan.