Biodiversity and phytochemical quality in indigenous and state‐supported tea management systems of Yunnan, China
Selena Ahmed,Charles M. Peters,Long Chun-lin,Long Chun-lin,Rachel S. Meyer,Uchenna Unachukwu,Amy Litt,Edward J. Kennelly,John Richard Stepp +8 more
TLDR
In this article, the authors systematically quantify multiple dimensions of biodiversity, phytochemical quality and economic benefits associated with the Grain for Green's tea (Camellia sinensis; Theaceae) initiative.Abstract:
The Chinese government initiated one of the world's largest conservation programs involving agricultural ecosystems with the implementation of the Grain for Green' (Tui Geng Huan Lin) forest policy between 1999 and 2003. This is the first study to systematically quantify multiple dimensions of biodiversity, phytochemical quality and economic benefits associated with (1) the Grain for Green's tea (Camellia sinensis; Theaceae) initiative; (2) the state's previous forest policy involving tea populations in protected areas and; (3) the indigenous tea agro-ecosystems replaced or overlooked by this conservation program. There are several novel and unexpected findings. While forest populations contained the greatest ecological diversity, agro-forests and mixed crop plots were associated with the greatest genetic diversity, phytochemical quality and economic benefits. Indigenous management practices should be incorporated into conservation in China in order to create policies that are more aligned towards biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods while allowing local communities to maintain their cultural identity through agrarian practices.read more
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Effects of extreme climate events on tea (Camellia sinensis) functional quality validate indigenous farmer knowledge and sensory preferences in tropical China.
Selena Ahmed,Selena Ahmed,Selena Ahmed,John Richard Stepp,Colin M. Orians,Timothy S. Griffin,Corene J. Matyas,Albert Robbat,Sean B. Cash,Dayuan Xue,Chunlin Long,Uchenna Unachukwu,Sarabeth Buckley,David Small,Edward J. Kennelly,Edward J. Kennelly +15 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that farmers and consumers face variable implications with forecasted precipitation scenarios and calls for research on management practices to facilitate climate adaptation for sustainable crop production.
Journal ArticleDOI
Environmental Factors Variably Impact Tea Secondary Metabolites in the Context of Climate Change.
Selena Ahmed,Timothy S. Griffin,Debra Kraner,M Katherine Schaffner,Deepak Sharma,Matthew Hazel,Alicia R Leitch,Colin M. Orians,Wen-Yan Han,John Richard Stepp,Albert Robbat,Corene J. Matyas,Chunlin Long,Dayuan Xue,Robert F. Houser,Sean B. Cash +15 more
TL;DR: Evidence that multiple environmental parameters are impacting tea quality is provided, the directionality and magnitude of these impacts is not clear with contradictory evidence between studies likely due to confounding factors including variation in tea variety, cultivar, specific environmental and agricultural management conditions, and differences in research methods.
Journal ArticleDOI
Beyond yields: Climate change effects on specialty crop quality and agroecological management
Selena Ahmed,John Richard Stepp +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the need for climate studies on specialty crops to focus not only on yields, but also on quality, as well as the ability of agroecological management to buffer climate effects on quality parameters.
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of water availability and pest pressures on tea (Camellia sinensis) growth and functional quality
Selena Ahmed,Selena Ahmed,Colin M. Orians,Timothy S. Griffin,Sarabeth Buckley,Uchenna Unachukwu,Anne Elise Stratton,John Richard Stepp,Albert Robbat,Sean B. Cash,Edward J. Kennelly,Edward J. Kennelly +11 more
TL;DR: Findings point to the fascinating dynamics of climate change effects on tea plants with offsetting interactions between rainfall and pest pressures and the need for future climate studies to examine interactive environmental effects.
Journal ArticleDOI
Quantifying variations in ecosystem services in altitude-associated vegetation types in a tropical region of China.
TL;DR: The results showed that vegetation types in Xishuangbanna and their ESs supply capacity differed markedly, with the overall ESs Supply capacity of natural forests exceeding that of commercial plantations.
References
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