in order to understand the relationship between forms of Al in soils and th
e uptake of Al from soil into tea plants, tea leaves and soils were collect
ed from 13 tea gardens in the east of China. The Al concentration measured
in the tea leaves was found to be best predicted by-available' Al extracted
by 0.02 M CaCl2, The relationship appears to be linear, with a correlation
coefficient of 0.77 (P=0.01). The Al content of tea leaves increases with
a decrease of soil pH. This relationship is non-linear with a marked increa
se in leaf Al for soils with pH < 5.0. The amounts of Al in soils extracted
with 0.02 M CaCl2 was much less than other forms of Al in soils. The amoun
t of Al measured in the tea leaves was directly related to both the 'availa
ble' form of Al in the soils and soil pH. Soil pH was identified as a major
factor that controls the uptake of Al from soil into the tea leaves. (C) 2
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