Calcium and potassium uptake by young tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) in relation to root morphology

Abstract

Results of a study on 15 genetically diverse tea clones at various growth stages showed that clones maintained highly significant differences in the Ca and K concentrations in the plant tops. Aging of plant increased the concentration of Ca and decreased that of K. The brown/white root ratio, which is indicative of root morphology, also showed considerable variation among the clones. The top Ca/K ratio of different tea clones was found to be negatively associated with their respective brown/white root ratio.