Zhejiang Tea Pesticide Residues And Ecological Tea Gardens

China ranks first in output of green tea in the world, and Zhejiang is one of the major green tea producing provinces whose average output is 100,000 tons per year, which is more than 33.3% of the total output. However, the problem of pesticide hangover is serious in the green tea production. The construction of ecological tea plantations is significant to improve the tea quality.Ecological tea plantation is such a tea plantation that is ecologically and organically simulative to the natural ecosystem. The construction of ecological tea plantations can make a good balance between the tea economy and environment protection, and between the high production and tea safety.The situation and problem of Zhejiang ecological tea plantations are investigated and the impact of pesticide residues is analyzed. According to the information from tea export to EU and Japan and the pesticide application in Zhejiang, 1421 tea samples were taken from the four main tea areas to detect the pesticide residues from 2004 to 2006 (MRL of EU or Japan was regarded as the criteria). The detection rate of pesticide residues in these plantations is 44.62%, among which the unqualified rate is 20.27%. The main detection pesticides are dicofol, es-fenvalerate, fenvalerate and cypermethrin, and the main unqualified tea was resulted from residues of es-fenvalerate and fenvalerate. The detection rate of pesticide residues and the unqualified rate of green tea are 43.48% and 19.90%; the detection rate of pesticide residues and the unqualified rate of scented tea are 80.39% and 33.33%; the detection rate of pesticide residues and the unqualified rate of black tea are 23.08% and 7.69%. The pesticide residues of the scented tea rank first, that of the green tea rank second, and the black tea is relatively good in quality. The detection rate of pesticide residues and the unqualified rate in the four tea areas of Zhejiang are 45.26% and 18.83% in the northwest, 54.81% and 35.57% in the east, 24.20% and 3.82% in the south, 41.12% and 11.05% in the middle. The situation of pesticide residues in southern tea area is relatively good, that in the northwest, east and middle tea areas is not so good, and that in northwest and east tea areas is even bad. The detection rate and unqualified rate are relatively constant in Zhejiang tea plantations from 2004 to 2006. Both detection rate and unqualified rate of penpropethrin, trizophos, dichlorovos, quintozene, methamidophos, S421, and cypermethrin had a small fluctuation. The detection rate of DDT, buprofezin, and dimethoate decreased, so did the unqualified rate of buprofezin. But some serious problems still remain in Zhejiang tea production because the detection rate and unqualified rate of pesticide residues are higher than normal level, the detection rate of endosulfan, dicofol, fenvalerate, es-fenvalerate increased obviously during 2004-2006, to be the worse, the unqualified rate of fenvalerate and es-fenvalerate increased more largely.Based on the theorical analysis and practical investigation, the stratagem for construction of the ecological tea plantations is suggested as follows: focusing on "safety", by means of harmonious work of nature, society, economy and science, develop the consciousness of environmental protection and the standard technoly system of ecological tea palntaton. Some measures to control the pesticide residues and to develop the tea industry quickly, efficiently and sustainably is suggested too.