Correlation between Soil Physicochemical Factors and the Accumulation of Functional Components of Camellia Tetracocca in Karst Areas and Non Karst Areas.

C. tetracocca are local characteristic plants with significant medicinal and economic values. However, little is known about the relationship of soil nutrient contents and the accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites from C. tetracocca. The metabolic accumulation of C. tetracocca grown in karst areas and non karst areas have not been compared. In this study, we sampled soil and leaves of C. tetracocca in karst areas and non karst areas to compare the relationship between soil nutrients (soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, calcium, magnesium) and organic components (organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, calcium, magnesium), free amino acids, functional components (catechin (C), caffeine (CAFF), gallic acid (GA), epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) of C. tetracocca. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between K and EC in soil and plants and a significant negative correlation between P and EC. There was a negative correlation between Mg and EGC in soil and plants. Therefore, increasing the content of K and reducing the content of Mg and P can improve the functional components of C. tetracocca. The C. tetracocca in karst areas and non karst areas share excellent quality and have not been severely affected by the harsh environment. Therefore, these findings emphasized the significance of ancient tea trees and laid a solid foundation for the promotion and planting of C. tetracocca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]