Acidification Alert: Understanding the Dynamics of Soil Acidity in Chinese Tea Plantations

ABSTRACT Soil acidification in tea plantations, while beneficial for tea plant growth within an optimal pH range, has become a pressing environmental issue. However, limited research has examined its spatial distribution and projected changes under global climate change. To fill this gap, we compiled a nationwide soil database through literature‐based meta‐analysis and developed a predictive model using a random forest algorithm to assess soil acidity patterns and their dynamics in Chinese tea plantations. The database includes 1718 topsoil (0–25 cm) pH records. Key contributors to soil pH variations include precipitation, temperature, and nitrogen application rate, although their correlations vary regionally. The predictions indicate that tea‐planting soils in the southern Yangtze and southern regions are highly acidified, with 87.50% and 48.32% of the areas having pH below 4.5, respectively. Conversely, 11.99% of the tea‐planting soils in the northern Yangtze region exceed pH 5.5, and 96.11% of the southwestern soils maintain optimal acidity for tea cultivation. Under increased precipitation (+20%), pH is projected to rise in the northern Yangtze and southwestern regions, but decline in the southern Yangtze and southern areas. Similarly, a temperature rise of 1.5°C and 2.5°C would raise soil pH in the southwestern, southern Yangtze, and southern regions but lower it in the northern Yangtze region. These findings highlight the urgent need for region‐specific soil pH management strategies, especially in the southern Yangtze and southern regions, to combat acidification and sustain tea production in China.