Excessive flowering induces nutrient competition in albino tea plants: insights from flowering dynamics and flower-shoot resource partitioning across various tea cultivars

Excessive flowering occurs in China’s tea-producing provinces; however, the cultivar-dependent flowering patterns and their role in governing nutrient allocation (N, P, K) between flowers and new shoots remain unclear, hindering targeted strategies for high-quality and high-efficiency production. We conducted a two-part study (1): a comparative analysis of flowering dynamics and flower biomass across nine tea cultivars, and (2) quantification of resource competition between flowers and new shoots via biomass allocation and N, P, K partitioning in three prolific-flowering albino cultivars (Huangjinya, Baiye 1, Huangjinye) across three regions in Guizhou province. Albino tea cultivars produced significantly more flowers than green-leaf cultivars, with Huangjinya showing the highest flower density and flower biomass. Among albino cultivars, Baiye 1 flowered earliest and Huangjinya latest. The key finding, however, was the extent of resource competition: flowers accumulated 1.3–4.4 times more biomass and up to 3.7 times more K content than new shoots. Despite lower flowers N% (1.77–2.77%) than new shoots (5.21–5.62%), greater flower biomass led to comparable or higher total N content per hectare, with flower-to-shoot N ratios averaging 1.22 (WB/NS) and 1.06 (FB/NS). Excessive flowering in albino cultivars intensifies nutrient competition between flowers and new shoots, particularly for K and N. These findings provide a physiological basis for balancing reproductive and vegetative growth and inform cultivar-specific nutrient management strategies to reduce flower-shoot competition in tea production systems.