# Silicon Is Linked to Tea Quality Through Alteration Aluminum Uptake and Translocation in Camellia sinensis L

## TL;DR

This study shows how silicon affects aluminum uptake in tea plants, which in turn influences tea quality by altering caffeine and amino acid levels.

## Contribution

The study systematically investigates how silicon regulates aluminum uptake and its impact on tea quality parameters.

## Key findings

- Silicon increases aluminum content in secondary roots but reduces the ratio of aluminum in young leaves to roots.
- Silicon lowers the aluminum absorption rate and decreases the Michaelis constant (Km) at constant pH.
- Silicon influences caffeine, free amino acids, and aluminum solubility in tea infusions.

## Abstract

Aluminum (Al) is involved in almost all aspects of abiotic stress and is supposed to play a crucial role in tea quality. Both exogenous Al and silicon (Si) influence Al uptake, translocation, and accumulation in considerable quantify plants. However, the relationship between Si-mediated Al uptake and tea quality has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we found that Si supply affected caffeine, free amino acids, and Al in young leaves and tea infusion. Si increased the Al content in secondary roots, but it also decreased the ratio of young leaves to secondary roots, with this decreasing ratio becoming more pronounced at higher Al supply levels. Furthermore, Si reduced the Al absorption rate at a constant pH and down-regulated the value of the Michaelis constant (Km). These analyses demonstrate that Si regulates the Al absorption rate and distribution in tea plants—that is, the ratio of Al content in young tea leaves to that in the secondary roots, thereby influencing the concentrations of caffeine, free amino acid, and Al solubility in tea infusions.