Effects of elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration on tea quality and insect pests’ occurrences: A review

Tea ( Camellia sinensis L.), a woody perennial plant native to China and Southeast Asia, has a 30–50 years lifespan. The occurrence of insect pests and the interactions with their host plants directly stimulate very many significant responses upon the physiological and quality parameters of tea plants. In this review, we attempted to analyze the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide ( e CO 2 ) on tea plant physiological and functional parameters, including key genes involved in bio-synthetic pathways, and also the tea quality parameters altered by the insect pest damage especially under e CO 2. It has been demonstrated that the tea quality is associated with various biochemical constituents present in tea infusion, flavor and aroma characteristics of tea. The biochemical composition of tea leaf is dependent on environmental growth conditions and the genetic makeup of tea plants. In addition, insect pests’ immediate response to e CO 2 propels insect herbivores’ occurrence and damage on tea plants in an extensive scale, especially under climate change. It is presumed that intricate interaction of e CO 2 and insect pests’ occurrence and damage directly affects tea quality, rendering the tea with augmented aroma, enhanced esthetic pleasantness, and desirable flavor, thus making the green tea more desirable and favorable.