Abstract: To reveal the concentrations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), fluorine (F) and aluminum (Al) in the soil and tea leave in the tea-producing areas of Guizhou, we analyzed the concentrations, bioconcentration factors and influencing factors of these mineral elements in the soil and tea, as well as the intake of those elements by tea drinking. The results showed that the average concentrations of eight elements in soils were 37257 (Fe), 539 (Mn), 3696 (Mg), 1130 (Ca), 97 (Zn), 33 (Cu), 697 (F) and 58500 (Al) mg·kg^-1, respectively. The concentrations of Mn, Ca, and Mg were significantly lower than the background values of soils in Guizhou Province due to severe soil acidification (with average pH of 4.36) in tea garden. The average concentrations of Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, F, and Al in tender tea leaves (one bud and two leaves) were 82, 726, 1874, 2291, 36, 11, 57 and 506 mg·kg^-1, respectively. The concentrations of Mn, Mg, Ca, and Al in tea leaves were at a high level in China, while the Fe, Zn, and Cu concentrations of tea leaves were generally low. The average bioconcentration factors of those eight elements in tea leaves ranged from 0.003 to 2.549. The bioconcentration factors of Ca and Mn were the highest, followed by Mg, Zn, Cu, F and Al, and Fe was the lowest. Tea drinking can supplement 18%-20% of Mn requirements of human body, but the intake of F, Mg, Fe, Ca, Zn and Cu through tea drinking is limited. We should be cautious about the risk of Al intake through tea drinking, which accounts for up to 6% of the tolerable intake.

Key words: tea garden, mineral element, soil, tea leaf, distribution characteristic