Tea plantations can act as a sink for atmospheric carbon. Although a few studies have estimated carbon stocks in tea plants and soil, the annual rate of carbon sequestration by tea plantations in Japan has not yet been estimated. In this study, we aimed to estimate the rate of carbon sequestration by a tea plantation using reported data from a compartment model consisting of tea plants and soil. For a stand age of up to 50 years, the annual rate of carbon sequestration was estimated to be 83–237 g carbon m−2 y−1. This rate was higher for younger plants (<10 years) and was lower for mature plants (>30 years). These results indicate that tea plantations have the same carbon sequestration ability as forests and that high levels of greenhouse gas (e.g. nitrous oxide) emissions from tea fields could be partly offset by their carbon sequestration abilities.
