Humic acid (HA) is a kind of organic substance that has shown good effects in regard to promoting crop growth. In the current study, the influences of three kinds of fertilizers mainly containing humic/fulvic acids, including water-soluble fertilizer containing humic acid (WHA), fulvic acid potassium (FAP), and fulvic acid distillate (FAD), on the qualities of ‘Eureka’ lemon fruits were investigated systematically at their different harvest times. As demonstrated by the results, the indexes used to assess the quality of lemon fruit showed that all lemons treated with those three humic/fulvic acid fertilizers at different harvest times improved in quality. Notably, the single fruit weight, edible rate, and juice yield of lemon fruit in the WHA- and FAP-treated groups, as well as the contents of vitamin C, total acid, total sugar, and total soluble solid, were higher than those in the blank control (CK) group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the contents of total flavonoids and phenols in the peels, pulps, and seeds of lemons in humic/fulvic acid fertilizer–treated groups were all higher than those in the CK group at the three harvest times (p < 0.05). This result indicated that humic/fulvic acid fertilizers produced positive effects on the quality of lemon fruits and could be used in lemon planting to improve the quality and added value of lemons.

Rose tea is a kind of popular beverage in many Asian countries. In this study, the contents of volatiles, polysaccharides and total polyphenols in three species of Chinese rose tea infusions [Kuishui Rose (KSR), Pinying Rose (PYR) and Jinbian Rose (JBR)] were determined, respectively. Meantime, the volatiles from those three tea infusions were analyzed by GC‐MS, and their antioxidant activities were tested by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. As results, 17, 15, and 20 components were identified in their volatiles, respectively. The contents of volatiles, polysaccharides and total polyphenols, and the antioxidant activity of PYR tea infusion were higher than those of other two tea infusions. To elucidate the contributions of those main constituents in rose tea for its activity, correlation coefficients between them were analyzed, displaying that the polysaccharides and polyphenols are the main antioxidants in rose tea infusion, whose correlation coefficients were greater than 0.9. Practical applications As a kind of beverage with health care function, the activities and active ingredients of rose tea have mainly focused on polyphenols and their antioxidant so far. The current studies on the contents of volatiles, polysaccharides and total polyphenols and the antioxidant activities of rose tea infusions from three species in China could provide an useful comparison of the difference of antioxidant activities and constituents in those three rose teas and a basic data for quality control of rose tea.