TEA
PLANTING AND CULTIVATION
It is not particularly hard to make tea
grow. As long as it gets plenty of rain and temperatures and do not vary much
year round, Camellia sinensis is a robust shrub, perennial crop which is able
to tolerate a fairly wide range of more or less tropical climates, altitudes
and soil conditions. Most important aspect is the management input and
practices.
1.0 Camellia
sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf
buds are used to produce tea. Tea is a perennial crop. The life of tea is more
than 100 years, but the economically useful age of tea bush is less than 100
years, depending on type of tea planted, climatic condition and estate
practices.(Barman, 2008) . It is of the genus Camellia, of
flowering plants in the family Theaceae. Common names include "tea
plant", "tea shrub", and "tea tree" (not to be
confused with Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree oil.
Two major varieties are grown:
Camellia sinensis var. sinensis for Chinese teas, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica
for Indian Assam teas.Camellia sinensis is native to East Asia, the Indian
Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, but it is today cultivated across the world in
tropical and subtropical regions.Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or
small tree that is usually trimmed or pruned to manageable height when
cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are
yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 in) in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals.The leaves
are 4–15 cm (1.6–5.9 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) broad. Fresh leaves
contain about 4% caffeine, as well as related compounds including theobromine.
The young, light green leaves are preferably harvested for tea production; they
have short white hairs on the underside. Older leaves are deeper green.
Different leaf ages produce differing tea qualities, since their chemical
compositions are different. Usually, the tip (bud) and the first two to three
leaves are harvested for processing. This hand picking is repeated every one to
two weeks.
Camellia sinensis is mainly
cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, in areas with at least 127 cm
or 1270mm (50 inches) of rainfall a year. Tea plants prefer a rich and moist
growing location in full to part sun, and can be grown in hardiness zones 7 –
9. Many high quality teas are grown at high elevations, up to 1,500 meters
(4,900 feet), as the plants grow more slowly and acquire more flavor.
Tea plants will grow into a tree
if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease
of plucking.
2.0 Tea Cultivation
Tea required a moderately hot and humid climate. Climate influences yield, crop distribution and quality. Tea grows best on well-drained fertile acid soil on high lands.
Temperature affects tea yield by influencing rate of photosynthesis and controlling growth and dormancy. In general, the ambient temperature within 13o C and 28-32oC is conducive for growth of tea. Low temperature causes slower growth and low yield. Temperature modifies the rate of growth and development due to its impact on photosynthesis, respiration, nutrient intake, enzymes kinetics and relative humidity. At low temperature, the energy available is often too limited to maintain biochemical processes for maintenance of growth. At too high temperature, enzymes becomes inactivated, leading to plant stress.
Tea grows well on high land with well drained soils having a good depth, acidic pH in the range of 4.5 to 5.5 and more than 2% organic matter. Shallow and compacted sub-soil limit root development and growth. (Tocklai , 2012)
Among factors affecting extension of growth in woody plants are age, development stage (nursery stage, branch formation stage, commercial stage), soil condition, climatic condition and species and genotypes.
2.1 Degraded Tea or Aging Tea
Some old tea fields start to show the following:
• Low yields
• Increasing number of empty spots due to death of weak bushes inclusive of root disease affected bushes.
• Branches become thin and diseased
• Increase rate of diseases of the top and of the roots
• Increase in the proportion of unproductive (brown and woody( tissues on the tea plants
• Buds and crown are small and scarce
• Many shoots at the base of the bush, or sprouting up from the ground
However, the problems is probably caused more by bad management or practices rather than by actual age.
2.2 Root Growth
The white-colored feeder roots are most important for absorbing nutrient @ fertilizer.
The feeder roots are thin, white-colored and have many branches. Most of the feeder roots are located in the top few centimeters of the soil (although about one-third of them are deeper than 30 cm). As they get older, feeder roots get thicker and the color changes from white to cream and finally to red. The older, red-colored roots do not have much ability to absorb.
The starch stored in the roots provide the energy for bud development. So the better the root system, the better the bud and shoot development.
Tea bushes planted from seedlings will usually have somewhat deeper roots than bushes that were grown from cutting. Deeper root system help to resist drought. However, good variety grown from cutting, can have a deeper root system than an ordinary variety grown from seeds.
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