Tea CH 6
Tea CH 6
– The branches near the ground are broken about mid-length and
covered with earth at the breaking point
From this point the branch throws out a series of roots
– When these branch layers are well rooted, they are pruned away
from the parent plant and transplanted in new fields
Propagation by using grafting/budding:
Various grafting techniques (Top working or budding including
seedling grafting)
Not commonly used in large scale farming
The most rapid, cost effective method of multiplying new clones
Application of micro-propagation
Micro propagation: the production of plants from very small plant
parts, tissues, or cells grown aseptically in a test tube or other
container where the environment and nutrition can be rigidly
controlled => in vitro culture/propagation
Tissue culture - is used where the existing clonal propagation methods
from nodal cuttings cannot meet the demand, particularly in a
shortage of stock plants of new cultivars
12
=> Rapid mass propagation of clones
Tea Nursery Establishment and its
Management
Nursery is a selected site having a well defined boundary where
tea and other crops are maintained and multiplying using various
sexual and asexual propagation techniques
Nursery is a place where seedlings are raised with the
maximum possible care for the purpose of transplanting to
the field or for sale
Unlike most cereal crops many horticultural crops especially tea
plants are not generally sown directly in the field where they are to
grow, instead -
They are started or propagated in nurseries and are then
transplanted to the field when they are large enough to survive
13
I. Nursery
2.1. Nursery Site
site selection Selection
The selection of nursery should be made after
considerable care and thought,
Since location will have a great impact on the
overall success of nursery
Soil:
It should be deep, well drained, with little organic matter, sandy
loam to clay loam in texture, with sufficient water holding
capacity for growing seedlings in suitable conditions, preferably
in polyethylene bags and above all, free of nematodes
The soil should be tested for nematodes and, if necessary,
fumigated with methyl bromide, EDB (ethylene dibromide),
or some other fumigant
Poly bag
Seedbed
Disadvantages
It is time consuming
Tea bushes are a bit different, because each seed was different
– Even though seedlings that look very different are eliminated, many differences
will not be visible until after transplanting the seedlings
Planting seeds in a nursery…
Instead of planting seeds directly into the field, the
farmer may wish to make a nursery => For
advantages listed above
Advantages
– Tea bushes will be uniform and strong
– Tea bushes will have the good character of the selected variety
– Faster to reach the commercial stage
Disadvantages
– Requires planning time dedication
– Tea bushes do not grow carrot root => Problem in drought
condition
Stem Cutting Propagation Techniques
How to produce new tea plants from cuttings?
Preparing mother bushes
• Make mother bushes (stock plants) from a tea variety that
is suitable for your farm
• Select healthy, vigorous bushes to use as mother bushes
– These bushes should be pruned 6 months a head of
planting
– Stop plucking these bushes, and start applying extra
fertilizer
The pruned mother bushes should be fertilized at
every 3–4 months to induce vigorous vegetative growth
Cont….
• As soon as the cuttings are planted, spray the leaves gently with
water.
– Then, to prevent the cuttings from drying out, it is best to cover
the rows of containers with a sheet of clear plastic.
• Bury the edges of the plastic sheet in the ground to hold in the
humidity.
– If the humidity is adequate, the inside of the plastic sheet will be
covered with droplets of water (condensation) the day after
Taking care of the cuttings…
• Once the cuttings develop roots (2-4 months after planting),
– the farmer should start removing the plastic sheet for a few hours
each day, during the cool part of the morning or evening.
– The plastic sheet should be removed for longer and longer periods
each day, until after 3-4 weeks it is removed completely.
• If the farmer does not wish to cover the nursery with a plastic
sheet, he/she should gently spray the leaves with water every day
• Continue spraying the leaves until the cuttings develop roots
(2-4 months after planting).
• The nursery must be continually checked to ensure that the
humidity is adequate,
– that the cuttings are protected from diseases and insects, and that
the moss that often develops on the surfaces of the containers is
eliminated.
Taking care of the cuttings…
• Once the cuttings have roots, begin monthly applications of
fertilizer
– Spray the plants with clean water after fertilizing to wash off
any fertilizer particles sticking to the tender leaves.
• Plants are usually ready to be transplanted into the field about 12
months after planting cuttings (can range from 10-20 months).
• About 4 months before transplanting, start taking away the shade
little by little so that the plants develop resistance to the sun
o Then, remove the shade completely when it is cloudy and cool
(put a little shade back when it is sunny and hot)
o For the final 1-2 months, the cuttings should not have any shade
Temperature
– Has a pronounced effect on callus formation, rate of healing
– 18 to 27 °C is best
– warm bottom, cool top 85
Factors most critical ……
Rooting hormones - are powders that stimulate root formation.
– are good to use on cuttings which are difficult to root.
– Do not use an excess of rooting powder.
– Too much can be harmful.
Moisture
– New callus tissue can easily become desiccated, and die
– The completed rooting is kept at a very high humidity level
– softwood and herbaceous cuttings
mist, polythene, syringing
Oxygen
– Oxygen is necessary for the cuttings for the production of callus tissue
– There is rapid cell division and growth accompanied by high
respiration requiring oxygen 86
Vegetative Prop. (Stem cutting) Seed Propagation
• Advantage • Heterogeneous plants
– More homogenous plants
• Uniform growth (Easier harvesting). (Out-crossing )
• Yield higher by 20 to 30 %.
• Uniform quality – Seedling vary from parents.
• Widely used commercially
– Fast growth - Earlier harvest (1 year )
– Uneven growth rates, sizes,
and shapes (Heterogeneous)
• Disadvantage
– The plants don’t develop a strong taproot – Unpredicted yield and
(“carrot root”)
quality
– Low success rate - Highly influenced by environmental
conditions:
– Not suitable for commercial
• cultivar, season, growth medium, type of cutting material,
moisture, and temperature of the rooting environment
– Relatively costly – Slow growth (end of 2nd
• Needs a facility optimum temperature and humidity)
maintained
year)
• Bacteria and fungi control is very important during
propagation
– Require more nursery space
Possible Factors Success ranges from
– It might be bacteria, fungus or other 40 to 80 %
infectious problem.
• Shoots can be dipped in a disinfecting
solution, such as hydrogen dioxide, for 2-3
minutes just prior to sticking.“
– It might be moisture.
• Maintain the optimum moisture level in the
propagator
– It might be the hormones.
• Use growth hormones for clones which are
not easy rooting types.
• The most commonly available is an Auxine
(Indole-3-butric acid)
– It might be temperature.
• At higher elevations chilly temperatures could
slow down the rooting process. Cuttings Failing To
• The colder months should be avoided. Root
Summary Questions
• What is nursery?
• What are the characteristics of a good nursery site?
• How do we establish a Tea nursery site?
• When do we start nursery operation?
• How do we propagate Tea with seed and cuttings?
• How do we calculate the amount of seed or cutting for a
hectare of land?
• What are the common management practices in the
nursery?
• What are the major diseases and pests in the nursery? How
do we control them?
CHAPTER - 7
Field Planting
and
Management of
TEA (Camellia sinensis)
Desalegn Alemayehu (MSc.) 90
6.1. Tea Field Planting
Creating a tea plantation is not a simple task
The nurseries, the field, the factory and tree planting etc…
all have to be planned
6.1.1. Site Selection
The Establishment of a Tea Plantation requires a High level
of Investment and the Returns from such an Investment are
Obtained over the Productive Life of a plantation,
Thus the Selection of the Site of a Tea Plantation at the
Outset [the initial stage of an activity] is a very important Decision
Spacing
Spacing is the most important factor while planting varies
from place to place 97
Spacing Spacing is determined on the
basis of:
Spacing means giving each plant in
1. Nature of growth of variety/clone
a field its proper share of land
2. The amount and distribution of rain
=> Primary to avoid competition for 3. Altitude
nutrient, water, light & space 4. Character and richness of soil
=> So as to maximize production 5. Slope of the land
and ensure health growth
6. Financial consideration
o The common spacing used for tea
7. Mechanization of cultural and
is 150cm * 75cm in many growing harvesting operations
areas 8. Cropping system (Inter-cropping)
However, Spacing depends on: 9. Pruning system
Climate, Soil, Variety … 10. Prevalence of disease and pest
As a result there is no standard recommendation for tea crop spacing for each
variety at different location => Optimum is determined based on experimental
98
result at different locations
Planting density
Lower density favors greater individual productivity,
Better protection of the soil Lower yield during the later age
against erosion Susceptible to drought
Reduces cost for weeding Degrades quickly and require
Less need to fill the gap re-planting
100
Time and Method of Planting:
Planting is normally during the Rainy season between
April and end of August How do we transplant
For Container grown plants: TEA clones/ seedlings?
o During planting some of the soil is removed from the
previously prepared hole
o Mostly Black plastic pot container grown plants should be
Removed from their pot + Any circling roots should be cut off
o Planting depth should be similar with the nursery (Plant the
Seedling at the same level as it was growing)
Plants grown in Easily decomposing material can be grown as it is
o Refill the soil around the roots and Firm the soil at regular
interval (i.e., press the soil down to Settle) 102
Cont…
FIELD
MANAGEMENT
104
1. Managing the seedling stage (Post planting care)
Mulching Advantages
Mulching is covering of the o Control soil erosion
Replacement planting
Seedlings can be killed by accident, wrong
transplanting, cutworms or other things -
111
USE OF COMPOST
Compost is ready for use when the temperature in the pile drops
to the temperature of the surrounding air. Other signs are:
It smells earthy-not sour, putrid or like ammonia
It no longer heats up after turned or watered
It looks like dark soil
It's crumbly, and doesn't have identifiable food items, leaves or grass.
The pH is usually around 7.5, and it will have a C:N ratio ranging from 10:1 to
20:1.
Planting in compost before it is finished could damage plants.
Undecayed carbon materials as wood chips or leaves uses nitrogen
from the soil to continue decomposing, robbing it from the plants you
grow
Undecayed nitrogen materials can harbor pests and diseases.
Immature compost can introduce weed seeds and root-damaging
organic acids.
112
Compost Benefits
Compost contains macro and micronutrients often absent in synthetic fertilizers
Compost releases nutrients slowly-over months or years, unlike synthetic fertilizers.
Compost buffers the soil, neutralizing both acid and alkaline soils, bringing pH levels to
the optimum range for nutrient availability to plants.
Compost helps bind clusters of soil particles, called aggregates, which provide good soil
structure.
Such soil is full of tiny air channels and pores that hold air, moisture and nutrients.
Compost helps sandy soil retain water and nutrients.
Compost alters soil structure, making it less likely to erode,
Compost can hold nutrients tight enough to prevent them from washing out, but loosely
enough so plants can take them up as needed.
Compost brings and feeds diverse life in the soil. These bacteria, fungi, insects,
worms and more support healthy plant growth.
Compost bacteria break down organics into plant available nutrients. Some bacteria
convert nitrogen from the air into a plant available nutrient.
Compost enriched soil have lots of beneficial insects, worms and other organisms
that burrow through soil keeping it well aerated.
113
Compost Benefits
Using compost as mulch, in the soil or as potting media is beneficial in many ways.
Compost contains a full spectrum of essential plant nutrients. You can test the nutrient levels
in your compost and soil to find out what other supplements it may need for specific plants.
Compost contains macro and micronutrients often absent in synthetic fertilizers.
Compost releases nutrients slowly-over months or years, unlike synthetic fertilizers.
Compost enriched soil retains fertilizers better. Less fertilizer runs off to pollute waterways.
Compost buffers the soil, neutralizing both acid and alkaline soils, bringing pH levels to the
optimum range for nutrient availability to plants.
Compost helps bind clusters of soil particles, called aggregates, which provide good soil
structure. Such soil is full of tiny air channels and pores that hold air, moisture and nutrients.
Compost helps sandy soil retain water and nutrients.
Compost loosens tightly bound particles in clay or silt soil so roots can spread, water drain
and air penetrate.
Compost alters soil structure, making it less likely to erode, and prevents soil spattering on
plants-spreading disease.
Compost can hold nutrients tight enough to prevent them from washing out, but loosely
enough so plants can take them up as needed.
Compost makes any soil easier to work.
114
Compost Benefits…
Compost brings and feeds diverse life in the soil. These bacteria, fungi, insects, worms and
more support healthy plant growth.
Compost bacteria break down organics into plant available nutrients. Some bacteria convert
nitrogen from the air into a plant available nutrient.
Compost enriched soil have lots of beneficial insects, worms and other organisms that burrow
through soil keeping it well aerated.
Compost may suppress diseases and harmful pests that could overrun poor, lifeless soil.
Healthy soil is an important factor in protecting our waters.
Compost increases soil's ability to retain water and decreases runoff. Runoff pollutes water by
carrying soil, fertilizers and pesticides to nearby streams.
Compost encourages healthy root systems, which decrease runoff
Compost can reduce or eliminate use of synthetic fertilizers
Compost can reduce chemical pesticides since it contains beneficial microorganisms that may
protect plants from diseases and pests.
Only a 5% increase in organic material quadruples soils water holding capacity.
When that first batch of finished compost is ready to spread, congratulate yourself for your efforts
because you are ecological minded, and know that organic waste materials should be recycled into the
soil instead of being put in a garbage can. By recycling the organic materials, valuable nutrients and
organic matter are recycled. You have helped alleviate the solid waste problem!
115
How much fertilizer should you use?
During the seedling stage, plants need Less chemical
fertilizer than in later growth stages
Apply as much manure and compost as possible (10-20 tons
or more per hectare is desirable)
In practice, the amount will depend on - Your Supply
and How much Labor you have Available
– Nitrogen 40-200kg/ha
– Potassium and Phosphorus half of N
In acidic soil plants may show Zn problem,
123
to avoid this 8-30kg/ha of ZnSO4 need to be applied
Pruning
• In the first years in the field, the vertical growth habit of tea needs
to be checked
– so that it produces low, spreading branch structure and
– the tea canopy quickly fills the empty space between plants
• Pruning in young tea also known as formation pruning or
bringing into bearing,
stimulates the production of lateral branches,
the frame that is developed becomes the permanent frame of the
=> The plucking table should be stabilized at optimum height
bush
127
Weed management
• By now, the tea canopy has closed,
– so weeds within the tea hedges are less of a problem
Water management
• Watering the tea is often profitable, but limited to areas
near a water source
128
Fertilizer, manure and compost
To decide how much fertilizer to use during the commercial stage,
follow the three steps already discussed in the section entitled "How
much fertilizer should you use?" under the seedling stage,
with the following change for chemical fertilizers:
The commercial stage requires more nitrogen than the previous stages
– Most books recommend between 80 – 300 kg nitrogen per hectare per
year
Note that high levels of nitrogen may reduce tea quality,
even though they increase the quantity of buds harvested
The exact amount of nitrogen to use will depend on your soil fertility and on
your household economy
– In other words, even though using more nitrogen might increase your tea
yield, it might be smarter to use some of your money to -
to invest in other crops or in off-farm activities, instead of using it to buy
129
Foliar fertilizers
• Many nutrients can be applied by spraying onto
the leaves of tea plants -
For example, foliar application of Zinc
– It is the imparting of
a re-growth stimulus
imparting = give a quality to
Fig 1: In the first pruning, the main stem of the plant is cut at
25 cm above the ground and the other stems at 40 cm 141
A second formative pruning
Fig 3: After new shoots have grown 20–30 cm above the pruning
level, break them off (“tipping”) at a height of 60–70 cm (“tipping
level”) to form a flat canopy (“plucking table”)
• An ideal bush frame is one which will have a permanent frame
with adequate thickness and number to support the one above it.
– On an average there should be 26 to 32 branches on the
permanent frame.
– Seventy percent of these branches should have a thickness of
0.5–1.0 cm.
– The permanent frame should cover 36-40% of the ground
area.
• The effect of the pruning height of the nursery seedlings on
branching in the field was measured at tea research institute of
East Africa.
– A high pruning height of the plants reduced branch
formation (15960).
Production pruning (Maintenance pruning)
After the formation pruning, tea bushes are usually
pruned every 3–4 years -
at a height of 4–5 cm above the point of the last
pruning => This type of pruning is called Light
Pruning
146
Maintenance pruning
The continuous removal of new shoots leads to a layer of
thickened stems and knots on top of each bush, which
eventually restricts new growth and reduces production.
147
Maintenance pruning: is done at intervals that vary from region to
region and different techniques are being used as appropriate to
specific growing conditions
In tea soils- the acid soils in which tea must be grown, the
available P is naturally low
– Soluble phosphates are largely converted to insoluble
compounds
• Therefore, regular application of phosphate fertilizers is 159
POTASSIUM
– In tea, of the mineral elements available in mature leaf tissue,
• K comes next to N and amounts to 1.5 to 2.0% on a dry matter
basis.
– It is an essential element of tea plant as it functions in many
physiological processes.
– It is one of the first elements to be reported to intervene with water
economy, plant pigment, protein synthesis and enzyme activities,
which are all important for physiological functions in plant system.
• Potassium deficiency
– does not immediately result in visible symptoms.
– Scorching due to chlorosis and necrosis at the tip of
the mature leaves and extends along the margin.
– Dominant purple/brown colour and reduced leaf
size 160
MAGNESIUM
• Deficiency symptoms in tea:
– Yellowing of mature leaves,
– Inter veinal chlorosis and
– Premature leaf fall
• SULPHUR
– Its deficiency is described as "Tea Yellows"
• which is the "Net veining" in the younger
leaves
• the leaf blade takes a striking yellow
color and the veins down to the finest
branching standout predominantly dark 161
green.
• Zinc
– The Zinc deficiency is
identified by
• very short internodes,
• chloratic and small sickle
shaped leaves
• stunted auxiliary shoots.
• longer period of dormancy
• Manganese
• Deficiency symptom is characterized by
• Small yellow spots on the leaves
• Inter-veinal chlorosis
• Appearance of brown spots on older tea
162
Boron
• Deficiency
– first appears as abnormal or retarded growth of the apical
growing points.
– The young leaves are misshapen, wrinkled and are often
thicker and of a darkish blue colour
– As the deficiency progresses the terminal growing point dies.
163
4. Managing degraded tea
Some old tea fields start to show the following problems:
– Low yields
– increasing number of empty spots due to death of weak bushes
– Branches become thin and diseased
– Increasing rate of diseases of the top and of the roots
– Depletion of soil nutrients
– Increase in the proportion of unproductive (brown and woody) tissues on
tea plants
– Buds and crown buds are small and scarce
– Many shoots at the base of the bush, or sprouting up from the soil
Rejuvenation includes:
1. Low pruning, to remove as much of the unproductive bush
frame as possible
2. Removing any remaining diseased and damaged parts of the
bush
3. Removing and replanting dead or unproductive bushes
4. Improving soil to favor quick re-growth of shoots and of
165
Before rejuvenating a degraded field, first you need to decide if it
would be better to uproot and replant it.
– Rejuvenation may raise yields by 10-25% by the seventh year after heavy
pruning.
– But uprooting and replanting with high-quality transplants will probably
increase yields much more.
– Further, rejuvenated fields will not retain their economic viability for long,
whereas a replanted field will remain productive for decades.
In general, it is better to uproot (rather than rejuvenate) fields that are heavily
infected with root diseases, or that have more than 30% missing bushes
– Besides long-term benefits, another consideration is cash-flow in the short term.
– It takes years before an uprooted and replanted field repays the cost of replanting.
• The payback period for rejuvenation is shorter.
• Nonetheless, even a replanted field will start generating income 3 years after
166
uprooting and replanting.
Steps in rejuvenating
1. If it is necessary to remove any old shade trees, they should be bark-
ringed at least 2 years before pruning the tea bushes.
2. During the year you are planning to prune, apply fertilizer, manure, and
compost as recommended for commercial stage tea.
– Stop fertilizing 5-6 months ahead of pruning (by July or August).
3. Stop plucking by mid-October to “rest” the field for 6-8 weeks before
pruning.
– This allows the roots to build up their supply of energy.
4. In mid-December to January, “skiff” the bushes (cut the green wood about
10 cm below the flat canopy).
– All leaves and green wood should be left in the field as a source of
green manure.
– Mark any bushes that are so weak and unproductive that they need to
167
be removed.
Steps in rejuvenating…
5. Immediately after skiffing, cut the bushes back to a height of 15-20
cm above the soil surface.
– The idea is to stimulate the buds close to the base of the trunk, to generate a
completely new canopy.
– Some experts recommend leaving 3-4 branches unpruned on each bush, to
act as “lungs”.
– The leaves on the “lungs” help maintain the energy supply of the plant, and
help draw in more nutrients and water into the plant.
– However, other experts say that “lungs” slow the regrowth of new shoots,
and are not necessary.
6. Dig up and remove any dead or unproductive bushes.
– Remove as much as possible of the root system.
– If the bush was infected with root rot, remove as much soil as
possible.
– Treat the hole with lime and wood ashes to help kill the root rot 168
Steps in rejuvenating…
7. On each healthy bush that remains, cut out all dead & dying
branches down to healthy wood.
– In some cases, it may be necessary to cut down to the collar region and
scoop out dead tissues from the junction of branches near the collar.
– Remove all cut woody branches from the field.
8. Repair any drainage, terraces, or soil conservation measures in the
field.
– Then, level the ground to prepare for replanting missing bushes.
9. Replant each missing bush with 2 or even 3 strong seedlings.
– The reason is, the growth of the seedlings will be restricted by the
surrounding mature bushes.
– Use plenty of compost in the planting holes to help the seedlings resist
root rots.
– If shade trees are needed, they should be planted at the same time as169
the
transplants.
Steps in rejuvenating…
10. Care for the field as if it were a seedling-stage field.
– Careful tending is essential for bushes to recover from the
heavy pruning.
11. In future years, when pruning the new seedlings, prune higher
above the soil than usual, to permit them to compete with the
mature bushes.
– The seedlings will therefore produce narrow frames with
fewer shoots; it is for this reason that you should plant 2-3
seedlings for each missing bush.
– It may also be necessary to trim the side branches of the
mature bushes around the seedlings, to provide room for the
growth of the seedlings. 170