CHAPTER - 6

Propagation and Nursery

Management of
Tea (Camellia sinensis) Plant
 The success or failure of a plantation is largely dependent on
how well the propagating and growing of tea seedlings has been
done in the early stage, therefore proper nursery care is crucial.

The knowledge of propagation techniques, is the primary

requirement for successful propagation of planting materials
o Propagating and growing tea seedlings can be used for
various purposes, such as:
– Rapid expansion, Replanting, Refilling,
– Inter-planting, etc in tea plantation
o Before starting nursery operations for tea multiplication,
it is necessary to take into account the followings -
 Three important considerations in the Planning
Phase for propagating new tea plant:
 Planning Phase
A. Planning the work
 A farmer who wants to plant a new tea crop must plan far a head
before starting the propagation of planting materials

 Before planting the new crop, it is first necessary -

to prepare planting material (either seeds or vegetative parts),
to prepare the field for planting (by clearing and digging; planting
trees for green manure and applying compost)
 So, planting a new tea crop really includes three separate
activities:
1. Producing new tea plants for planting (takes about 10-15 months)
2. Planting trees for green manure (takes about 1 year)
3. Preparing and applying compost (takes about 3 months)
 A. Planning the work…
 Before starting the propagation of planting materials,
– Planning calendar of the work is the 1st operation
 The calendar of work will be differ:
– depending on whether you plant seeds or cuttings
– based on variability in the prevailing environmental
conditions between and/or among locations
 In addition, the calendar will be different for each farmer
– The reason is, each farm is a bit different (for example,
different crops and livestock), and each farmer has different
responsibilities during the year
– Therefore, each farmer will have to plan his or her own
calendar
 B. Selection of Varieties
Choosing which variety to plant is the other important
consideration in the planning phase for propagating new
tea plant
– Because tea is a long lived crop, the selection of superior
varieties suiting the farm condition is highly crucial
 In deciding on which tea variety is the best to use under
the location of interest,
 it is important to consider - the information from
demonstration plots or use research recommendations
 In Assam tea a good variety should possess certain
characteristics which are agronomically desirable, in
addition to its environmental adaptability
Requirements of a good variety (Assam tea)
Þthat may be used as a guide in the process of
varietal selection:
 Easy rooting of cuttings
 Strong spreading framework
 Limited flowering
 Large leaves
 High number of plucking points/high shoot population
 Remains suitable for picking for a number of days
 Quick recovery after plucking
 Good quality
 Cont…
Basically tea can be propagated both:
Sexually by seed
Asexually by vegetative means => commonly by
cuttings
 To plant a new tea crop plan to prepare the planting
materials from a selected tea variety
Choose a planting variety to plant by considering:
 How the tea is marketed (green tea or black tea),
 How would it performs in the geographic area of the farm
 Choose a method of propagation
 C. Season of Planting
Seedlings
• could be raised naturally in one season only

Vegetative propagated clones

• may be raised throughout the year
(=> with ample management)

 Season of Planting may differ according to

type of variety clones (=> rooting ability and
seasonal variability)
 5.1. Propagation by Seed
Seed is virtually self-incompatible and
shows a high degree of cross-compatibility
Though seed is the traditional source of
planting material and convenient to use,
 It produces heterogeneous plants having
variable yield, quality and suitability for
fermentation
 Besides variability, seed propagation
delays the plant to reach for plucking
 Propagation by Seed…
• Seeds can be sown either -
– 1st in the nursery, then transplant to field or
– Directly planted /sown in the field
• Sow the seeds -
– Immediately after harvest (don’t store) with
its “eye” in a horizontal position
– In a medium with good drainage
– Under nursery shade level 80%

 After planting, Germination starts after 1-2 months

 Fertilizer application
 Is not required until three good leaves are out
 Apply after 3-4 leaves have developed
 Transplanting - when it is about 3cm tall
 Methods of Tea Propagation
The two popular methods:
• Seed –
 The only practice used in the past => during the early
periods of tea farming
• Vegetative (Mainly stem cutting) –
 Presently, a common practice used worldwide
Other known Vegetative methods of tea propagation are:
 Circular bark on branch is removed (Girdling) and rooting medium like
 Air layering sphagnum moss is tied on branch =>An aerial stem is girdled and enclosed
with rooting media to produce rooted layers in the upper part of the plant

– 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

No matter what the size and purpose of nursery,

It should be located in an area where climatically
suitable for the species/varieties being grown

The following point should be considered as a

pre-requisite during nursery site selection: - 14
 Nursery Site Selection…
The area should be climatically suitable
Altitude – suitable
 The nursery should not be located above 1800 m a.s.l. because
temperatures below 10°C slow down the growth of the seedlings
Topography of the location - gentle slope (5%)
 The area should have a flat or gentle-slopping surface
Sheltered place => well protected from wind and dust,
 but remove large trees from the immediate locality
Permanent water supply/source => Sufficient quantity and quality of
water should be needed for irrigation hence, the nursery site should be
located near the water source
The supply of water should be plentiful and it should be available at a
reasonable cost, otherwise the cost of production will be increased
 The water should be free from objectionable impurities: Salts 15
Easy access to the nursery
 It should be located as close as possible to the growing field
=> to reduce transportation cost and increase survival rate

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

 The optimum soil reaction for tea plant is 4.5 to 5 pH

(never above 5.5) 16
 II. Nursery site
Preparation Preparation
of Nursery Site
Once the site is selected (after considerable care
and thought), the land will be prepared for nursery
as follow: -

– Site Clearing (Clear and dig the selected site)

Ploughing or digging the selected site during
dry season taking care not to bring subsoil
– Refine the soil and apply compost, FYM, etc. to the
soil
17
There are three options for raising seedlings
in the nursery:

Main planting field

Poly bag

Poly bag
Seedbed

Options for seed sowing/Raising Tea Seedlings 18

 II.Preparation
Nursery siteofPreparation
Seedbeds
There are three types of beds:
 Flat bed,
 Sunken bed
 Raised bed

• In tea growing areas however, raised beds are

commonly used and seldom flat beds are made to
arrange polybags

Flat or sunken beds are recommended for drier

19
 Preparation of Seedbeds…
Layout the land into beds (Layout of the dimension of
the beds):
Prepare the beds with 1-1.2 m width (preferably 1m width
otherwise weeding, watering difficult)
 A length of 5 or 10 m (being determine by the availability of
land and its accessibility for different activities)
 Bed height of 15 - 20 cm
 Leave 40-80 cm path/gap between each bed to allow the
workers to move freely
 Dig about 10 cm depth of soil between two beds
 Throw the soil onto the beds to raise the bed to 15-20 cm from
the ground level 20
 Preparation of Containers/Polybag
There are different kinds of containers in which tea
seedlings are raised such as:
 Polythene bags, Pot (clay pot), Plastic sleeves are the
most commonly used in the nursery for growing a given
seedling
 Polythene bags are the most widely used containers
 The size of the bags varies:
 Depending upon the size of seedlings at which they are to be
transplanted
 When time of transplanting is to be delayed larger size poly
bags should be used
21
 The polythene bags should be open ended for drainage
 There are a number of benefits that growers can get
by raising seedlings in poly bags (Advantages of
using container): -
 Reduce the steps in production of nursery plants
 No root disturbance therefore there is better take rate
(Minimize root disturbance/transplant shock)
 Easy for long distance transport (Convenience for handling)
 Seedlings establish quickly without any set-back or
planting shock
 The seedlings can be kept for longer period of time in the
planting field in case of adverse conditions until weather
conditions are favorable
 Ensure nematode free planting 22
However, there are problems encountered with
this practice too: -
– Cost of poly bags
– Environmental pollution from discarded poly bags
– Require more labor for filling and arranging the poly
bag
– When the time of transplanting is to be delayed
larger sized poly bags can be used
This has got its own problems in terms of cost of
filling because the time and amount of media
required is too much
23
 Media for containers/potting mixes
• Good quality potting soil mixes for containers is a must to grow
successfully a seedling.
• The first prerequisite is to guarantee a media free from
nematode, insects and pathogens.
• To do so, it is always recommended to kill the pathogen using
fumigation (chemicals) or high temperatures (heat) through
“solarization” (put 20cm layer of soil mix under a plastic thin
foil and under the sun), or heating a drum full of soil with
firewood.
• The soil mix should therefore ideally be taken from virgin land
(forest) it should be rich in organic matter and should also have a
good percentage of sand which can improve drainage and
aeration.
24
•
 Media for containers/potting mixes
Factors to be consider in developing media for
container nursery:
 The mix must adequately support the plant i.e. it must heavy
enough to prevent the plant from falling over
 The mix must provide a reservoir for air, moisture and
nutrients i.e. your soil must contain different constituents such as
sand, field soil, organic matter
 The soil must supply all the nutrients that the plant needs, these
have to be added to the soil mix and
 The pH should be adjusted to a range which is conducive to
making them available to the plant
 The soil mix should be free from nematodes, insects and 25
 Potting the soil
Good quality potting soil mixes for containers is a must to
growth successfully a seedling
o The first prerequisite is to guarantee a media free from
nematode, insects and pathogens
o To do so, it is always recommended to kill the pathogen
using -
Fumigation (chemicals) => Sprinkle the soil with
chemicals for soil treatment or
High temperatures (heat) through “Solarization” (put
20cm layer of soil mix under a plastic thin foil and
under the sun), or
26
 Potting soils…
 Forest soil alone is the best potting media
– In the absence of forest soil fill the polythene bags with the
mixture of 6:3:2 part of forest/top soil, compost and sand
respectively (Practiced by JARC)
The potting mix should therefore ideally be taken from virgin
land (forest) it should be rich in organic matter and should also
have a good percentage of sand which can improve drainage and
aeration
– However, the best soils for a potting mix are sandy loams
taken from the top 15cm below a grass cover
 The poly bags are filled step by step and press down the mixture
to avoid large air space and arranged vertically on the nursery
beds prepared
Use wooden plunks or pipes to support the bags 27
 Potting soils…

Fig: Arranged polyethylene pots filled with media

28
 5.1. Propagation by Seed
Seed is virtually self-incompatible and
shows a high degree of cross-compatibility
Though seed is the traditional source of
planting material and convenient to use,
 It produces heterogeneous plants having
variable yield, quality and suitability for
fermentation
 Besides variability, seed propagation
delays the plant to reach for plucking
 Propagation by Seed…
• Seeds can be sown either -
– 1st in the nursery, then transplant to field or
– Directly planted /sown in the field
• Sow the seeds -
– Immediately after harvest (don’t store) with
its “eye” in a horizontal position
– In a medium with good drainage
– Under nursery shade level 80%

 After planting, Germination starts after 1-2 months

 Fertilizer application
 Is not required until three good leaves are out
 Apply after 3-4 leaves have developed
 Transplanting - when it is about 3cm tall
 Advantages of Sexual Propagation
1. It is simple and cheap method and can be employed by
the growers at their own fields
2. Plants produced are hardy and have strong /deep root
system => The plants develop a strong taproot (“carrot root”)
Seedling have relatively high root/shoot ratio
=>So they are vigorous in growth
3. When seedling is required in large number, seed
propagation is the only easy means
Cheapest and easiest method of producing large
number of plants
31
4. It is usually the only way of obtaining (method of
producing) new varieties or cultivars and hybrid vigor
 Maintain genetic diversity (Seed propagation offers
genetic variability)
 Selection of plants with unique features is possible
 Systematic breeding for identified characteristics is
possible
 The possibility is there to obtain change in seedling, the
performance of which are better than their parents
5. Seed propagation is necessary for raising rootstock for
grafting and budding

6. It can be a way to avoid certain disease, particularly

viral diseases 32
 Disadvantages of Sexual Propagation
1. Plants raised through seeds (Seedlings) have long
juvenile period
 Seed propagation delays the plant to reach for harvesting
=>Delaying the plucking age (It takes long time to plucking)

2. Seeds loose its viability in short period

=>The seeds must be sown afresh i.e. immediately after
extraction
3. It produces heterogeneous plants having variable yield and
quality => Heterogeneous plant population (no uniformity)
 Choice tree or any hybrid trees cannot be perpetuated
true to type by seed 33
 Seed preparation
 If seed is to be used as planting material, seed bearers
should be of selected clones, which have been propagated
by vegetative means
These seed bearers should be selected based on good
characteristics such as:
 vigorousity, uniformity, high bearing capacity,
 tolerant to pest and adverse environmental conditions
Tea bushes selected for seed production should not be
pruned and plucked – because -
o Pruning and plucking makes the bushes remain in vegetative state
o In addition plucking and pruning removes leaves which is
responsible for the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy
 Seed preparation…
 The bushes should be supplied with balanced fertilizer to allow the bushes to
make more seed and quality seeds
 Some bushes produce larger seeds, and still some other bushes produce
smaller seeds
– Variation in seed size from single bushes has significant effect on seedling
vigorousity
– The larger the seed size, the higher the stored energy, whereas the smaller
the seed size, the lesser is stored energy
 This is due to competition
 Therefore, smaller seeds that are collected from a single bush should be
discarded either by floatation or by using mesh of standard size
– Soak seeds in water and check at every 24 hours
– Discard those seeds which float on water after 72 hours
– Discard seeds which appear black and sticky or which have a fungus
 Seed preparation…
 Store in cool, and well ventilated rooms which allow
free movement of air all round each of the containers (if
necessary)
 But tea seed should be sown as soon as received
=> to keep them from drying out
 Treat seeds to facilitate germination
– Place seeds in full sunshine and sprinkle with water
as necessary
– They will crack rapidly
– As soon as they crack, sow the seeds based on
method of raising
 Methods of raising seedlings

There are three alternative methods of

raising seedlings. These include:
1. Planting seeds directly in the field
2. Planting seeds in a nursery:
2.1. Stump seedlings and
2.2. Sleeved seedlings
 1. Planting seeds directly in field
 The seeds are planted directly into the field at the stake marking
where to plant the seed
Advantages
 easy to work; no need to make a nursery; very convenient;
 seeds can be planted as soon as they are available, and seeds will
not germinate until soil moistened by rains
Disadvantages
 difficulty to get uniform population in the field
 requires frequent weeding
 require extra seed because seeds with poor performance may not grow
 each tea bush will be different, because each seed was different
 bushes will take longer time to reach the commercial stage
 Planting seeds directly in field…
 Tea seeds are usually planted as soon as they are collected
(in September or October), to keep them from drying out
– Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the field
– Recommended planting densities range from 10,000 to
15,000 bushes per hectare
The exact density will depend on the conditions
of each farm
Farmers should decide on the planting density
depending on:
 the steepness of the slope
 the soil fertility and
 the risk of drought in the field
 Cont…
• Plant 3-5 seeds in triangular or circular with;
– 15cm between seeds, and 75cm between rows;
– planting depth 1.5-2.5cm with the eyes of the seed
horizontal and downward

• The seed and the young seedlings must be

carefully protected against -
–Weeds, insects, and drought
 Cont…
• After planting, the field should be mulched with cut grass
– The mulch should not cover all the soil
– Instead, the soil directly above the seeds should be left
bare so that,
• once the seeds sprout; the mulch will not be touching
the tea stems
– The reason is, the mulch gets hot and can kill the
tender stem tissues
• In fields where soil insects are a problem, the mulch
should be kept away from the tea plant -
in a ring of 15-20 cm diameter or
a strip of 15-20 cm along each side of the tea row
 Cont…
• Young plants should be given partial shade from
plantings of green manure trees

– Once the young plants are 20-30 cm tall, eliminate

any that are small or weak

• At each planting site, the healthy plants that remain

should be managed as a single bush for pruning and
plucking
 2. Planting seeds in a nursery
Planting seed in the nursery and then transplanting: Whether it is stump
or sleeved seedling it has the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
 Easy to get strong and uniform tea plants in the field,
– because only strong seedlings are selectively transplanted
 Tea bushes are a bit alike compared to direct seeding,
– because seedlings that look very different are eliminated
 Reach the commercial stage faster than the direct seeding
 Seedlings develop a tap root that grow deep

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

Nursery site selection

Location of the nursery site
 Close to permanent water source
 Availability of wind breaks
 Accessibility to road and labor
 Site topography
Collecting soil for the nursery
 Soil for the nursery should be -
– Red-brown in color, slightly to medium clay, with
little organic matter and a crumbly texture
If the soil contains too much clay, it can be
improved by adding sand
– Soil pH should be between 4.5 - 5.0 (never above 5.5)
– Do not use soil in which tea was planted recently,
because it may contain tea diseases
 There are 3 things that farmers can do to reduce problems
caused by soil diseases (such as fungi or nematodes):
1) Remove the surface layer of soil
• The surface layer of soil, where the roots of weeds and other plants live, may
contain root diseases
• Therefore, farmers should always remove the surface soil before collecting soil
to use in the nursery
• Normally, the surface layer is discarded and only the lower layer is used
• If it is necessary to use the surface layer of soil, it should be removed and set aside
so that it can be used to fill the bottoms of the planting containers

2) Mix some compost with the soil

• Farmers should experiment with mixing some compost with the nursery soil
• In many crops, using compost in nurseries helps control root diseases
• If you sterilize the soil, then add the compost after you finish sterilizing
3) Sterilize the soil using heat from the sun
• If you are worried that the soil might contain diseases, and you cannot
choose another source of soil, then you can sterilize the soil before using it
• To do this, use a shovel or hoe to form the soil into a low smooth bed (like
a seedbed for vegetables)
• Wet the soil thoroughly
• Then, cover the bed of wet soil tightly with a sheet of clear plastic
(polythene)
• The plastic sheet should rest on the surface of the soil
• Bury the edges of the plastic sheet under the edges of the soil bed, to avoid
losing heat
• The sun heats up the soil through the plastic, and the plastic keeps the heat
inside the soil
• The sheet should be left on the soil for about 4 weeks, and then the soil will
be ready to use
Nursery Bed
• The nursery bed should be as long as convenient depending
on topography preferably 5 to 10 meters which should be
oriented across the slope
• Beds should be placed in a manner that there is easy moving
of materials between ends
– Large nurseries should have a provision for central path
which is approximately 1 m wide
• The nursery beds size should be one meter wide raised 10 cm
above the ground - => to allow efficient drainage of excess
water and easy passage of workers
• Beds should be 30 to 60 cm apart - => to allow free access to
each bed and should be sloping slightly down hill to remove
Nursery Shade
• The shade should allow penetration of 25-40% of full light
measured at midday
– At rooting stage, the shade should allow 25% of full light at midday
• High shade nurseries are often cooler than low shade ones and
heavy drops of rainwater falling through the shade can damage
cutting
• When a large annual planting programme is anticipated
– It is often worthwhile constructing a high shade nursery with
permanent or semi permanent materials
– This nursery site can be used year after year with a
minimum of expenses
• Materials to be used to construct shades are poles and
thatch/grasses which are durable; provide uniform light and are
easy to adjust when more light is needed
 2. Planting seeds in a nursery…
2.1. Stump seedlings
 The seeds are planted directly into the nursery beds and the
seedlings are allowed to grow for two to three years
– They are then removed from the nursery with bare roots and their shoot
systems are pruned-off at a height of 10cm above the level of nursery soil
o Sow seeds at 12.5cm triangular spacing and cover with soil
o Cover with mulch and water as necessary
o Regulate shade
o Remove mulch when germination starts
o Allow to grow for 2 to 3 years (the seedlings attain 15 to 20 cm
height)
o Prune-off the shoot system at 10cm above the level of nursery soil
and field plant bare root
2.2. Sleeved seedlings
Filling the containers
• It is very convenient to plant the seeds in plastic bags
(size 8 x 12 cm)
– However, seeds can be planted in any available containers, or
even in the ground of the nursery
– If you are using the surface layer of soil, put it in the bottoms
of the containers
– Several weeks before you plant the seeds, fill the bags or
containers with soil and arrange in rows in the nursery
• Let the filled containers stand in the rain (or water them)
– This will allow the soil to settle in the bags or containers
– After the soil has settled, add more soil as needed
 Cont…
• The seeds are planted one per sleeve, coved with 2.5cm
of soil and with the ‘eyes’ horizontal
– Sleeves of not less than 30cm in length are suitable

• Regulate shade and water as necessary

• Control weeds, insect pests and diseases

• Fertilization is applied when and as necessary

• Hardening – off and field planting

 Major practices in the nursery?
Pre and Post-Sowing Care in the nursery:
 Nursery site preparation
 Seed sowing
 Pricking-off – transferring young seedling to seedbed or
containers (it is done as soon as first pair true leaf appear)
– Pricking – keeping the seeds moist until the radicles emerge, at
which point the seeds are planted
 Mulching, Watering
 Shading – it can be fixed/permanent or movable/temporary
 Fertilizer and manure application
 Weeding and Protection/Pests control
 Hardening-off => Before transplanting, grading is done 53
 5.2. Vegetative Propagation of Tea
 Asexual propagation, also called vegetative propagation,
 It is the production of offspring by use of vegetative parts,
rather than seeds (which is reproductive part) of a plant used
to produce a new plant
=>Vegetative parts: stem, leaf, root, bud …

 Asexual (Vegetative) propagation aims at the identical

reproduction of plants with desirable features such as high
productivity, superior quality, or high tolerance to biotic and/or
abiotic stresses, and as such,
Plays a very important role in continuing a preferred
trait from one generation to the next 54
Tea can also be propagated asexually by:
Cuttings
Grafting
Budding
Micro- Vegetative propagation/tissue culture
(regenerate plants from tissues and even single cells)

Propagation by Using stem cuttings

• Is the most widely used among many other methods of
vegetative propagation
• Cuttings should be harvested from mother plants that are
55
selected for propagation
 Stem cuttings – Segments of shoots containing a vegetative
terminal buds when taken from the shoot tip, or a vegetative
lateral/axillary buds when taken from the shoot base
 Adventitious root development is necessary for a new plant
to develop
 Propagation by Stem cuttings is practical, easy and rapid to use
– But, the results can be influenced by several factors:
Environmental factors
Type of plant material (cultivar)
Chemical treatments (Hormone use, etc. )
Collection times (season of planting)
Rooting mediums
 Cuttings are usually placed into a suitable rooting substrate and 56
Importance of Vegetative Propagation
1. Maintenance of clones
 Clones: groups of plants which are genetically identical

2. Avoidance of long juvenile period [i.e., Plants mature in a

shorter time]
E.g.: Production of Tea:
 Started from Seeds: - can take at least 3 years
 Started from Cuttings: - can take 1 - 2 years

3. Help to create combination of clones:

 To exploit good traits of combined plants as a single composite
57
plant => Through techniques of grafting and budding
 Example:
Characteristics of Clone “A”
 Resistance to:
 Soil diseases, nematodes,
insect pests
 Water logging problem
 High salt
 Low and high pH condition
 But, poor scion xics
 Good RS xics
Characters of Clone “B”
 Strong spreading
framework
 Limited flowering
 Large leaves
 High shoot population
 Quick recovery after plucking
 Good quality
 But poor RS xics
 Good Scion xics
58
4. Control growth form of plants
Plants started from seed: too big/tall in size
=>Difficulty during management and harvesting operation
While from grafting/budding/cutting: small/medium

5. Maintain uniformity (E.g. uniformity in growth habit)

6. Economic importance: - this can be achieved by:

Reducing juvenile period

Creating and maintaining convenient uniform size

Combining clones that adds value
Achieving the above advantages 59
 Limitation of Vegetative Propagation
1. Not easy and simple as compared to sexual propagation
2. Some requires special equipments and skill such as grafting and
budding
3. Sometimes, high risk of disease transmission particularly,
virus => Risk of viral disease transmission (if the clump is
infected with virus)
4. Some asexual propagation (like tissue culture techniques, need
of trained man power) are too expensive

5. Difficulty of getting sufficient planting material

6. No new genetic variability is formed

60
7. The plants don’t develop a strong taproot (“carrot root”)
 5.2. Stem Cutting Propagation
 Stem Cutting propagation is the most widely used among
many other methods of vegetative propagation => It is
practical, easy and rapid to use
 Making cutting and plant in the nursery then transplant

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….

Calculate how many mother bushes to prepare

based on:
– Each mother bush can produce 100-150 cuttings per
year,

– To plant 1 hectare of new tea will require about

22,000 to 28,000 cuttings

Approximately twice as many cuttings as the

number of plants required, to allow for some
cuttings that will fail to root
 Stem Cutting Propagation Techniques…
Making cuttings
 Cuttings should be harvested from mother plants that are
selected for propagation
Cuttings should be taken in November to December (6
months after plucking stopped)
Take cuttings on a cool cloudy day
• The best rooting success is obtained with recently matured
shoots
o Take the cuttings from the primary shoots (the shoots that
you would usually pluck)
o Cuttings with an axillary buds root quicker
o 15 to 21 days prior to taking the cuttings, the terminal bud
should be pinched off to initiate the axillary buds to sprout
 Making cuttings…
The middle portion of the shoot, which is neither too soft
nor too hard, makes the best cuttings
o The top most 2-3 tender leaves are too soft to make
good cuttings
o Also, the bottom leaves on the hard and rough reddish-
brown portion of the stem are too hard
 Each cutting should be a 3-5 cm length of stem with one
healthy leaf (free of insects and diseases)
 Using scissors or a sharp knife cut the stem diagonally about
0.5 cm above and 2.5 cm below the leaf
– Both cuts should be parallel to the leaf
– If cuttings are made with scissors, be careful not to pinch
or bruise the stem
Planting of Cuttings
 Stem Cutting Propagation
Propagation by Using stem cuttings
• Is the most widely used among many other methods of
vegetative propagation

• Cuttings should be harvested from mother plants that are

selected for propagation

 Stem cuttings – Segments of shoots containing a

vegetative terminal buds when taken from the shoot tip,
or a vegetative lateral/axillary buds when taken from the
shoot base
 Adventitious root development is necessary for a new
67
plant to develop
 Propagation by Stem cuttings is practical, easy and
rapid to use
– But, the results can be influenced by several
factors:
Environmental factors
Type of plant material (cultivar)
Chemical treatments (Hormone use, etc. )
Collection times (season of planting)
Rooting mediums

 Cuttings are usually placed into a suitable rooting substrate

and kept under high humidity until roots and shoots have
68
formed
 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
Calculate how many mother Success ranges from
bushes to prepare based on: 40 to 80 %

– Each mother bush can produce

100-150 cuttings per year,

– To plant 1 hectare of new tea will

require about 22,000 to 28,000
cuttings

Approximately twice as many

cuttings as the number of plants
required, to allow for some
cuttings that will fail to root Cuttings Failing To
Root
 Stem Cutting Propagation Techniques…
Making cuttings
 Cuttings should be harvested from mother plants that are
selected for propagation
Cuttings should be taken in November to December
(6 months after plucking stopped)
Take cuttings on a cool cloudy day
• The best rooting success is obtained with recently matured
shoots
o Take the cuttings from the primary shoots (the shoots that
you would usually pluck)
o Cuttings with an axillary buds root quicker
o 15 to 21 days prior to taking the cuttings, the terminal bud
should be pinched off to initiate the axillary buds to sprout
 Making cuttings…
The middle portion of the shoot, which is neither too soft
nor too hard, makes the best cuttings
o The top most 2-3 tender leaves are too soft to make
good cuttings
o Also, the bottom leaves on the hard and rough reddish-
brown portion of the stem are too hard
 Each cutting should be a 3-5 cm length of stem with one
healthy leaf (free of insects and diseases)
 Using scissors or a sharp knife cut the stem diagonally about
0.5 cm above and 2.5 cm below the leaf
– Both cuts should be parallel to the leaf
– If cuttings are made with scissors, be careful not to
pinch/ touch or bruise the stem
Planting of Cuttings
Planting cuttings in a nursery
 The nursery and containers (plastic bags) should be
prepared as described for seeds (above)
 Before putting the cuttings in the containers, water the
soil until saturated
 Plant the cutting with the stem straight or slightly
slanted -
So that the leaf does not touch the soil (if it does, it
may become infected with diseases)
 Once the cutting is planted, align the container -
So that the leaf is parallel with the wind (the most
Taking care of the cuttings
• Until they develop roots, cuttings are much more fragile than
seedlings.
– So, the nursery must be managed very carefully.

• 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

• It is not recommended to prune plants in the nursery, because this

slows down root development.
  A single-leaf cutting is
generally used
– Success ranges from
40 to 80 %

Factors Most Critical

for Rooting of
Tea Cuttings
Taking care of the cuttings
• Until they develop roots, cuttings are much more fragile
than seedlings.
– So, the nursery must be managed very carefully.

• 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
 Taking care of the cuttings…

• Once the cuttings develop roots (2-4 months after

planting),

– 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.
 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

• It is not recommended to prune plants in the nursery, because this

slows down root development.
  A single-leaf cutting is
generally used
– Success ranges from
40 to 80 %

Factors Most Critical

for Rooting of
Tea Cuttings
 Table: Rooting of cuttings and plant survival rate
Clone Type of tea clones planted in the nursery at Melko

• Nursery Experiment % Rooting Survival Rate (%)

Clone (At 5th Month) (At 8th Month)
at JARC showed 11/4 97.391 94.348
Chai 90.870 68.261
 Rooting capability L6 87.826 60.130
of tea clones greatly BB-35 84.348 66.957
SR-18 74.783 67.826
varied (under 11/56 68.261 56.087
similar nursery FNF 60.000 50.000
condition and time 6/8 59.565 52.174
B-9 58.261 40.870
of planting). 31/11 53.913 46.522
S/15-10 52.609 39.130
 Percent Rooting was 12/38 35.217 23.043
11.3% to 97.4% TN/14-3 24.348 7.391
31/8 22.174 10.435
SR/49 13.478 7.391
31/12 11.304 4.783
 Factors most critical ……
• Planting Medium  Media - drainage and
– It needs to be acidic and low in humus water holding capacity
and have good drainage.
– Soil pH beyond 5.5 tends to promote
excessive callusing at the expense of
rooting.
– Avoid subsoil with high clay content as it
will have poor drainage
– Rooting of cuttings is also hampered if
the soil has high organic matter content
(humus)
– Cuttings should therefore be rooted in Sleeves filled with Sub soil
subsoil with low pH
(Top 1/3) and Top soil
– Fertilizer or plant food is not necessary
(Bottum 2/3)
until the new root system has formed.
 Factors most critical ……
High humidity (maintained 80 to 90 %)
– Minimizes water lose and thereby the chance of wilting
– => Can be maintained in several ways: - E.g. A plastic bag
placed over the graft
 Light is important < 50% light
– for the leaves to produce food and energy which, in turn, will
produce roots
– bright indirect light for herbaceous, low light for woody cuttings

 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

Selecting an appropriate site is important for sustainable

productivity of the tea plantation 91
 Each variety of Tea has Specialized Requirements for
Growth and Development => As a Tea plant cannot be
Grown Successfully in Every type of Soil and Climate
Þ The Site for Tea plantation should be selected with Specific
Variety of Tea in Mind
THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ARE:
 CLIMATE: relatively free from temperature and wind hazards
 WATER: adequate supply of good quality water for irrigation
 SOIL: a reasonable deep and fertile uniform soil with good
internal drainage
OTHERS: like Topography, Adaptability of varieties chosen,
Labor, Transportation, Markets, etc…. 92
 Other considerations
Accessibility – to all weather road, permanent water supply & labor
 The selected site should be connected by a good road or railway
 Tea farm operations are labor intensive predominantly at harvest, hence adequate
supply of labor is required => While selecting the site availability of cheap labor
in the vicinity be taken into considerable so as to keep down the production cost
Topography – is important from the standing point of Erosion and flood
control, field layout, drainage, frost protection, type of irrigation system
 Land slope – should not exceeds 20%
Site History – the past cropping system and managements
 The site should not be close to any diseased plantation OR
must be isolated from old plantation
Culture and Socio-economic condition of the people: - the over all
attitude of the community (play a roll for establishing a big farm)
 Social and Economic factors should be considered: Proximity to local & export
markets, road infrastructure, availability and cost of labor, communication, …93
 It is impossible to get ideal (perfect) site so it is
required to Modify -
In addition other activities such as the followings
are accomplished: -
 If not accessible => Construction of Roads for
transportation of Tea products, and inputs such as
chemicals, fertilizers, workers…
 If not ideal rainfall => Irrigation and drainage
channels layout
 If the site exposed to strong wind => Planting of
Wind break trees 94
 6.1.2. Preparing new field for tea
Land preparation prior to tea field planting consists of:
 Site clearing, terracing, installation of irrigation pipes, planting
of wind breaks, fencing and digging holes
Site clearing
The extent of site clearing depends on whether the land has been
previously Cropped or Not: -
If the land has been recently cropped -
 Dig out perennial weeds and slash down annual weeds
 Level furrows or ridges,
If the land has not been cultivated -
o In the beginning the land is presumably covered with trees, bushes,
 All trees and shrubs with their roots should be removed due to the presence
95
of Armillaria mellea (fungal disease that cause root rot)
To control disease (Particularly, trees infected by Armillaria mellia)
Remove unwanted trees by one or more of the following methods
during site clearing:
Ring barking => By ring barking the tree selectively one or more year
before felling (before clear-cut) - Remove the bark of a tree at about 90-120
cm above the ground level - Remove the tree finally
Uprooting stumps and burning them together with the root system on spot =>
Remove all roots and stumps completely at a time
Poisoning the tree with the Chemicals Arboricides such as 2,4,5-T mixed with
Diesel oil or old engine oil and Sodium Arsenite can be used to kill trees
However, for safety for Armillaria mellia clearing should start two years
before the intended time of planting
 because it allows depletion of root starch which act as substrate for the
fungus
The site is then sub divided into manageable blocks (2 - 4 ha) 96
6.1.3. Planting tea
 The field performance of tea depends on the initial
quality of work and planting
Staking [Marking out]
Staking – marking the actual planting position ahead
of digging hole
 => It is showing the position of each tree, in accordance with
the spacing calculated before hand

Spacing
 Spacing is the most important factor while planting varies
from place to place 97
 Spacing
Spacing means giving each plant in
a field its proper share of land
=> Primary to avoid competition for
nutrient, water, light & space
=> So as to maximize production
and ensure health growth
o The common spacing used for tea
is 150cm * 75cm in many growing
areas
 However, Spacing depends on:
Climate, Soil, Variety …
 As a result there is no standard recommendation for tea crop spacing for each
variety at different location => Optimum is determined based on experimental
result at different locations
Spacing is determined on the
basis of:
1. Nature of growth of variety/clone
2. The amount and distribution of rain
3. Altitude
4. Character and richness of soil
5. Slope of the land
6. Financial consideration
7. Mechanization of cultural and
harvesting operations
8. Cropping system (Inter-cropping)
9. Pruning system
10. Prevalence of disease and pest
98
 Planting density
 Lower density favors greater individual productivity,

 where as with high density the individual yield falls

but the yield from the whole field is distinctly higher

 Experiments show that the first two years the yield/ha

can be low if wide spacing is practiced

o But if close spacing is practiced the yield obtained

the first two years and declines later on
99
 High planting density
Advantage:
The main advantage is that
closely planted tea covers the
ground quickly and more
completely. This has several
results:
 High yielding during the
younger stage
 Better protection of the soil
against erosion
 Reduces cost for weeding
 Less need to fill the gap
Disadvantages:
The main disadvantage of close
planting is growth suppression
Individual bushes have smaller
stems, fewer branches, as well as
smaller and shallower root
systems. This has several results:
 Lower yield during the later age
 Susceptible to drought
 Degrades quickly and require
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…

 Mix the soil with compost

 If plants were grown in plastic bags, always remove the
plastic bag before planting => thereafter, place in the hole

 After planting, the field should be mulched with cut grass,

leaves of green crops or trees, etc.
 The mulch should not touch the plant stems, because it
gets hot and can kill the tender stem tissues

 Young plants should be given partial shade from plantings

of green manure trees or other plants
103
 TEA

FIELD
MANAGEMENT
104
 1. Managing the seedling stage (Post planting care)
Mulching
 Mulching is covering of the
surface of the soil with any
available materials
o But it should not contain
reproductive parts like seed,
roots, rhizomes, stolons etc.
 After planting, the field should be
mulched with cut grass, leaves of
green crops, etc.
 The mulch should not touch the plant
stems, because it gets hot and can kill
Advantages
o Control soil erosion
o Maintain soil moisture
o Inhibits weed growth
o Adds OM to the soil
o Reduces leaf disease
o Increases P - absorption
Disadvantages
o Increases termite attack
o Increases root disease problem
o It is labor intensive 105
 Weed management
 The combination of Mulch and Cover crops will Control
many Weeds
– But during the Seedling stage, the plant must be carefully
protected from Weeds
 Weeding should be carried out often, to ensure that Weeds do
not produce Seeds and do not grow large enough to compete
with the plants

The best way is killing the weeds:

 Manual control, Mechanical action and
106
 Chemicals (Last option)
  Young plants should be given partial shade from
Watering plantings of green manure trees or other plants

 The combination of Mulch and Temporary Shade

will help manage soil moisture
o But during drought condition it may be necessary to
irrigate the seedlings, because,
– Seedlings are very sensitive to drought

Soil and water conservation activities

 Construct ridges and plant vetiver grass along the side
of the contour ridge in areas where the slope is greater
than 10% to retard runoff and control erosion 107
 Post planting care…

Replacement planting
 Seedlings can be killed by accident, wrong
transplanting, cutworms or other things -

 Therefore, infilling should accomplished in

the earliest possible time

Replacement should not be delayed because of

root competition and relative neglect 108
Fertilizing, Compost and Manure Managements
Compost and Manure
 Compost and Manure - Provide OM which
improves the structure of the soil, soil infiltration
and enrich the soil with microorganisms

 But the problem is that they require intensive

labor for preparation and application,

 Because they are required in larger amount

109
 The Main Advantage of Chemical Fertilizer is that it
has High Nutrient Content
 For example, almost Half the Weight of UREA is Nitrogen,
whereas Buffalo Manure has about 2% Nitrogen
 So, you only need to apply kilograms of chemical fertilizer per
hectare instead of tons per hectare of manure or compost
 For this reason, Chemical fertilizer is Easy to Transport
and Apply
But the disadvantage is, chemical fertilizer does not provide
any organic matter to your soil
The Best Strategy for Farmers probably is to use all three
(chemical fertilizer, manure, and compost), to benefit from
the advantages of each 110
Amendment
for soil Advantages Disadvantages
 The best source of beneficial  Requires 2-3 months to make.
Compost micro-organisms for soil.  Transport requires lots of labor
 Provides organic matter for soil. (low nutrient content, so must
transport large amounts ).
 Cheap and easy to make.

 Higher nutrient content than  Transport requires lots of labor

Farm yard compost. (although nutrient content is higher
manure  Provides organic matter for soil than compost, manure is heavy).
 Supply of manure is limited; not
enough for all farmers

 Easy to transport (the most  Does not provide organic matter

Chemical concentrated source of nutrients, for soil.
fertilizer so only need a small quantity).  Can burn young plants

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

 For most Farmers, both animal Manure and Compost

are available only in Small amounts
 Further, both are Heavy, and therefore requiring a lot of
116
Labor to carry Uphill and Apply
 Chemical fertilizer
 During the seedling stage, plants need Less chemical fertilizer
than in later growth stages
To decide on the amount of Chemical Fertilizers, use
the following three steps:
1. Choose a rate of nitrogen
– For the seedling stage, most books recommend between
30 - 120 kg of nitrogen per hectare
 For example, this is equivalent to between 65-261kg of Urea
per hectare, because only 46% of urea is nitrogen
– But, the exact amount to apply will depend on: your soil
fertility and your finances
Chemical fertilizer…
2. Once you have chosen a rate for nitrogen, use about
half that rate for phosphorous and potassium.
 For example, if you plan to apply 60 kg of nitrogen per
hectare (equivalent to 130 kg urea),
 then you should apply about 30 kg of phosphorous
and 30 kg of potassium per hectare

 But as for nitrogen, the exact amounts of phosphorous and

potassium will depend on your soil fertility & your finances
– As for nitrogen, consider doing an experiment to test
several different rates
Chemical fertilizer…
3. Once you have chosen the rates for the nutrients
(nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium),
 Calculate how much fertilizer you will need to supply
these rates
 The amount of fertilizer to apply will always be higher
than the rate of the nutrient,
– Because fertilizers contain other things in addition to the
nutrient (in other words, fertilizers are never 100% pure)
– Different fertilizers have different concentrations
– Always check the label of the fertilizer to see how
 What method should you use to apply fertilizers?
 Fertilizers should always be applied during the rainy season
and when the tea plants have plenty of leaves
 Divide the total quantity to be applied among 2 to 4 application
dates during the rainy season (from March to October)

 Fertilizer should never be applied Right After Pruning, Because

Leafless plants cannot absorb nutrients from the soil
 Fertilizer that is absorbed by one root only reaches particular
branches of the tea bush - - -
 So, if you apply fertilizer only on one side of the root system,
some branches of the bush will not receive the full benefit 120
 What method should you use to apply fertilizers?...
 Young trees must be fertilized very judiciously since their roots
could easily be burnt
 For young plants, Fertilizer should be applied in a Ring around
each plant, but not touching the stem
 Once plants have formed a hedge, apply on the sides of the hedge and also
in the spaces inside the hedge

Some experts recommend Burying fertilizer in the soil to reduce

losses from run-off
– But, this requires more labor, and Some studies show that burying
fertilizer does not increase absorption by the plant
 If you do Bury fertilizer, be careful not to damage the delicate feeder roots
121
that are concentrated in the top few centimeters of the soil
 2. Managing the branch formation stage
Mulching
• It is equally important both for seedling and branch formation stage
 If it is impossible to have enough mulch cover the soil, it is
advisable to plant green manure plants between rows
Green manure plants between rows
 Until the leaves of neighboring tea bushes are touching, you can
continue to grow temporary cover crops between the rows of tea
 Green manure plants should be pruned several times each year if they show
excess growth and the pruned branches left on the ground as green manure.
 During the branch formation stage, there is still time to plant permanent
shade trees within the rows of tea to provide shade and green manure once
the tea reaches the commercial stage 122
 Water management
 Mulching and Shade trees can prevent water loss, so
o at this stage watering for larger scale production is
not required
 Irrigate only if there is availability of irrigation water

Fertilizer, compost and manure application

– 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

 Pruning young tea should be done at correct time

It is recommended to be done before the dry season =>
 as it reduces the bush’s demand for water and
124
 Tea plants grown from seedlings require three
formative pruning:
– 1st = at 12- 15cm above the ground
– 2nd = at 30- 35cm above the ground
– 3rd = at 40- 45cm above the ground

 Whereas those grown from cuttings need only

two formative pruning:
– 1st pruning cut the main stem at 25cm and the side
branches at 40cm above the ground
– 2nd pruning both at 45 cm above the ground time of
pruning December to January 125
 Plucking
 Do not pluck during year 1
 During year 2, tea still needs leaves to produce energy to grow branches
– Therefore, only do light plucking and only pluck during the flushing period,
when the tea is growing rapidly (usually June-September)
 Avoid early and heavy plucking
 Plucking must not start until the tea plant has grown enough shoots and leaves to
restock its reserves of energy
– Therefore, wait until new shoots have grown 20-30 cm above the level of pruning
(usually by early April)
• This is called the “tipping level”
• Then, use your fingers to break off the new shoots at the tipping level =>
This is called “tipping”, and
 “tipping” has 2 purposes:
1. To create a flat canopy (called the “plucking table”) parallel to the slope, and
2. To cause the buds on the sides of the shoots to open, so the bush will grow many126
more
 3. Managing the commercial stage
Mulching
• As for branch formation stage but not mandatory
Shade trees within rows
• Once tea enters commercial stage, it is necessary to remove most
cover crops or green manure plants from between rows,
 so that pickers can walk easily
– Leave no more than one row of green-manure plants for
every four rows of tea
 Therefore, green manure must now come from leaves carried in from
outside, or from shade trees planted within the tea rows

127
Weed management
• By now, the tea canopy has closed,
– so weeds within the tea hedges are less of a problem

• You should still keep a weed-free band on each side of

the hedge /a beat around the bush and Between the hedges
 Weeds should be low enough to allow the pluckers
to walk easily

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

– However, some nutrients must be applied in

special soluble forms -
 In other words, it is not always possible to spray the
ordinary fertilizers that you would apply to the soil
130
 Some advantages of foliar fertilizers:
• Rapidly absorbed (within hours, instead of within days or
weeks if applied to soil)
– Therefore, foliar fertilizers are the best way of curing the
symptoms of nutrient deficiencies; especially deficiencies of
micro-nutrients.
• Not dependent on soil conditions
– In contrast, fertilizers applied to soil may not be absorbed if soil
is too dry, or if soil has high concentrations of other nutrients, or
if soil pH is too extreme.
• Serve as a form of irrigation
– The water used to apply foliar fertilizers can, itself, benefit the
131
plants.
 Some disadvantages of foliar fertilizers:
• Can be expensive (commercial foliar fertilizers)
• Absorption is low if plants are drought-stressed
 Absorption is through pores (“stomata”) on the
bottoms of leaves
 On hot sunny days, and especially if plants need
water, these pores can be closed

• Application requires water, and requires more labor

than scattering fertilizer on the soil 132
Plucking
 Reduces insect pest
 Activates the growing stages
• Plucking depends on the time of day and type of weather:
– Time in the morning = there is high catchens content
– Weather type = not during rainy season
• If leaves are finely plucked, the frequency will be every 5 – 7 days
during the flush period
– In all the other cases plucking will be less flush
• Plucking frequency depends on types of plucking:
 Fine/ coarse or Light / hard
– Fine plucking = harvesting of bud + two leaves
– Coarse plucking = harvesting of bud + more than two leaves
– Light plucking = removing leaves above the plucking table
133
–
Pruning
During the commercial stage, the purposes of pruning are:
1. To encourage tea trees to grow plenty of new leaves,
– instead of shifting into reproductive growth stage (producing
flowers and fruits)
2. To increase the number and size of growing buds
3. To keep the frame of the tea bush within easy reaches of the pickers
4. To replace old and diseased branches with strong, healthy ones
How often should you prune?
 Note that, once the tea has reached commercial stage,
 the schedule for pruning is the same for bushes grown from
seeds or from cuttings 134
 Pruning
 Pruning: - is the artificial
removal of the leaf bearing
branches of the plant

– It is the imparting of
a re-growth stimulus
imparting = give a quality to

 Pruning is the operation aimed at keeping the size and vegetative

vigour of the plant in a condition most conducive for maximum
vegetative growth and cropping
 Pruning, generally, is a practice involving the judicious removal
of plant parts, dead or diseased branches and any redundant
branches according to the objective in view
 In Tea- agronomic practice (Pruning) influence yield and dry
matter production (favorable partitioning)
Pruning:
 Shapes the plant
 Maintain the vegetative growth
 so as to encourage a fresh supply of new shoots and
increase yields
Pruning removes a large percentage of the leaves, which
 Considerably reduces the plant’s ability to produce the
nutrients needed for its development
 Disturbs the balance between shoot and root growth
o After pruning, new shoots develop to the detriment of the plant’s
nutrient supplies, particularly the starch in the roots
o The recovery of tea bush from pruning - depends upon Health of
the bushes - (in terms of Root Carbohydrates)
 Pruning in tea production – is one of the most important
operations, next to plucking, directly determines the
productivity of tea bushes
It is a necessary practice that it has to be carried out periodically
in spite of the huge crop loss it results [Regular pruning is essential in
tea cultivation]

 If pruning is delayed, (as the age of wood from pruning

increases),
– The size and weight of growing shoots on plucking surface
decreases
– High density of banji shoots on plucking table
– More and more buds fail to grow (loss of vigor of growing apices)

 A variety of pruning systems and intervals are practiced,

depending on the site and plucking system
Pruning - The objectives are:
– To renew the wood
– To provide stimulus for vegetative growth
– To divert stored energy to production of growing shoots
– To correct past defects in bush architecture
– To maintain ideal frame height for economic plucking
– To improve bush hygiene
– To reduce the incidence of pests and diseases
– To regulate the crop

In Tea - different pruning systems are performed at

different growth stages:
Young plant pruning
138
Mature plant pruning
 Pruning of Young Plants
(The “Formative” Pruning)
 The young tea bushes are cut back quite early, in order to achieve the broad
shape of bush which is desired => This can be done by:
 Pruning - Cutting back is repeated many times, in order to achieve
many shoots, giving a dense cover of leaves
 “Pegging” - artificially bending the branches down accelerates this
process
Three pruning operations in the young tea plants:
– 1st formative prune (De-centering) - removal of growing points at the top
Objectives:
 To suppress centrally dominating apical growth
 Distribute vigor for even radial spread
– 2nd formative pruning -
– Final/ frame formation prune -
Objective:
1st Formative Pruning (De-centering)
 Is Nursery/ early field pruning
The primary focus of nursery and early field pruning is - to
induce branching and the formation of a bush with a wide
and flat top surface
o Young tea plants showed growth inhibition => Due to
apical dominance

De-centering of young tea plants:

 Removes apical meristem and help dormant buds to grow out
 Promote an early spread
 Allow the formation of a bush with a wide and flat top
surface
 1st formative pruning (Centering) is done when - The main stem
diameter is at least 7mm and height of the plant is at least 70cm.
– For plants grown from cuttings this is usually at the end of Year 1
or the beginning of Year 2.
– For plants grown from seeds this is normally one year later.

 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 2: A second2nd formative pruning is done one year later,

at a height of 45cm (adapted from Bonheure 1990)
 Final/ frame formation prune

 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

The main purpose of light pruning is to -

Renew the wood,
Regulate the distribution of new shoots,
Reduce pests and diseases, and
Maintain a good frame height. 145
• The time period between one light pruning year
and the next is called pruning cycle

The length of a pruning cycle depends on:

the climate of the growing area,
the planting material used, and
the plucking method

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.

 Maintenance pruning : is done when the plucking

table gradually broadens and rises - lowers the plucking
table for continued ease of plucking,

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

• Height Reduction Pruning

– is done by bringing down the height to 60–70 cm above the ground
• Medium Pruning
– reduces the height of the bush to 45–50 cm above the ground.
– After these treatments, plants are brought back to the normal pruning cycle
• Heavy pruning
– is done at 15–45 cm above ground level for complete rejuvenation of the tea
bush.
• Collar pruning
– a more severe measure, removes all above ground parts, leaving only 10 cm
or less of trunk. 148
–
 When to go for heavy prune?
• Only those sections, which show potential for improving after the
prune, should be considered for heavy prune.
 Some of the important criteria for judging the suitability to
go for heavy prune are as follows:
– The section should not be affected by primary root diseases and
insects.
– There should be scope for immediate improvement of drainage in
the area.
– Vacancy should not be normally more than 30 per cent.
– Bushes show a steady decline in yield over the last 5 years or so.
– Recovery potential should be good.
• It is essential to build up enough starch reserves by giving
adequate rest prior to pruning. 149
 “Resting the bush”
• For Light Pruning,
– There is no need of a period without plucking (“resting the
bush”) before pruning.
– However, very weak bushes (with poor vigor) should be
rested starting 3 weeks before pruning.

• For Medium Pruning,

– the bushes should be rested 5–8 weeks before pruning.

• For Heavy Pruning,

– additional doses of phosphate and potassium should be
given.
150
Time of pruning
• The best time for pruning depends on:
– local weather conditions and therefore varies from district
to district
 The time of pruning can have a significant effect on the
recovery of bushes after pruning
o Therefore, pruning should be undertaken:
when root reserves are high,
after a few showers and
when there is sufficient soil moisture, although it will
involve some loss of crop

 Also, the timing should be such that tipping-in is completed and

151
field back in production for the heavy flush.
Time of pruning…
• A tea field that has gone through a heavy cropping period (rush
crop period) is in state of “exhaustion”
– If the field is pruned soon after such a heavy cropping period,
the recovery can be affected even further
 One should never attempt to prune a field soon after such a
heavy cropping phase  Farmers should prune every
2-6 years depending on:
 Failure to adhere to the above  recommendations
the climate,
 the tea variety, and
may result in:
 the type of plucking (fish
 Occurrence of more bush deaths; leaf, first leaf, etc.)

 Lower response to applied Nitrogen;

 Higher crop loss due to thrips attack; and
152

 The following is the recommendation
Light pruning of the Tea Research Institute:
 At the end of Year 4,
– the final formation pruning is carried out to shape the main frame of
large branches
– The bush is pruned 40-45 cm above the ground
 At the end of Year 5 and 6
– the green wood is cut at a height of 5 cm above the height of the previous
pruning
 For example,
– if at the end of Year 4 it was pruned to 40 cm,
– then in Year 5 it should be pruned to 45 cm and
– at the end of Year 6 it should be pruned to 50 cm.
 At the end of each year (from 7th to 11th year), the green wood should be cut 3 cm
higher than the previous year (for example, 53 cm, then 56 cm, etc.)
 Each year, any branches at the base of the main stem should again be pruned
 When the frame of the tea bush reaches a height of 70 cm (approximately Year
153
 After years of this light annual pruning, you will start to notice the following
problems:
– Tea bushes have grown so tall that they are out of reach of the pickers
– Crown buds are abundant, but are very small
– Tea yields are declining
 When this occurs, tea should be given a medium pruning:
– The tree should be pruned at 55-60 cm above the ground
– Some major branches should be cut to stimulate dormant buds to produce new branches for
a healthier and younger canopy
– Especially, branches that are dead, diseased, or crossing should be removed
– The following years, return to light pruning
 After many years of light and medium pruning, tea often becomes somewhat
degraded and weak
– Tea branches have many bends and kinks (are not straight), and there are a number of rotten
buds.
– When this occurs, tea should be pruned heavily 40-45 cm above the ground.
 After heavy pruning, tea must be carefully tended until it recovers
– Even with good tending, yields often drop for 1-2 years after heavy pruning 154
–
 Tea Nutrition and Fertilizer Management
In tea plant, the young leaves – constitutes the yield
 Active growing parts - the most nutrient demanding
The continual plucking removes a large amount of
nutrients
 For each 1,000 kg tea leaves, the equivalent taken away is:
 => 45–65 kg N, => 5–15 kg P205, and => 20–35 kg K2O

The regular pruning of the tea bushes also removes

large quantities of nutrients
 The application as organic and/or inorganic fertilizers in
tea production is, recommended annually for sustained
high yield and quality of the crop 155
• Like any other crop, tea also requires N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn,
Mn, B, S and Cl…
Fertilizer Rates depend on:
 The age of the bushes, pruning cycle,
 Yield, and soil fertility
 Fertilizer recommendations vary widely for different tea
growing regions of the world
Field trials are useful to develop recommendations for new
tea regions
Periodic analysis of leaf tissue nutrients should be carried
out to monitor the health of the plants
– N - during the first 5–6 years of growth, tea plants needs 40–200 kg/ha/year
– Applications of P and K are normally given at 50% of the amount of N applied however
where there is a severe deficiency of P or K, in higher amounts 156
 During the commercial stage, the tea plants require more
nitrogen than in previous stages
– Most recommendations are in the range of 80–300 kg/ha/year
 but the exact amount of nitrogen also depends on how much
tea is harvested
– As an approximate guide, use about 20–25 kg of nitrogen for
each ton of fresh tea leaves harvested
 In Ethiopia, the existing tea farms are using compound NPK
fertilizer -
 150 Kg Nitrogen per hectare per year on 13888 tree base for
tea bushes which are 4 and above years old
 The recommendations adopted from Kenya and applied
under all environments, regardless of the prevailing soil
and climatic variations in different agro-ecologies 157
 Nitrogen
• is uniquely important for tea in
achieving optimum green leaf and
high quality product
– it is positively correlated with quality
determining constituents such as:
• polyphenols and free amino
acids (theanine)
– It accounted 4 – 5% of the dry
weight of the harvested shoot of tea
– However, better response to N
obtained with balanced application of
P and K
Nitrogen deficiency -
 retarded shoot growth
• The N dose is decided based on the  yellowing of younger
OM status and yield leaves. 158
 Phosphorus
• It is an essential part of nucleoprotein, chloroplast,
mitochondria, sugar phosphate, phosphatids and phospholipids
that carry the inheritance characteristics of living organism
• Play role in cell division, capturing photosyntetically active
radiation, storage and transformation of energy, stimulation
of enzymatic reaction within the living cells
– Besides it stimulates new wood and early root growth.

 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

• This combination of problems is often called degraded tea

– Sometimes the name "ageing tea“ is used.
– However, the problem is probably caused more by bad management than by
actual age.
– This is shown by the fact that some plantations planted in 1958 are still 164
healthy and productive.
 Degraded tea can be managed with a combination of
practices, called rejuvenation,
– which can stop the deterioration and improve the yielding
capacity of a degraded field.

 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
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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
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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