Cultivation Practices of Tea.

Overall agronomy practices and processing and post handling process.

1. TEA SN:- Camellia sinesis Family:-Camelliaceae

2. Introduction Tea is a refreshing and aromatic drink made steeping the leaves of  Camellia sinensis  in hot water. Tea  contains 4 substances that have stimulatory effects on your brain. The most well-known is caffeine, a potent stimulant that you can also get from coffee and soft drinks. Tea also contains two substances related to caffeine: theobromine and theophylline . Believed to have been discovered in 2737 BCE by Chinese sage/emperor Shennong, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.  Diploid chromosome number . Non alcoholic beverage .

3. Botanical Classification Kingdom : Plantae Division: Magnoliophyte Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Family: Theaceae Genus: Camellia Species: Camellia sinesis

4. Uses As a beverage: Tea contains alkaloids called thein ( 2 to 5 %) which is a caffeinaceus alkaloid relieving body fatigue. However, excessive tea drinking is harmful to our digestive systems. Polyphenols present in tea reduces blood cholesterol and cures hepatitis, hypertension, stone formation etc. (Heart attack is due to cholesterol + triglycerides which is a saturated fatty acid) Medicinal properties: Black tea (a fully fermented tea) is anti ulceric and ant carcinogenic in nature . Contains less caffeine than coffee.

5. Uses Packed with antioxidant. Fight cancer. Burns fat and help in weight loss. Prevent heart disease and stroke. Slow memory lose. Boost immune system. Relieves stress and keep your smile bright. Corrects digestive issues. Lower blood pressure. Contain Polyphenyl pigment which reduce cholesterol of body.

6. Origin and Distribution Tea plants are native to East Asia, and probably originated in the borderlands of north Burma and southwestern China. Country of origin:  China The region from South East China (Szechwan-Yunnan) to Assam (India) has been reported as the centre of origin of the tea plant . It is distributed almost 93% in developing countries. Nepali tea is made from the leaves of the tea plants which are distinctive in appearance aroma and taste but are similar in tea producing in Darjelling due to the similar in belts of Darjelling and Nepal tea growing region i.e. western part (Illam ). Asia = 86 % of area and Africa =8 % of total area (during 1986 %). India produces nearly 30 % of world tea production followed by China (22 %) and Sri Lanka (8%).

7. Area and Production in Nepal Year Area ( ha) Production( mt) 2071/72 19271 21394 72/73 20165 23187 73/74 28241 24409

8. Different features of Assam and Orthodox Tea Features Assam tea( Camellia sinenis var. assamica) Orthodox tea( Camellia sinensis var. sinensis ) Stature Tree Shrub/bush Branches and growth rate Few robust branches and quick growing Abundant branches slow growing Leaves Large(15-20 cm long) and glossy and less serrated Small(4-10 cm long), leathery and more serrated Yield High yield Low  yield Susceptibility to drought and frost Susceptible Hardy and resistant (Winger hardy) Economic life Less ( 40 years) More (Over 100 years)

9. Variety Varieties grown in Nepal. CTC tea Orthodox tea TV series 1-30, Hilika, Manchari, Tinauli, Nagarjuli, etc. Gumti, Selection, Takda-78, Takda-125, Takda-78, Ambari-2, etc. Assam tea Orthodox tea

10. Climate Tea is a subtropical species . Tea prefers a  climate  which is moist, warm and winter is not too cold. Optimum temp.=16-32 degree celsius. Temp. ranging from 10-38 degree celsius. 1800-2000 m altitude. 1500-2500 mm rainfall. Critical day length for vegetative growth = 10.5 hours . Humidity = 80% Frost causes adverse effect on tea bush, especially in the ravines.

11. Soil It prefers soils rich in organic matter with well drained situation where forest land and deep loam rich in organic matter is very ideal for production of tea. Tea is a calcifuge and an aluminium accumulator. Performance of tea in soils with higher Ca is not satisfactory. It grows on soils which are generally rich in iron and manganese . pH=4-5.(Acidic)

12. Planting material and plant propagation in tea Seed  propagation:- Seed is convenient to use as planting material in tea. Till today tea is generally propagated from seed. But during recent years to use of high yielding clonal material = Hence Vegetative propagation. Tea is out breeding, and will not produce true seeds because of sterility. Genetically it is heterogeneous for potential yield, disease resistance and manufacturing quality.

13. Planting material and plant propagation in tea Vegetative  propagation Different vegetative propagation methods can be adopted in tea:- 1 ) By budding 2) By grafting on rootstocks 3) By layering 4) By cutting = popular method of vegetative propagation. Vegetative propagation by budding, grafting or by layering are too labourious to adopt. Commonly practiced propagation in tea is Cleft grafting.(6-8 months).

14. Land preparation Prior to planting of tea the land must be cleared of existing growth, be it old tea, jungle or bare land. This is followed by deep forking the land to the depth of 18” to 24” by which all old roots and stones are removed and the land levelled. Prevent water logging. If necessary burning is done away from the planting site. Tea bushes will be having an economical life of over 40 years. While selecting sites following precautions should be taken:- 1 ) Sloppy land or hilly terrains or jungles: Take adequate soil conservation measures to protect soil erosion and also moisture conservation. 2) Soil :- Acidic soil with adequate depth, good drainage etc. 3) Temporary shade trees: Shade has to be provided for young developing plants.

15. Transplanting and Spacing Transplanted in pre-monsoon and late-monsoon or during low rainfall. For 1 ha land, 14000-16000 seedlings are required. Spacing:- Orthodox tea=0.6*0.4 m (60*40 cm) CTC tea=0.9*0.6 m (90*60 cm) High density planting spacing=0.5*0.4 m (50*40 cm).

16. Methods of Planting Single Hedge System:- In this method, the spacing adopted is 1.20 x 0.75 m accommodating 10,800 plants/ha. Double Hedge System:- In this method, the spacing adopted is 1.35 x 0.75 x 0.75 m accommodating 13,200 plants/ha.

17. Fertilizer and Manuring RDF =60:30:30 NPK kg/ha. Zinc sulphate should be applied within 7 - 14 days after ground fertilizer application. If deficiency symptoms of nitrogen (general yellowing) are observed, apply 2 to 4% of urea. Apply 8 to 16 kg of urea per ha in 400 l of water, as and when necessary. Manuring  of tea enhances vegetative growth for the harvest of tender tea leaves without affecting bush health and the reproductive phase. Manuring is contributing 17-24 per cent of the total inputs used for tea cultivation; hence, it should be used judiciously.

18. Intercultural Operation Training and Pruning in Tea:- Normally tea bushes are established within a month after planting. Within a period of 12 to 18 months they reach a height of 60 – 75 cm (Field plucking stage) and after this stage pruning is taken up. Pruning operations for bush formation Water participates directly in many metabolic processes. Inter-conversion of carbohydrates and organic acids depend upon hydrolysis and condensation reactions. Water increases the rate of respiration. Seeds respire fast in the presence of water . (TBC……)

19. Intercultural Operation Water is the source of hydrogen atom for the reduction of CO2 in the reaction of photosynthesis. Water acts as a solvent and acts as a carrier for many substance. It forms the medium in which several reactions take place. Water present in the vacuoles helps in maintaining the turgidity of the cells which is a must for proper activities of life and to maintain the form and structure. Water helps in translocation of solutes. In tropical plants, water plays a very important role of thermal regulation against high temperature. The elongation phase of cell growth depends on absorption of water.

20. Intercultural Operation Purpose of Pruning in tea:- 1) Space utilization. 2) To induce vigor in growth/ to maintain plants permanently in vegetative phase. 3) To maintain the height of the plucking table. 4) To remove interlaced (criss cross) branches, dead, diseased, knots and over aged wood . 5) To create congenial microclimate within the plant. 6) To maintain a balanced number of branches and sufficient volume of mature foliage to meet the physiological needs of the plant . (TBC…….)

21. Intercultural Operation 7) Drought tolerance. 8) Maintaining the quality of tea. 9) To minimize pest and disease attack on tea bush.  10) To pluck maximum number of tea shoots/ leaves from convenient height.

22. Intercultural Operation Plucking:- Picking of young tea shoots having two to three leaves and soft dormant shoots (banjhi) is known as plucking .  Plucking is the most labour intensive field operation in tea plantations. Hence, the profitability of tea plantations depends to a large extent on the harvesting policies. Newly grown vegetative shoots. 1st leaf (28% tannin ). 2ndleaf (21% tannin). 3rd leaf (14% tannin ). Bud (25% tannin ).

23. Harvesting A.  Darjeeling and Nepal :- Here the tea has three major flushes which are: First or spring flush from mid-March to May and the teas are clear, light and aromatic, Second or summer flush from June to mid-August and the teas come with dark color and strong flavor, and Third or autumn flush from October to November and the teas come with full body, coppery color and lighter flavor. This product commands the least market price compared to the first two.

24. Harvesting B.  Assam :- Assam is the single biggest tea producing region in the world. Here the planters harvest the tea leaves from March to Mid-November. Though there are four flushes or seasons for Assam tea, you will get the better quality tea on the first two flushes. The first flush or the spring flush starts in late March . The second flush occurs during end of May to June. This season produces the best quality tea leaves with gold tips, the raw material for the prized “tippy tea ”. (TBC…….)

25. Harvesting The teas produced during the second flush are maltier, sweeter and more full-bodied compared to any other tea produced during the year. The Monsoon flush arrives on the back of monsoon rains. It begins immediately after the second flush and continues up to the end of September.

26. Processing Withering / Wilting:- The tea leaves begin to wilt soon after picking. Withering is used to remove excess water from the leaves and allows a very slight amount of oxidation. The leaves can be either put under the sun or left in a cool breezy room to pull moisture out from the leaves. The process is important in promoting the breakdown of leaf proteins into free amino acids.

27. Processing Rolling / Disrupting:- The tea leaves are bruised or torn to promote and quicken oxidation. The leaves may be lightly bruised on their edges by shaking and tossing in a bamboo tray or trumbling in baskets. More extensive leaf disruption can be done by machinery. The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into wrinkled strips, by hand or using a rolling machine which causes the tea to wrap around itself. This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential oils, and juices inside the leaves to ooze out, which further enhances the taste of the tea.

28. Processing Oxidation/ Fermentation:- For teas that require oxidation, the leaves are left on their own in a climate-controlled room where they turn progressively darker. This is accompanied by agitation in some cases. Oxidation occurs during the manufacture of white, oolong, and black teas. Green and yellow teas are prevented from oxidizing by steaming, drying and/ or by frying techniques. During the manufacturing of tea, both spontaneous and controlled oxidation occurs.

29. Processing Oxidation in tea manufacture officially begins during the withering stage as spontaneous oxidation then accelerates gradually during the subsequent steps necessary to transform fresh leaf into finish black tea. Fixation:- It is done to stop the leaf oxidation at a desired level. This process is accomplished by moderately heating the leaves, thus deactivating their oxidative enzyme.

30. Processing Drying:- Drying is done to finish the tea for sale. This can be done by panning, sunning, air drying, or baking. The drying of the produced tea is responsible for many new flavour compounds particularly important in green teas . Moisture is reduced to about 4%. Cleaning and grading:- Fibre and grade tea are pass through different sized meshes Mainly there are four different main size :- 1) Whole leaf 2) Brokens 3) Fanning’s 4) Dust

31. Processing Some teas require additional aging, secondary fermentation, or baking to reach their drinking potential. Packaging:- After cleaning and drying they are passed through fibre separating machine in which different size of meshes separate the different sizes then they are graded and packed in different size.

32. Thank You !!!!!!!!!!!!! Presented By:- Presented To:- Suman Ghimire Mr. Atish Pandit Suman Bhandari Subodh Poudel Shushma Poudel Sulochana Poudel Srijana Chaudhari