TEA 4.

Aids in digestion
5. Hydrating to the body
INTRODUCTION

 Tea is the most popular beverage

consumed all over the world
(consumed by 65% of the world
populations).
 They are perennial trees or shrub
crops that can remain
economically viable on the same
land for more than 100 years after
planting
 It was discovered in china about CLIMATE CONDITION
5000 years ago.
Temperature:
 Consumed as medical and
beverage - 18 - 20°C Highland tea (Highest
 In recent years its consumption is quality tea is produced in cool
much higher due to its preventive climates)
effects against certain human - 22 - 35°C – Lowland tea
disease - > 30°C, yield increase (abundance
of new shoots BUT the quality
MORPHOLOGY
decreased)
 An evergreen or semi-evergreen - < 22°C, yield decrease (lack of
tree with large number of branches new shoots BUT the quality
 The height (17 m tall in wild but in increased
commercial production, ▪ Average daily amount of sunshine: 4
is about 0.6 – 1.5m) as it is pruned hours/day
for young leaves
 Leaves appear to be glossy dark ▪ Annual rainfall: 1,000 – 1,375 mm/year
green elongate ovate, roughly
▪ Optimum at 2,000 – 2,200 mm
serrate, coreacious, alternate and
distributed evenly throughout the year
short-petiole.
 There are dark and light foliage ▪ Higher rainfall causes erosion especially
types on steep slopes ▪ Relative humidity: 70 –
 Lighter leaf usually produce darker 90
infusion but dark leaves have
TOPOGRAPHY
greater flavor and astringency
 Flowers bear numerous stamen ▪ Tea is grown in altitude range of 1,500 -
with yellow anther and produce 2,200 m asl.
brownish red capsules.
▪ At low elevation, yields will increase but
 Fruit is a flattened, smooth,
the quality (tea flavour) will also decreases
rounded trigonous three celled
capsule, seed solitary in each with ▪ Cameron Highlands: 1,200 – 1,500 m
small nut asl., temperature 18 – 21°C, rainfall 2,540
mm/year DROUGHT, WINDY REGIONS
BENEFIT
▪ In regions with extensive dry seasons,
1. Anti-oxidant
shading trees could provide maintenance
2. Less caffein
of sufficient humidity
3. Calorie free
 ▪ Additionally, tea plantations in windy Assam (Dhonjan), Manipuri
regions should also be protected by (Dangri), Burma & Lushai
windbreaks to reduce the intensity of - Economic life = 40 years
evapo-transpiration
SOIL PREPARATION
Medium used is more important than
the frequency of watering when
combined with the right amount of
shade
▪ Two best media consisted of (1:1)
course river sand and either
weathered peat or jungle soil
▪ Rooting media by using sawdust give
the highest percentage of germination
VARIETIES (JAT)
▪ Cattle manure is avoided as they
JAT = terminology in tea cultivation that
may shown the incidence of diseases
refer to the origin of the plant material
• When tea is to be cultivated on
1. Indo Jat
terraces, the soil should be protected
- Originated from Cambodia
against drying out by green manure
- Single stem shrub plant. Height (5
leguminous plants (such as Crotalaria
m) anagyroides)
- Leaves: 7.5 cm length, no clear
apex, shiny, smooth • New tea plantations, especially those
2. China Jat planted on slopes, are at the greatest
- Originated from China risk of erosion taking place, which will
- China tea (C. sinensis var. lead to soil degradation and nutrient
sinensis) is especially suited to losses – Guatemala grass to be
hilly regions planted
- Resistant to drought
SHADE
- as low tolerance of shade
- Multiple stem shrub plant. Height - Dara Tea Plantation & Boh
= 2.75 m Bukit Cheeding (lowland teas)
- Young branches produced and use oil palm as shade
maintained - Albizzia moluccana - planted at
- Leaves: 6.5 cm length, no clear 24 m x 12 m
apex, shiny, erect on stem - Gliricidia maculata - Planted at
3. Assam Jat 5mx5m
- Originated from India - Lowland tea may not need
- Single stem shrub plant. Height = 6 shade trees but can be
– 18 m compensated by higher
- C. sinensis var. assamica is a planting density
purely tropical crop
- Fast growing tall trees, requiring PLANTING DISTANCE & DENSITY
high temperature - Rooted cuttings (in polybag) are
- Has high tolerance of shade transplanted to field after 3 years
- There are 5 popular cultivars e.g. - Highland tea: 1.2 m x 0.9 m which
Light Leafed Assam, Dark Leafed give 9,200 shrubs/ha
 - Lowland tea: 1.0 m x 1.0 m which  Cultural control: Grow tea with
give 10,000 shrubs/ha adequate spacing to permit air to
- Each shrubs could produce 200 - circulate and reduce humidity and
300 g leaves/year the duration of leaf wetness
Twig dieback, stem canker caused by
Macrophoma theicola
 The fungus enters in the bush
frame through wounds
PEST AND DISEASE  Bark of affected plants split, as the
disease proceeds down to the
 Tea mosquito bug (Heliopeltis frame from point of infection
bradyi & H. cinchonae)  Fungus slowly and gradually
- Transparent spots that gradually extended down and kills the
turn to pale brown branches one by one and reaches
- The leaf shrivels and dries up from the collar region
the tip/edges  Affected woods turns yellowish,
- Attacked bushes produce no soft and decays
flushes at all
- Attacked the quality of ‘made tea’ CONTROL
- Caused by the nymphs & adults  Chemical control: Cuts and
sucking sap from young leaves, wounds should be smooth off with
buds & young stalks sharp knife and painted with
CONTROL caustic wash solution or copper
fungicide or Bordeaux mixture
 Biological control: use of parasitoid  Cultural control: Removal of all
fringed winged wasp Erythremelus dead wood from the bush at each
helopeltidis which lays its eggs into pruning. Infected woods should be
the fertilized eggs of H. cinchonae collected separately during pruning
 Chemical control: spraying with and should be removed/burnt
DDT, BHC or Dieldrex
 Cultural control: proper pruning, HARVESTING
good sanitation practices DURATION & SYSTEM EMPLOYED
Blister blight desease (Exobasidium  Plants propagated from stem
vexans) cuttings can be harvested after 2
 Most common tea disease years of planting
 Appears as small, pale green, pale  Seeds: 4 – 5 years after field
yellow, deep red circular spots on planting
young leaves  Harvesting in tea cultivation
 In 5 – 6 days, the spots enlarge referred as ‘plucking’
and become sunken  Plucking is done by hand.
 Made by fungus (active in Generally women are employed for
humidity) plucking
 With correct plucking the plucking
CONTROL table rises some 10 cm every year
 Chemical control: Spraying with There are 4 types of plucking:
copper base fungicide e.g. copper
oxychloride 0.2% 1. Fine - plucking 1 or 2 leaves and a
bud. A stick is placed on the tea
 table and shoots above it are availability of oxygen and
picked (two leaves and a bud) fermenting availability of
2. Coarse - removal of 3 or more the tea flush
leaves and a bud 4) Drying & firing
3. Light - leaving some new foliage - To check fermentation by
above the previous plucking level the removal of the moisture
4. Hard - shoots are plucked right from the leaf up to 3% in
down to the previous plucking order to improve the
keeping quality of tea
5) Sorting & grading
HARVESTING TEA - To separate the tea particles
into various shapes and sizes
 Hand plucking: Once every 10 conforming to trade
days requirements
 Shears plucking: Once every 12 –
14 day
TYPE OF PROCESSED TEA

 Leaves are processed & prepared

in several ways to produce
different type of tea products (dried
tea)
 Four main types of dried tea are: 1)
Black tea - fermented tea
2) Green tea - low volume, high
quality, not fermented but heated
first
3) Oolong tea – partially/ semi
fermented
4) White tea - has not undergone
any fermentation
TEA PROCESSING
1) Withering
- The objective is to remove
the fresh leaf moisture from
75% - 80% to 50% and also
to trigger several important
biochemical reactions
2) Rolling
- Withered leaves are either
put in the rollers or
rotovates to roll down &
break the withered tea
leaves
3) Fermentation/ oxidative process
- Fermentation period varies
from 2 - 4 hours depending
on the type of leaf, degree
of wither, temperature,