Impact of Climate on Tea Production: A Study of the Dooars Region in India

Abstract

The Dooars region of West Bengal in India is a major tea producing region that contributes around 25% of the national tea yield. Changes in weather patterns along with the increased frequency of drought, storms, flood, etc. are likely to affect the tea industry adversely as tea production is reliant on the climate of the tea-growing region. In spite of the tea industry being the primary contributor of the Dooars economy, to date, the impact of climatic variables on tea yield in Dooars region remains unexplored. Here, we have developed a panel dataset that includes monthly data of the tea gardens of Dooars region over a 10-year period and statistically analysed the effects of climatic variables including temperature, precipitation, drought intensity, magnitude of warm-wet condition and precipitation intensity on tea yield. Overall, our seasonal analysis suggested that higher temperature during summer and monsoon seasons affected tea yield. Contrastingly, higher temperature during winter months and summer and winter rainfall were found to be beneficial for the increase in tea yield. An excessive and sporadic rainfall and a combination of hotter and wetter weather condition during monsoon months had a detrimental effect on tea yield. Finally, projections using climate models under different emission scenario predicted reduction of monsoon production under extreme carbon emission. The analyses and predictions of our study will be beneficial for tea garden managers of Dooars region in particular and northern India in general in adopting strategies to prevent the tea plantations from being affected due to climate change.

Assessing Predictive Models for Tea Yield: A Statistical and Machine Learning Approach in Assam's Biswanath Chariali District

“…The tropical climate of Assam, characterized by high precipitation and temperatures up to 36°C during the monsoon, creates ideal conditions for tea cultivation, contributing to the region's unique malty flavor [1]. Climate change poses challenges such as prolonged droughts, extreme temperatures, and increased pest infestations, affecting tea production in Assam and other regions like Dooars in West Bengal [2][3][4]. Adaptive strategies like rainwater harvesting, afforestation, and using climate-resistant cultivars are being adopted by tea growers to mitigate these impacts and ensure sustainable production [5].…”

Estimation of Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient of Rain-Fed Tea Plants under a Subtropical Climate

“…As a perennial evergreen plant originated from Southwestern China, tea plants (Camellia sinensis) favor a warm and humid climate [1]. However, to meet the water demand of tea tree growth, the temporal distribution of rainfall over the year is more vital [2][3][4]. Droughts usually cause irreparable yield losses, as well as prematurely aged tea plants [5][6][7][8][9], while heavy rainfall, on the other hand, can cause water logging, runoff, topsoil erosion, and deep percolation of critical soil nutrients [10].…”

“…In this study, an attempt was made to estimate the ET c and K c of tea plantations in a subtropical region, based on in situ annual lysimeter monitoring. The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to estimate the crop coefficient of tea (Camellia sinensis) through the water balance equation, based on a field lysimeter study; (2) to check the effect of tea cultivars and tea pruning practice on the crop coefficient of tea.…”