Responses of Tea (<i>Camellia sinensis</i>) to Irrigation and Fertilizer. I. Yield

Stephens, William; Carr, M. K. V.

doi:10.1017/s0014479700018822

Cited by 28 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although T a of both sites was similar, the VPD in the Sri Lankan site (daily mean ranging from 0.52-0.88 kPa) was probably lower than that in the Tanzanian site (not exceeding 2 kPa). Although Stephens and Carr (1991a) contend that the VPD was unlikely to have restricted shoot growth, it is possible that the slightly greater VPD in their study may have increased evapotranspiration and thereby reduced T E and WUE. This reduction of T E with increasing VPD is in agreement with the theoretical analyses of Bierhuizen and Slatyer (1965) and Monteith (1986).…”

Section: Transpiration Efficiency and Water Use Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Accordingly, tea yield would also reduce below this threshold as observed, for example by Carr (1971b). Reduction of tea yields during prolonged dry periods have been observed by many workers in several tea-growing regions of the world (Carr, 1974;Carr et al, 1987;Stephens and Carr, 1991a;Othieno et al, 1992;Burgess and Carr, 1993;Nixon et al, 2001;De Costa and Surenthran, 2005).…”

Section: Effects Of Water Deficits On Tea Yield and Yield Componentsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, it should be borne in mind that photoinhibition could reduce sourcecapacity and thereby could impose a source-limitation as well on tea yield (Mohotti et al, 2000;Mohotti and Lawlor, 2002). Squire and Callander (1981) also cite the frequent observation of higher P n even during periods of low shoot growth rates due to higher VPD or cooler T a (Squire, 1979) or higher soil water deficits (Stephens and Carr, 1991a) as evidence for the independence of tea yield from P n . However, Smith et al (1993a) argue that assimilates produced during periods of slow shoot growth are subsequently used during periods of higher shoot growth.…”

Section: Importance Of Photosynthetic Capacity In Yield Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stephens and Carr (1991a) showed that in a situation where VPD is not high enough to restrict shoot extension, yield of well-fertilized tea increased by 2.9 kg ha -1 for each mm of SWD reduced through irrigation. Unfertilized tea showed a lower response to irrigation with 1.4 kg ha -1 mm -1 .…”

Section: Critical Soil Water Deficit and Response To Irrigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This experiment was done in an area with a dry period of up to six months per year during which the SWD increases up to 600-700 mm. Therefore, Stephens and Carr (1991a) showed that the yield gain through irrigation substantially outweighed the additional cost involved. Field observations in Sri Lanka have shown that drip irrigation increased tea yield by 50-100%.…”

Section: Critical Soil Water Deficit and Response To Irrigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Ecophysiology of tea

Costa

Mohotti

Wijeratne

2007

Braz. J. Plant Physiol.

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is one of the most important beverage crops in the world. The major tea-growing regions of the world are South-East Asia and Eastern Africa where it is grown across a wide range of altitudes up to 2200 m a.s.l.. This paper reviews the key physiological processes responsible for yield determination of tea and discusses how these processes are influenced by genotypic and environmental factors. Yield formation of tea is discussed in terms of assimilate supply through photosynthesis and formation of harvestable sinks (i.e. shoots). The photosynthetic apparatus and partial processes (i.e. light capture, electron transport and carboxylation) of tea show specific adaptations to shade. Consequently, maximum light-saturated photosynthetic rates of tea are below the average for C 3 plants and photoinhibition occurs at high light intensities. These processes restrict the source capacity of tea. Tea yields are sink-limited as well because shoots are harvested before their maximum biomass is reached in order to maintain quality characters of made tea. In the absence of water deficits, rates of shoot initiation and extension are determined by air temperature and saturation vapour pressure deficit, with the former having positive and the latter having negative relationships with the above rates. During dry periods, when the soil water deficit exceeds a genotypically-and environmentally-determined threshold, rates of shoot initiation and extension are reduced with decreasing shoot water potential. Tea yields respond significantly to irrigation, a promising option to increase productivity during dry periods, which are experienced in many tea-growing regions. Key words: climate change, photoinhibition, photosynthesis, shoot growth, temperature, vapour pressure deficit, water potential † All authors have contributed equally to this articleEcofisiologia do chá: O chá [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] é uma das mais importantes culturas para a produção de bebidas no mundo. As principais regiões de cultivo dessa espécie se concentram no sudeste da Ásia e na África oriental, onde é cultivado numa ampla faixa de altitudes, até 2200 m acima do nível do mar. Neste artigo, revisam-se processos fisiológicos centrais determinantes da produção do chá e se discutem como esses processos são influenciados por fatores genotípicos e ambientes. A produção do chá é discutida em termos de suprimento de assimilados provenientes da fotossíntese e formação de drenos (ramos) removidos na colheita. A maquinaria fotossintética e processos parciais (i.e. captura de luz, transporte de elétrons e carboxilação) da fotossíntese, em plantas de chá, exibem adaptações à sombra. Conseqüentemente, as taxas máximas de fotossíntese saturadas à luz são inferiores às da media de plantas C 3 , observando-se também fotoinibição sob altas irradiâncias. Esses processos restringem a capacidade da fonte em plantas de chá. A produção do chá é limitada pelo dreno conquanto os ramos são colhidos antes de atingirem sua biomassa máxima, o q...

show abstract

Section: Transpiration Efficiency and Water Use Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Effects Of Water Deficits On Tea Yield and Yield Componentsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Importance Of Photosynthetic Capacity In Yield Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Critical Soil Water Deficit and Response To Irrigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Critical Soil Water Deficit and Response To Irrigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Ecophysiology of tea

Costa

Mohotti

Wijeratne

2007

Braz. J. Plant Physiol.

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Climate, weather and the yield of tea

Carr¹,

Stephens²

1992

Tea

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evaluating drip irrigation in commercial tea production in Tanzania

Möller

2007

Irrig Drainage Syst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper evaluates the performance of the first drip irrigation scheme in commercial tea production in Tanzania with a view to making recommendations for improved management and providing data for investment decisions. Uniformity, efficiency and adequacy of irrigation were calculated and the scheduling of irrigation water was reviewed. Operators were interviewed to highlight the main benefits and problems of the system. Investment and recurrent costs of drip and overhead sprinkler systems were quantified and compared. Root development was assessed qualitatively using excavation pits. Irrigation uniformity DU and efficiency ranged between 88 and 95% in the 10 out of 14 irrigation blocks where endline pressures were at least 0.5 bars, and between 77 and 89% in the four blocks were endline pressure was less than 0.5 bars. Scheduling drip irrigation using tensiometers offered potential water savings of 26% in comparison to a water balance schedule, but these are not currently realised. Gross marginal income was very sensitive to tea price and yield. Economically optimal fertilizer rates vary in dependence of tea price and yield and appear to be lower than the current level of 300 kg N ha −1 . The higher costs under drip, compared to overhead sprinklers, were mainly for purchase and installation and fertilizer. The costs of labour for applying water and fertilizer were reduced by nearly 50%. At average 2002 tea prices of 1.31 US$ kg −1 , drip irrigation would improve the grower's gross margin if an additional yield of at least 411 kg ha −1 was achieved. The main threats to drip system performance are discussed. Future research efforts should aim at establishing the yield response of tea to water and fertilizer under drip irrigation.

show abstract

Responses of Tea (Camellia sinensis) to Irrigation and Fertilizer. I. Yield

Cited by 28 publications

References 14 publications

Ecophysiology of tea

Ecophysiology of tea

Climate, weather and the yield of tea

Evaluating drip irrigation in commercial tea production in Tanzania

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About