Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T15:23:30.012Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of Soil Moisture on Growth of Young Tea in Malawi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

R. Fordham
Affiliation:
Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa, P.O. Box 51, Mlanje, Malawi*

Summary

Young tea plants were grown for eight months in large polythene bags of soil, with provision to prevent rain from running into the soil. After a preliminary period of establishment, in which all plants were kept well-watered, four soil moisture regimes were applied ranging from watering twice weekly to withholding irrigation until plants had been subjected to a soil moisture tension of 15 bar, as determined by gypsum resistance units, for a period of one week before rewatering. Plant survival and growth were significantly better under the wettest compared with the driest regime.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anon. (1969). Quart. News Lett. Tea Res. Found. cent. Afr., 13.Google Scholar
Barrs, H. D. (1968). Water Deficits and Plant Growth (Ed. Kozlowski, T. T.). Ch. 8. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Carr, M. K. V. (1968). 4th spec. Comm. on appl. Met., Nairobi.Google Scholar
Kerfoot, O. (1962). World Crops, 14, 140.Google Scholar
Laycock, D. H. & Wood, R. A. (1963). Trop. Agric., Trin. 40, 35.Google Scholar
Slatyer, R. O. (1957). Bot. Rev. 23, 585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Storey, H. H. & Leach, R. (1933). Ann. appl. Biol. 20, 23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sykes, D. J. & Loomis, W. E. (1967). Soil Sci. 104, 163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Telfer, E. S. (1969). Can. J. Bot. 47, 1851.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willatt, S. T. (1970). Trop. Agric., Trin. 47, 243.Google Scholar
Wilson, J. H. (1968). Rhodesia J. agric. Res. 6, 103.Google Scholar