Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T09:59:19.613Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pattern of Tea Shoot Growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

R. I. Smith ,
F. J. Harvey  and
M. G. R. Cannell
R. I. Smith
Affiliation:
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, Scotland
F. J. Harvey
Affiliation:
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, Scotland
M. G. R. Cannell
Affiliation:
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, Scotland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Tea shoot development was measured by sequentially sampling shoots from seven clones growing at Nsuwadzi Research Station, Mulanje, Malawi. A Gompertz growth curve best described the increase in shoot length with time, an exponential curve described the relation between dry weight and shoot length, and a quadratic curve related dry weight to fresh weight. The parameters of these curves differed among clones and provide a basis for exploring genetic influences on tea yield. The most rapid elongation of shoots of all clones occurred about 42 days after plucking, considered the optimum age for harvest at Mulanje. Clones selected at Mulanje produced longer shoots with greater dry weight but slightly lower dry matter content per unit stem length than clones selected at Kericho, Kenya. The dry:fresh weight ratio of 0.22 used at Mulanje to calculate dry matter yields was too high for most clones.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 197 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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

Bond, T. E. T. (1945). Studies in the vegetative growth and anatomy of the tea plant (Camellia thea Link.) with special reference to the ploem. II. Further analysis of flushing behaviour. Annals of Botany 9:183–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, M. K. V., Dale, M. O. & Stephens, W. (1987). Yield distribution in irrigated tea (Camellia sinensis) at two sites in Eastern Africa. Experimental Agriculture 23:75–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cloughley, J. B. (1981). Effect of some field variables on the dry-matter content of tea shoots. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Cambridge 97:227–229.Google Scholar
Cloughley, J. B., Grice, W. J. & Ellis, R. T. (1983). Effects of harvesting policy and nitrogen application rates on the production of tea in Central Africa. I. Yield and crop distribution. Experimental Agriculture 19:33–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fordham, R. & Palmer-Jones, R. W. (1977). Simulation of intra-seasonal yield fluctuations of tea in Malawi. Experimental Agriculture 13:33–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herd, E. M. & Squire, G. R. (1976). Observations on the winter dormancy of tea in Malawi. Journal of Horticultural Science 51:267–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead, R. & Curnow, R. N. (1983). Statistical Methods in Agriculture and Experimental Biology. London: Chapman and Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer-Jones, R. W. (1985). Harvesting policies for tea in Malawi. Experimental Agriculture 21:357–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratkowsky, D. A. (1983). Non-linear Regression Analysis. New York: Dekker.Google Scholar
Ross, G. J. S. (1981). The use of non-linear regression methods in crop modelling. In Mathematics and Plant Physiology 269–282 (Eds Rose, D. A. and Charles-Edwards, D. A.). Orlando, Florida: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Ross, G. J. S. (1987). MLP manual. Oxford: Numerical Algorithms Group.Google Scholar
Squire, G. R. (1979). Weather, physiology and seasonably of tea (Camellia sinensis) yields in Malawi. Experimental Agriculture 15:321–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanton, T. W. (1981). Growth and yield of the tea bush. Experimental Agriculture 17:323–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanton, T. W. (1982a). Environmental factors affecting the yield of tea (Camellia sinensis). I. Effects of air temperature. Experimental Agriculture 18:47–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanton, T. W. (1982b). Environmental factors affecting the yield of tea (Camellia sinensis). II. Effects of soil temperature, day length and dry air. Experimental Agriculture 18:53–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar