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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

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