A Cupful of Secrets

By Amulya Sharma

Chai. The word evokes memories of rainy afternoons, road trips, and long conversations. No gathering in India is complete without a few cups of hot, steaming tea. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ‘Some people will tell you that there’s a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea’. This book truly encapsulates this feeling, while never departing from its main purpose of being a useful and erudite manual for novice and seasoned tea planters with detailed instructions about tea manufacture, right from which seeds to select to newly evolving sustainable practices.
The book details the advantages and disadvantages of different processes and methods for raising tea plants successfully. It is written in a clear and lucid manner and covers a wide range of practices related to the manufacture of tea. The author is an experienced tea planter with decades of experience, which allows him to offer practical and easy-to-follow advice about improving the quality of the crop through appropriate scientific techniques. The author also takes into consideration the changing demands of tea production as a result of climate change, bringing together
both traditional and moderns methods for adapting to the needs of the current market. This book is an indispensable guide for anyone who wishes to improve the quality of their crop and produce superior tea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zorba Books
• Release date: May 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9789390640874

Amulya Sharma

Amulya Sharma is a very successful tea planter with decades of experience in every sphere of estate management. He has been associated with Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association and was a member of the Area Scientific Committee of Tea Research Association. His basis of scientific knowledge is ideal for serving the interests of both small and big tea growers. His advice will help in improving the crop and quality of tea along with bringing about an economy in different areas of estate management.Late Dr. DN Barua, Member- Standing Committee, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Advisor- Assam Agricultural University for World Bank assignment (1973-1976), Advisor-Tea Research Association (1976-1982)I agree that this is the only available book currently on tea in total. We will be using this book for our students as part of the curriculum. Thanks for your valuable contribution for the benefit of the tea sector, particularly for north-eastern region. A separate book for southern region is essential at par with your book. I wish and encourage you to write a similar book.Professor VG Dhanakumar, Director, Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM) BangaloreMr. Sharma is a firm believer in the efficient utilization of scientific information and a pioneer of many recommended practices that are not emphasized by the present generation of tea planters. He is aware of the importance of good land preparation and maintaining soil fertility by way of good agricultural practices. His key result areas include a quick turnaround from stagnancy to production, improvement in yield, and motivatingthe management for making the right kind of investment.Jagot Chakravarty, ex-chief advisor-Tea Research Association, JorhatAn experienced and dedicated tea planter of this region, Amulya Sharma has written this book based on his long experience in the industry. The uniqueness of the book is that it covers almost all aspects of tea husbandry and management written in lucid language. For the same reason, the book will undoubtedly be helpful to know the basics for anyone pursuing courses on tea.PK Borua, Retd. Professor in Life Sciences, Chairman- Centre for Tea and Agro Studies,Dibrugarh University

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V.P. NURSERY

If we trace the origin of tea cultivation in India, tea plants originally were produced by tea seeds around 175 years back from now and are still in use in a more developed form with different species. The use of clonal plants started around 1950 and thereafter various species of clonal plants were released to the industry by Tocklai Tea Research Institute (then Tocklai Experimental Station) under Tea Research Association, the premier tea research institution of India, and from some private houses of the tea companies. In short, a clonal tea plant is a progeny from a particular bush or plant grown in a nursery by vegetative propagation and therefore the nursery for growing clonal plants is known as V.P. Nursery and for seed plants it is Seed Nursery.

This chapter will only deal with the salient points of V.P. Nursery which, I consider, are very much relevant for success in raising of plants.

To enhance the rate of success in the nursery the important factors, which should be kept in mind, are enumerated below.

1. Use of standard cuttings -

a. Should contain one healthy mother leaf and a swollen/ dormant auxiliary bud.

b. Hard brown cutting with overgrown auxiliary bud must be discarded as they will form callus and remain dormant for longer period.

2. Proper filling of the sleeves

3. Use of recommended size of sleeves. Sleeve should be 15 – 18 cm wide while laid flat and 20 – 25 cm long with minimum 150 gauge thickness

4. Smaller sleeves to be avoided

5. Judicious watering system

6. Timely raising of cuttings

7. Timely control of weeds

8. Timely control of pest and disease and proper monitoring system

9. Providing proper overhead shade at the initial stage

10. Sleeves should be filled at least 4–5 weeks before planting of cuttings

Types of cuttings to be raised

Cuttings should be taken from the shoots with dormant apical buds (Banji stage). The auxiliary bud in the leaf axil should remain dormant or in a slightly swollen stage. Cuttings with developed laterals should be avoided. Their success is less as they will produce less acceptable plants for the field.

Choice of cuttings

While considering raising V.P Nursery or Tea Seed Nursery, one should keep in mind that all the species don’t perform well in all the regions or locations. Hence, one must be very careful while selecting the species of clones or seed stocks. A single clone/seed jat should not normally exceed 10/12% of the total area of the estate. It is equally important to include mixture of plants like quality, standard and yielding clones or seed jats. As per TRA guidelines it should be in order of 50:30:20 ratio. Normally 1:1 ratio is recommended by TRA between clones and seed jats to avoid narrowing of genetic base.

Time of taking cuttings

Clones differ in their flushing behaviour and, therefore, time of taking cuttings may differ from clone to clone and from place to place and season to season for the same clone. Careful observation on behaviour of the clone at a location is essential to decide the time of taking right type of cuttings. If required, time could be adjusted by pruning. Usually vigorous clones like TV9, TV18, TV20, TV22, TV23, TV25, TV26, TV27, TV28 and TV29 produce cuttings earlier than the rest.

Nursery bed direction, shade and shade management

East–West orientation of beds with north side open is said to be the best. Bamboo lath frame with thatch or any other suitable material can be used for shade making at ground level or as overhead shade which is preferred now-a-days.

Like excess watering, heavy shading of bed for the growth of cuttings is not recommended. Shade should be such to cut above 60% light falling on the nursery beds. Particular care is necessary when thatch is used for shade. But it is seen that most of the estates have switched over to agricultural nylon net shed with specific shade status as mentioned above. Shade should be removed gradually after young plants produce 4 to 5 good leaves. Hardening of plants before moving them out for planting is essential to ensure success in the field.

Manuring

As and when required. Usually done after young plants produce 4-5 good leaves either as ground or foliar application with nursery mixture of nutrients. But I strongly believe that manuring should be avoided during nursery stage, rather we should take other improved practices in the nursery. Foliar spraying can be considered under specific conditions.

Pest and disease control

One should be very particular to monitor pest and disease attack of any kind in the nursery, and once it is detected, we should take immediate action by spraying suitable chemicals.

Some useful tips on vegetative propagation

(a) Tip the primary shoots 3-4 days before taking of cuttings.

(b) Store the cuttings wrapped with wet hessian cloth overnight before planting if immediate planting of cuttings is not possible after taking of cuttings.

(c) The mother bushes selected for taking cuttings must be sprayed against any pest attack if detected before taking cuttings.

(d) It is to be seen that no secondary cuttings are taken for propagation.

(e) At the time of propagation the collar of the stem must be pressed hard so that it does not remain loose at the collar region.

(f) No heavy watering is to be done. The sleeves should be kept only reasonably moist to ensure that it does not allow mosses to grow as it stops the aeration and under that condition the growth of the plants will stop and leaf will turn yellowish. If such situation arises then it is advisable to loosen the soil around the sleeve with small bamboo stick and spray 3 rounds of triacontanol at 10 days intervals. If required, subsequent 2 rounds at monthly interval. This will improve the health of plants.

(g) While preparing cuttings the top cut should be made immediately above the auxiliary bud parallel to the leaf blade. The basal cut should be given at least 2.5cm below the petiole of the mother leaf obliquely more or less parallel to the top cut. The cuts should be absolutely clean and sharp without any rough ends.

(h) Cutting should always be prepared under shade in a bucket containing 0.1% zinc sulphate solution (100 g in 100 L of water) and planted immediately. Prepared cuttings should not be stored for long time.

Need-based planning and implementation

Without proper planning one may go wrong at one or many of the steps in the whole chain of plant propagation. If it happens, the target may not be achieved and ultimately the development programme of planting may suffer. TRA had already worked out the approximate expenditure with the requirement of materials long time back for 10 lakhs plants which will speak for itself. I have observed during my tenure as a planter that the estimated figures are very much realistic and quite relevant. It is always to be remembered, since the raising of both clonal and seed nurseries is quite commercial these days, the sizes of the sleeves have become too small which cannot produce good sized plants. For plants of good size, sleeves of minimum size 7˝ × 5˝, if not 8˝ × 7˝, with 150 gauge thickness are required. Hence it is always better to have in-house plants so that ideal size of the plants can be planted in the field.

We shall not be able to achieve desirable result in bringing up of young tea if recommended size of the plants is overlooked at the time of planting.

TEA SEED NURSERY

Preparation of land for nursery

If the nursery site is on a sandy or loamy soil with no pan, there is no advantage in deep cultivation. All that is required is a shallow hoe 3 or 4 inches deep to level off the surface and to destroy weeds. It is often difficult enough to lift plants from a nursery on sandy soil with an unbroken clod of earth round the roots. Deep cultivation of such a soil only makes more difficult the task of lifting plants with clod intact. Stiffer soil often needs a good deep hoe to break them up to a good depth, in order to allow the roots of the seedlings to penetrate easily, and there is no difficulty in taking unbroken clods from nursery on clayey soil, which compact only too easily. Depth of hoeing is a matter of practical experience depending on the type of nursery soil.

Removal of jungle

It is essential to remove all kinds of jungle, particularly deep-rooting types which are difficult to remove after the nursery has been established. It is generally found best to put in a deep hoe to a depth depending on the type of soil in the spring, and at this time to take particular care to remove deep rooted jungles, stumps, dead wood etc. Then to leave the land fallow or under a green crop till early of January when a light hoe is put in and jungle and green crop buried. After this, until the nursery is planted, the land is kept clean by scraping or weeding only.

Drainage

It is urgent to make a nursery bed 4˝ to 5˝ wide with drains about 1/ wide and 1/ to 18˝ deep between the beds. If it is low lying, it will be better to surround it with a deep drain from which water is led away to the nearest convenient outfall.

Spacing for planting seeds

It is seen in many nurseries the seeds are planted up too close, 4 inches to 5 inches apart. Probably this is intended as economy in space, but actually it is a false economy unless the saplings are planted when 6 months old. It is impossible to get good BHETIS if the planting is too close, and in addition many side roots are cut. Instead of regarding close planting as an economy in the cost per hectare of nursery, a sound basis for calculation would be the cost per first class plant and it would then be found that the wider planting is economically more viable.

Experience shows that for 12-month old plants 10-12˝ and for 24-month old plants 12-14˝ should be the suitable heights.

It is my personal experience that triangular planting is preferable to square planting as it does economize in nursery area. One can get around 14 per cent more plants in the area with triangular planting than it would be in the same area with square planting.

Method of planting seeds

Seeds should be planted with the eyes downward whether germinated or not, so as to ensure as many plants as possible with straight tap roots. Sometimes we find some bent tap roots and other obstructing elements in the soil, and the use of seed which has partly dried, leaving a space between kernel and outer shell. Therefore, planting out of germinating seeds as soon as it is noticed, much trouble from dried out seeds can be avoided.

Depth of planting

The placing of the seed should not be deep. Half an inch of soil over the seed is sufficient. Seed planted much more than 1 inch deep often fails to come out at all. Dibbling in the seed with a stick is also an unsuitable method to employ for planting tea seed, partly because it is difficult to ensure that the seed is not planted too deep, partly because the seed may fall the wrong way up when dropped into the hole, and partly because the stick polishes the sides of the hole and makes them less permeable.

One good method is to scrape the soil a little to one side, place the seed ‘eye’ down and replace the soil over the seed and put back the scraped soil on the seeds lightly.

Shading of nursery

After planting the seed, it is a good plan to cover the beds with a layer of thatch grass about 1 inch deep. This not only helps to conserve moisture in the soil but protects the surface from being beaten down hard by rain. As soon as the plants begin to come through, the thatch should be lifted off the beds.

Green crop in shade

Shade is sometimes provided in the forms of green crops such as Arhar, Crotalaria anagyroides, sown in lines between the beds. Those crops grow much more rapidly than tea plants and thus become of some use as shade, but their shade is of little use early in the year when the tea plants require it most. The green crop also takes moisture from the soil when the tea plants may be badly in need of all the moisture they can get.

The best method of using a green crop for shading a nursery would be to establish in the year before in ridges about a foot wide in between the beds intended for tea seed, with a one-foot deep drain, 6 inches wide on either side of the green crop ridge. The crop will then provide useful shade at the time when it is required, while its roots are prevented by the drains from spreading to the beds of tea plants. The green crop should be kept lopped, up the sides and only a tuft of foliage left on top.

Watering in nursery

Moisture is undoubtedly the chief factor contributing to the success of a nursery. With favourable rain in the cold weather and spring a good nursery is almost a certainty, barring accidents and attack of pests. Frequent showers in the cold weather not only maintain a moist soil, but reduce the periods of scorching sun. Watering by hand is essential in the absence of showers but does not of course reduce the scorching effect of the sun nor does it help much in maintaining the moist atmosphere so favourable to the development of young plants.

If watering is necessary, a good soaking of the soil periodically is better than a continued light watering which merely dampens the surface that dries off quickly.

Cricket

The following method may be used to deal with crickets in the nursery.

Carry a tin of used mobil oil and of water.When the cricket hole is located, brush away the soil from the entrance and pour only a few drops of oil, followed by enough water to fill up the hole. The cricket will try to get to the surface for air and while doing so, pass through the film of oil floating on the surface of the water. The oil will fill up the breathing tubes and the cricket will come out and die in a few minutes. It is thus unnecessary to catch and kill the cricket as is the case when only water is used. There is no fear of damage to the plant from the use of the small amount of oil, even if the cricket hole is close to the plant. Apart from dealing with cricket damage, regular use of suitable insecticides and copper fungicides is a must for a well-maintained nursery.

LAND PREPARATION

Levelling and contour survey

After uprooting, the area should be ploughed, harrowed and levelled. The level survey for preparation of a contour map showing ridges and furrows should then commence.

Drainage

Mark out drainage lines and roads on the map clearly and thereafter translate on the ground well before starting planting. At the time of marking out, the ridges, marginally higher elevated areas should be marked for roads and footpaths.

Sub-soiling

Sub-soiling is the last operation in land preparation. We generally don’t use sub-soiler in sandy soil. The main object of sub-soiling is to shatter compacted layers of the soil profile and permit free vertical movement of water as well as easy penetration of tea roots. The depth of sub-soiling is determined by the position of the impervious layer within the soil profile. The direction of sub-soiling for flat areas can be both ways at right angles to each other whereas in areas with gentle slope, it should be along the contour.

No sub-soiling on drainage lines (collector and sub main drains) should be done.

Power requirement of sub-soiling is high and sub-soiling to a depth of 60cm using a 7-10 cm wide shoe will require 70/75 HP-tractor. Sub-soiling should only be carried out when the soil is dry.

Soil rehabilitation

(a) A mixture of Guatemala grass and a legume ( Mimosa invisa ) is considered the best.

Guatemala grass is propagated from stem cuttings consisting of two to three nodes as well as by division of root stocks. Cuttings can be planted in rows 1 m apart and spaced at 60 cm within the rows. About 17000 cuttings or root stocks are required for planting one hectare of land. Weeding is necessary during the period of establishment.

A good stand of Guatemala can yield about 100 metric tons of green matter/ha/ year in the form of lopping. Citronella is a lower yielder of green matter.

(b) Mimosa invisa is a vigorous twining legume used as a green manure and cover crop. It is propagated by seeds and 3-4 kg seed/ha is required for drilling in rows at 1m apart. The yellow seeds have much poorer germination than brown seeds possibly because they are not fully mature. For the successful establishment of Mimosa , it is essential to give 2-3 rounds of weeding. After this it will grow vigorously and take care of itself. Highly acid areas (pH 4.5 and below) should receive lime material at 2 metric tons/ha. at least two months before seeding. The lime materials should be incorporated in the soil by harrowing.

Fertilizer application and lopping

1st year: Apply basal dose of 60 kg N/ha as 2:1:2 NPK mixture (600 kg YTD) soon after establishment of Guatemala crop. The first lopping should be given at 60cm ground measure in 20-24 weeks from planting and subsequent lopping could be done after every 8-10 weeks depending on growth. After each lopping height of subsequent lopping should be 15 cm higher than the previous one. Apply 30 kg N/ha as 2:1:2 NPK mixture (300 kg YTD). Where available soil potash level is less than 100 ppm, apply manure in the form of 2:1:3 NPK mixture. No lopping is to be carried out after September.

2nd year: Fertilizer application and lopping should be repeated as in first year. Rehabilitation is not complete unless the growth of the grass crop reaches 2m height. There should be no vacancy and the root proliferation should be to a depth of 90-100cm. With a good land preparation this can be achieved.

Period of rehabilitation

The land should be under Guatemala grass, legume or grass legume mixture for a period of at least eighteen months.

Use of jungle jim

Three rounds of jungle jimming will flatten the grass stand at the end of the rehabilitation period and also shred the entire mass into small particles facilitating uniform spreading over the area. Two rounds of harrowing thereafter will incorporate the green matter into the soil. The best time for jungle jimming is to be done soon after the monsoon rains in September.

Same year replanting

I have also tried replanting without rehabilitation on number of times and quite satisfied with the result achieved. Under this situation we have to follow certain rules and be ready to give some extra inputs to compensate the shortcomings, and it can be tried under the following conditions.

The estates where the magnitude of the problem of low yield coupled with large area of old tea is very high, the same year replanting using a package of good land preparation with sub- soiling (if required), drainage improvement, green cropping and incorporation of Trichoderma mixed with organic manure can be adopted. One should be bold enough to start the process with necessary and scientific practices. With my own experience I achieved cycle average yield of 28 quintals/ha in Golaghat District only after 8 years. For success from same year replanting, following measures must be scrupulously adhered to.

(1) Sub-soiling,

(2) Application/incorporation of adequate volume of organic manure,

(3) Application of Trichoderma enriched vermi-compost in the planting pits,

(4) Planting green crops like Crotalaria anagyroides between every alternate row of tea bushes and controlling the green crop by periodic lopping,

(5) Planting shade tree at the same time as tea,

(6) Controlling weed growth and

(7) Application of manure at the recommended rate. Use of home-made vermi-compost in the planting pit will be of added advantage.

Application of Trichoderma-enriched compost manure in the pit at the time of planting/land preparation has proved to be effective in suppressing growth of pathogenic fungus responsible for primary root disease. Approximately 200 g vermi-compost per pit at 3 metric tons/ha at the time of last harrowing will provide satisfactory result in the same year replanting programme. In absence of the above mentioned inputs, same year replanting WILL NOT produce expected result.

PLANTING

Select the clones from the short listed materials, clones TV1, TV14, TV17,TV24, Betjan, T3E3, S3A3, S3A1 and Teen Ali 17. These have proved to be excellent planting materials for both yield and quality. At the same time TS 462, TS 463, TS 520 and TS 491 also can be intermixed at recommended proportions.

Clones

P126A and N436 are excellent tippy orthodox clones. Both the materials need good fertile land and well managed drains. Infilling materials for mature tea and young tea, Teen Ali 17, TV26, TV20, TV23, TV25, TS 462, TS 463 and TS 520 are also good combinations.

Plant population (spacing)

Generally this aspect is decided by the companies’ own policy. Different companies have different views and accordingly they decide on the spacing as per their own policy.

But it is mostly seen in semi-organized and unorganized sectors that they do not have any specific policy of their own and decide to accommodate maximum plants by closer spacing without having required scientific knowledge and this kind of situation is mostly found among small tea growers. It is true that there is a linear relationship between the yield and plant population upto a certain extent, and thereafter crop sustainability will depend on the frame of the bush and maintenance of the area.

However, as per latest TRA advice minimum distance to be maintained is 105 cm between the rows and 60 cm between the plants.

However, if we go back to the gradual change of plant spacing from 1950, we will find a quite interesting picture of how the whole concept had changed and the company started taking their own stand in deciding on the spacing based on certain norms.

There is an interesting fact how different kinds of double hedge planting came to the industry. I am sure most of the planters know about it and I have particularly mentioned it here for those who are not aware of it.

If we look back to our early days, we find tea to be planted at different spacings such as 5/ × 5/ square (4305 bushes/ ha), 41/2/ × 41/2/ square (5315 bushes/ha) and 41/2/ × 41/2/ triangular (6139 bushes/ha) and even 4/ × 4/ square

(6724 bushes/ha), and as a result it was seen hardly 30 to 40 % of the tea areas were covered with the productive parts of the bushes and the balance areas were left vacant for the weeds to grow or the unproductive parts of the bushes to spread. Then the spacing 5/ × 21/2/