production technology of tea

1. TEA

2. Camellia sps
Camelliaceae/Theaceae
2n =30
South East China (Szechwan-Yunnan) to Assam (India)

3. Uses
As a beverage: Tea contains alkaloids called thein ( 2 to 5 %) which is a caffeinaceus
alkaloid relieving body fatigue.
Polyphenols present in tea reduces blood cholesterol and cures hepatitis, hypertension,
stone formation etc.
Medicinal properties: Black tea is anti ulceric and anti carcinogenic in nature.

5. Research Stations working on tea cultivation in India
1. UPASI = The United Planters Association of Southern India, UPASI Tea
Research Institute, Velparai, Coimbatore, TN.
2. TES = Tea Experiment Station, Tocklai, Jorhat, Assam
3. Tea Board: Calcutta, West Bengal

6. Distribution in India:
Assam = 53 %
West Bengal = 24 %
Tamil Nadu = 13 %
Kerala = 8 %
Other states = 2 % (It is from Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, UP, Bihar,
Sikkim, Manipur)
Although Darjeeling produces the finest quality of tea, its productivity is low. The
average yield in Darjeeling (635 kg/ha in 1981) is reported to be less than half of the
all India average.

7. Different varieties of tea
1) China bush/ China tea: small leaved china bush,
Camellia sinensis L. var sinensis ( Syn: Thea sinensis )
Indigenous to China
Features:
Hardy, multi-stemmed, slow growing shrub or a small tree (1 -6 m height).
Branches : Young branches are rather stout, hairy(hairy) to glabrous and older
branches are grey.
Leaves : Small i.e., 4 to 10 cm long, erect, shortly stalked, elliptic, leathery, dark
glossy green above and light green below.

8. Economical life : 100 years. However, pruning and continuous plucking reduces
the life span.
Winter hardy : It can with stand severe winters and hot droughts on northern India.
Hence, it is grown at an altitude above, 1050 m. Eg. Darjeeling.
Quality : It is highly valued for its flavor

9. 2) Assam tea: Large leaved = Camellia sinensis L. var. assamica (Syn:Camellia
assamica, and Thea assamica)
It is apparently indigenous to Assam, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and South China.
Features:
Quick growing: It is quick growing tender plant of more southern distribution.
Stature: single stemmed tree about 17 m in height if allowed to grow unimpeded.
Leaves: Larger leaves of 15 – 20 cm long

10. Economical life: 40 years.
Quality : Good strength and quality when grown in certain areas
Distribution : Assam tea is used in North East India, South India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Africa and South America

11. 3) Cambodia tea race (Camellia assamica subsp lasiocalyx)
Southern form of tea
Distribution: cultivated in the Nilgiris and in Western ghats near Mangalore
It is a small tree with long narrow up-turned leaves.
Base of the petiole is pinkish red in colour which is a distinctive feature of this
variety.
Features
Stature : 4 to 5 m tall trees
Leaves : Hard and small (long narrow upturned leaves)
Yield: Poor yielder.

12. Different features of Assam tea and China tea.
Sl. No. Features Assam tea (Camellia
sinensis var assamica)
China tea (Camellia sinensis
var
sinensis)
1. Stature Tree Shrub/bush
2. Branches and growth
rate
Few robust branches and
quick growing
Abundant branches and slow
growing
3. Leaves Large (15 to 20 cm long) and
glossy and less serrated
Small (4 to 10 cm long),
leathery
and more serrated
4. Quality Medium (better strength) Good (Better flavor)
5. Yield High yield Low yield
6. Susceptibility to drought
and frost
Susceptible Hardy and resistant (Winter
hardy)
7. Distribution Countries near to equator
viz., India, Sri Lanka, S.E.
Assia, Central Africa etc
Cold countries and high altitude
areas like Japan, N- Iran, S.
Russia, China etc
8. Economic life Less ( 40 years) More (Over 100 years)

13. Climate requirement for tea
Climate: Tea is a subtropical species.
Tea prefers Moist, Warm and Winter not too cold
Altitude: sea level upto 2460 m above MSL.
North India tea -plains
South India tea -hilly terrain.

14. Temperature: Optimum Mean maximum of 29.5 ºC and mean minimum of 13 ºC
Tea is cultivated on hilly tract, the temperature is relatively low in South India where
as in North India the temperature is high during summer on the plains
Rainfall: between 125 and 750 cm.
N. E. India receives rainfall (150 to 500 cm).
S. I. between 90 and 800 cm.

15. Day length: Critical day length for vegetative growth 10.5 hours.
In South India Day length is > 11 hours
Here tea growing areas lies below 12.5 ºN latitude and characterized by minimal diurnal
variation
Minimum day length not falling below 11 hours, Leads to uniform vegetative growth in tea
throughout the year, except during the monsoon when productivity falls.

16. Relative Humidity: North India -High (> 60 %) throughout the year.
South India -Falls as low as 15 % in February to March.
Soil: Wide range of soils which are acidic in reaction.
It prefers soils rich in organic matter with well drained situation.
Calcifuge nature of tea: Tea is a calcifuge and an aluminium accumulator.
It grows on soils which are generally rich in iron and manganese.

17. Propagation in tea:
I. Seed propagation: Seed. Till today tea is generally propagated from seed.
II. Vegetative propagation:
1) budding
2) grafting
3) layering
4) cutting

18. Vegetative propagation by cuttings: Commercial method of propagation is through
single node cutting
Semi hard wood cuttings is preferred method

19. Features of mother bush
1) Compactness: Number of stems per unit area should be high and should be uniformly
distributed.
2) Individual stem should be thick and uniform.
3) Bushes should have early filling tendency.
4) Bushes should have lateral spreading habit.
5) Main stem and primary branches should have upright growth after pruning.
6) Density of Plucking point/units should be high.

20. Bhanji buds

21. 7) Flushes/leaves should have pubescence.
8) Bushes should be resistant to blister blight and free from other pests and it should be
drought tolerant.
9) High yield, Yield per unit area of plucking table should be high.
10) Flowering tendency: Selected bushes should not have flowering tendency.
11) Bushes should not have too many bhanji buds.
12) Secondaries and tertiaries in bush should have upright growth.

22. Precautions to be taken for site
selection
1) Slopy land or hilly terrains or jungles:
measures to protect soil erosion and
also moisture conservation.
2) Soil: Acidic soil with adequate depth,
good drainage etc.
3) Temporary shade trees: provided for
young developing plants

23. Time of planting:
North India (Assam): Winter season with low rainfall but with plenty of mist is desirable
i.e., October– November.
South India: end of Summer season (Rainy season) is most suitable time for planting i.e.,
May – June.
Spacing:
1.5 m x 1.5 m or 1.5m x 0.75 m = 14000 plants per ha
1.2 m x 0.75 m or 1.2 m x 0.60 m = accommodates more than 16,000 plants per ha

24. Methods of planting
Single Hedge System : the spacing adopted is 1.20 x 0.75 m accommodating 10,800
plants/ha.

25. Double Hedge System: spacing adopted is 1.35 x 0.75 x 0.75 m accommodating
13,200 plants/ha.

26. Improved clones
S.No Clone Important features
1 UPASI 1 (Ever green) Hardy, Quality-Above average
2 UPASI 2 (Jayaram)
Hardy, Quality-Above average, tolerant to drought and
wind
3 UPASI 3 (Sundaram) Natural triploid quality clones and very high yielding
4 UPASI 6 (Brooklands) Suited to mid and higher elevations
5 UPASI 8 (Golconda) Suited to all elevations, high yielding
6 UPASI 9 (Arthrey)
Firly tolerant to drought and withstand slightly high pH,
, high yielding
7 UPASI 10 (Pandian)
Hardy, Quality-Above average, tolerant to drought and
wind
8 UPASI 14 (Singara) Suited to higher elevations , High yield
9 UPASI 15 (Spring field) Flushes throughout the year
10 UPASI 17 (Swarna) Flourishing well at mid and high elevations
11 UPASI 24 Hardy

27. 12 UPASI 25 High yielding
13 UPASI 16 High yielding
14 UPASI 27 Drought tolerant
15
UPASI 28 (UPASI 10 *
TRI2025)
Biclonal, Good strength and high quality

28. Training and Pruning:
Young tea- centering i.e. removing the growing point leaving 8 to 10 mature leaves from
the bottom, is done to induce secondaries.
When the secondaries reach more than 60 cm, they are tipped at 50-55 cm height by
removing 3 to 4 leaves and bud to induce tertiaries.
Therefore, plucking at mother leaf stage is continued for better frame development.
It takes nearly 18 to 20 months from planting to reach regular plucking field stage.

29. Pruning is done in tea
•to maintain to convenient height for plucking
•to induce more vegetative growth
•to remove dead and diseased wood and
•to remove the knots and interlaced branches.

30. Sl.
No
Type of pruning Pruning height
(cm)
Season Remarks
1. Rejuvenation
pruning
20 – China Jat,
30 – Assam Jat
April - May Done is old bushes affected
with cankar and wood rot to
invigorate the new healthy
branches. Not done regularly.
2. Hard pruning 30 – 45 Apr. – May First formative pruning done
to a young tea.
3. Medium pruning 45 – 60 Aug. – Sept. Normal pruning where ever
frames are healthy.
4. Light pruning 60 – 65 Aug. – Sept. Normal pruning where ever
frames are healthy.
5. Skiffing 65 Aug. – Sept. Mainly to postpone pruning
and to encourage better frame
development.

31. Periodic shoots or primary shoots: The buds from the pruned shoots grow in a steady
succession without any cessation of growth.
These shoots should be induced to produce flush shoots by regular tipping operation.
Tipping: removal of terminal portion of the shoot and it varies with jats and pruning
height.
Tipping height: refers to the number of leaves that must be left above the pruned cut
Tipping in material: refers to that portion of the terminal shoot, which must be tipped
off.

33. Pruning height (cm) Tipping height (cm) Tipping in material
China
Hybrid
Assam/
Assam Hybrid
China
Hybrid
Assam/
Assam
Hybrid
China Hybrid Assam/ Assam
Hybrid
35-45 35-55 5 4 3 leaves and a
bud
4 leaves and a bud
45-55 55-60 4 3 4 leaves and a
bud
4 leaves and a bud
55-75 60-75 2 2 4 leaves and a
bud
4 leaves and bud
- > 75 - 1 - 4 leaves and a bud

34. Manures and fertilizers: Starts from nursery stage itself
30g of soluble mixtures (Ammonium phosphate (20:20) 35 parts, potassium sulphate and
Magnesium sulphate each 15 parts and zinc sulphate and Magnesium sulphate each 15
parts and zinc sulphate – 3 parts)
Dissolved in 10 litres of water and is applied with rosecan for about 900 plants.
This must be repeated at 15 days intervals.
Nitrogen: The recommendation for mature tea is based mostly on soil organic matter
status and anticipated yield.

35. 20 % of the total nitrogen - Ammonium sulphate during March/April.
65% of total nitrogen- Urea is recommended in May/June and receding monsoon
months
15 % of the total nitrogen- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate during pre-winter (November-
December).

36. Potassium: Nitrogen and potassium are always applied together.
NK ratio of 1:1 is used for plucking fields while for a pruned field 2:3 NK ratio is
recommended.
For rejuvenation pruned field 1:2 NK ratio is suggested.
Muriate of potash is the sources of potassium used in tea fields.
The NK fertilizers are applied by broadcast for mature tea and is broadcast and dibbled in
along the drip circle for young tea.
The interval between two successive applications should be atleast 3-4 weeks.

37. Phosphorus:
The soils being acidic, rock phosphate could be advantageously used. The
fertilizer should be placed at 15-22cm depth.
Micronutrients: Application of zinc sulphate @ 6 to 8kg/ha for high yielding
fields every year is the general recommendation.
The above quantity can be given in 4 to 5 split applications.

38. Liming:
Agricultural lime (Calcium carbonate) and dolomitic lime (Calcium Magnesium
carbonate)
Roughly lime @ 1.5mt/ha for a pH between 4.5 to 4.9, 3.0mt/ha for a pH between 4.0
to 4.4 and 4.0mt/ha for a pH of less than 4.0 is suggested.
The lime is applied by evenly broadcasting prior to pruning once in a pruning cycle.

39. Harvesting or Plucking:
Plucking consists of harvesting 2 to 3 leaves
and a bud.
A pluckable shoot takes 60 to 90 days for
harvesting since its sprouting from the axillary
buds.
Light plucking- Shoot is plucked upto mother
leaf,
Hard plucking- plucked below mother lea

41. The plucking interval and plucking standard in relation to cropping is given below:
Cropping pattern Months Plucking
interval
High cropping or Rush
cropping (60% of total crop)
April – June and October –
December
7 – 10 days
Low cropping or lean
cropping (40% of total crop)
July – September and
January – March
12 –15 days

42. Yield
2000kg -low yielding and
2000 to 3000kg medium yielding
above 3000kg - high yielding fields.

43. Manufacturing of Tea
Basically, there are two types of processing viz.,
1.Orthodox method in which the rolling operation is done in a series of rollers. The
rollers have rotary tables with battens, jacket for loading the leaf and a pressure cup
2.CTC method (cutting, tearing and curling) which has a CTC machine, consisting
of series of a pair of rollers mounted in such a way they rotate in opposite directions
and the clearance between them is so adjusted to crush and tear the leaves.

44. Irrespective of the method, manufacturing of tea involves the following steps:
Withering: to reduce the moisture content of leaves by spreading them in troughs which
receive artificial air from fan fitted on one end.
It may take 12 to 18 hours depending upon the weather condition.
Rolling: a series of machines or in a single roller, during which the cells in the leaves are
broken to liberate the sap containing the polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme, which in the
presence of oxygen, oxidises the polyphenols to produce theaflavins and thearubigens.
These are responsible for colouring of the tea and is a 30-40 minutes.

45. Fermentation: Rolled tea materials are either spread in concrete floors or kept in
aluminum trays.
In the presence of high humidity and proper step decides the quality i.e. strength, colour
and briskness of tea.
Requires 1 hour or 2 hours depending upon the environmental conditions.
Drying: stopping the fermentation process and slowly removing the moisture content
without a burnt smell but preserving the inherent quality.
This is achieved by passing the fermented tea in thin layers through conveyors into a
drier in which the inlet temperature is maintained around 250 – 2800F and outlet
temperature is a round 150-2000F.
Proper drying takes 30-40 minutes.

46. Orthodox grades Mesh size CTC Grades Mesh size
Pekoe >8 mesh sieve Flowery Pekoe (FP) >8 mesh
Tippy golden Orange pekoe (TGOP) 8-12 Pekoe 8-10
Broken orange pekoe (BOP) 12-16 BOP 10-12
BOP – Fannings 16-18 Pekoe Fannings 12-16
BOP –dust 18-24 BOP – fannings 16-20
Dust – I 25-30 Pekoe dust (PD) 20-30
Dust – II Below 30 Red Dust (RD) 30-40
Super Reddust (SRD) 40-50
Finel dust (PD) 50-60
Superfine dust (SD) Below 60
Grading: Before grading, the dried tea is removed of the stalky fibres, which affect the
quality, by passing through fibre separate machines. The bulk tea is passed through
different sized meshes which aid in separation into different grades.

47. Types of tea:
Black Tea: comprises of leaves which are fully oxidized and as a thumb rule, stronger
than white tea, green tea or oolong variety of tea.
Green Tea: minimal oxidation during their processing. To prevent oxidation tea leaves
are cured in the heat to remove any trace of moisture that may provoke or incite
oxidation.
Oolong Tea: semi oxidized tea leaves. Mature leaves are picked and cured in the sun till
they wither before they are subsequently oxidized anywhere from between 10 – 80 % and
then curled and twisted.
Yellow tea: the tea polyphenols (catechins) are first oxidized to attain the yellow tinge
and then further treated to preserve the colour and aroma of the dried leaves.

49. White Tea: least amount of processing after plucking. leaves picked only a particular
few days of the year when a white silvery hair appears on the tender shoots of the tea
plant. The tea shoots with the silvery hair on the buds, known as bai ho in Chinese
Organic Tea OR Fermented Tea: leaves are larger and full bodied that are aged for
several years. As a matter of fact, a quality assurance of good Organic tea is that the
leaves will actually have a light dusting of mold.
Herbal Tea or Tisanes: the infusion or decoction of leaves and other parts of the tea
plant along with other added spices, fruits and herbs.