RESPONSE OF MATURE TEA (CAMELLIA SINENSIS L.) TO NITROGEN DURING DIFFERENT SEASONS
Abstract
Field experiments were conducted on mature tea bushes of Chinese Qi-Men variety at two different altitudes (1000 and 1500 m) from sea level during three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000. Different levels of nitrogen with the basal dose of phosphorus and potassium were applied to seven years old tea bushes. Mother leaf sampling was carried out during plucking season for the period of study. The mother leaves were analysed for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The results revealed that the tea plucking in different months had a significant effect on the absorption of nitrogen from the soil. High uptake of nitrogen was observed during the main growing season than dormant months. It was observed that the dose of 420 kg N ha–1 gave the good results to overcome the critical level of NPK in the uppermost mature tea leaf in different plucking seasons.References
D. Bonheure and K.C. Willson. Mineral nutrition and fertilizers. Tea Cultivation to consumption. Chapman and Hall, London. (1992) p.269-329.
S. Kulasegaram and A. Kathiravitpillia, J. Horti. Sci. 47 (1972) 11.
K.N. Wickramasinghe and S. Karashnapillai, Handbook on tea, Tea Res. Institute of Srilanka (1986) pp. 63-77.
J.K. Wanyoko, Importance of potassium fertilizer on tea. In potassium workshop, Nairobi, Kenya. International Potash Institute, Berne, Switzerland, (1979) p. 116-124.
V. Ranganthan, and S. Natesan, Manuring of tea – revised recommendation. Handbook of tea culture UPASI (1983).
J.B. Cloughley, W.J. Grice and R.T. Ellis. Expt. Agric; 19 (1983) 33.
J. Hoshina, Bull. of the National Research Institute of Tea, 20 (1985) 1-90.
T. Hoshina, S. Kozia and Y. Honjo, Study of Tea, 56 (1979) 66.
B. Banerjee, Tea production & processing. Oxford & IBH Publishing (Pvt.) Ltd., New Delhi, (1993) p. 336.
V. Ranganathan, Bull. United Plant. Assoc. South India. Tea Sci. Dept., 36 (1979) 27-29.
H.N. Hasselo, Tea Quarterly, 36 (1965) 122.
C.O. Othieno, Tea, 9, No. 2 (1988), 50.
K.C. Willson, Plant and Soil, 41, No.1 (1974) 1.
K.C. Willson, Nitrogen. Plant and Soil, 42, No. 3 (1975) 501.
K.C. Willson, E. Hainsworth, M.J. Green and P.B.T. Oshea,. Plant and Soil, 43, No. 2 (1975) 259.
K.C.Willson, Plant and Soil, 43, No. 2 (1975) 279.
P.O. Owuor and J.K. Wanyoko, Tea, 4, No. 1 (1983) 3.
S. Siva Subramanium and T.C.Z. Jayman, Tea Quarterly, 46 (1976) 4.
A.O.A.C,. Official methods for the determination of nitrogen and proteins. 113th edition published by the association of Official Analytical Chemists. DC. Washington (1982) pp. 788-789.
S.E, Allen, H.M. Grimshah, J.A. Parkinson and Q. Christropher, Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. Blackwell Scientific Publication,. John Willey and Sons, New York (1974) 206-209.
W.J. Price, Spectrochemical Analysis by Atomic Absorption. Heydon and Sons Ltd. (1979) pp. 254-55.
S.D.B. Duncan, Biometrics, 11 (1955) 1.
D.T Canvin and C.A. Atkins, Planta, 116 (1974) 207.
R. Hardter and A. Kruass, Balanced fertilization and crop quality. IFA agriculture conference on managing plant nutrition, June 29 – July 2, 1999. Barcelona, Spain.
H.H. Mann and L. Gokhale, J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci. 8 (1960) 191.
R. Saha and J.S. Bisen, Tea Board, Tech. Bull, 8 (1996) 1.
N.G. Hajra. Tea cultivation comprehensive treatise, mineral nutrition and fertilizer managements. First edition International Distributing Co. Lucknow (2001) pp. 269-354
