Advances in tea agronomy

468 Pages·2018·88.221 MB·English

by  Carr, M. K. V

AdvancesinTea Agronomy
Teaisbigbusiness.Afterwater,teaisbelievedtobethemostwidelyconsumedbeverage
in the world. And yet, as productivity increases, the real price of tea declines while
labourcostscontinuetorise.Tearemainsalabour-intensiveindustry.
Thisbookisintendedtoassistallthoseinvolvedinteaproductiontobecomecreative
thinkers and to question accepted practices. International in content, it will appeal to
practitionersandstudentsfromtea-growingcountriesworldwide.Inadditiontoprovid-
ingacomprehensivereviewoftheprincipaltea-growingregionsintermsofstructure,
productivityandconstraints,itexaminestheassociatedexperimentalevidenceneededto
supportcurrentandfuturecropmanagementpractices.
Mike Carr is Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Water Management at Cranfield
University, UK. He has over 50 years of experience in the management and delivery
ofinternationalresearch,education,trainingandconsultancyinagricultureandnatural
resource management and was previously Executive Director of the Tea Research
InstituteofTanzania.HeistheauthorofAdvancesinIrrigationAgronomy:Plantation
Crops (Cambridge University Press, 2012), Advances in Irrigation Agronomy: Fruit
Crops(CambridgeUniversityPress,2014)andformereditor-in-chiefoftheCambridge
UniversityPressjournalExperimentalAgriculture.
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Advances in Tea Agronomy
M. K. V. CARR
CranfieldUniversity
Withwrittencontributionsfrom:
T. C. E. CONGDON
FellowoftheRoyalGeographicalSocietyandoftheRoyal
EntomologicalSociety
R. H. V. CORLEY
IndependentConsultantonPlantationCropsResearch
G. K. TUWEI
ResearchandDevelopmentManager,UnileverTeaKenyaLimited
C. J. FLOWERS
GroupManagingDirector,EasternProduceKenyaandKakuziLtd
M. UPSON
M. PEREZ ORTOLA
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107095816
DOI:10.1017/9781316155714
©MikeCarr2018
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
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Firstpublished2018
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd,Padstow,Cornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Carr,M.K.V.,author.
Title:Advancesinteaagronomy/M.K.V.Carr;withwrittencontributions
from:TimothyColinElphinstonCongdon,RichardHerewardVannerCorley,
GabrielKiplangatTuwei,C.J.Flowers,MathewUpson,MartaPerezOrtola.
Description:NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2017.|Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017048713|ISBN9781107095816
Subjects:LCSH:Tea.
Classification:LCCSB271.C372017|DDC633.7/2–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017048713
ISBN978-1-107-09581-6Hardback
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accurateorappropriate.
15:00:24
Thisbookisdedicatedtomygrandchildren:
TabithaDolton,JamesCarrandGraciaCarr.
OnedaytheywillwonderwhatGrandpadidforaliving...
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Contents
ForewordbyDrV.S.Sharma pageix
Preface:ItAllDepends xi
Acknowledgements xiii
1 Karibuni!WelcometoYouAll 1
2 TheWorldofTea:AGeriatricProblem 11
3 AChangingClimate:StayCool! 35
4 TaxonomicDelight:OnlyPlanttheBest! 87
5 TheWell-BredTeaBush:DevelopingHigh-YieldingClones 106
R.H.V.CorleyandG.K.Tuwei
6 PlantingandReplanting:WhoEverSaidThisWasSimple? 137
7 UnderstandingtheGrowthProcesses:CreatingaFramework 163
8 RootsExposed:LifeUnderground 184
9 WeAreOnlyGrowingLeaves:SourceorSink? 198
10 PlucksShoots,andLeaves:LookingAftertheChildren 212
11 Machine-AssistedHarvesting:TheNeedoftheHour 229
M.K.V.CarrandC.J.Flowers
12 HiddenHungerandIntelligentGuesswork:WeCanOnlyBuildonWhatHasGone
Before 253
13 PoresforThought:GaseousExchange 277
14 MorePoresforThought:TheAnswerLiesintheSoil 291
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viii Contents
15 WaterProductivity:MoreCropperDrop 303
16 AShadyBusiness:TeasNeedTrees 332
17 ANiceCupofTea:IsItMadeintheFieldorintheFactory? 348
18 FairTrade?SmallholdersAreBeautiful 364
19 TheAgronomist’sReport:ASynthesis 375
20 SupportServices:HowSustainableIsSustainability? 394
Glossary 411
References 416
FurtherReading 439
Index 442
Colourplatesaretobefoundbetweenpp.242and243.
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Foreword
Professor Michael K. V. Carr’s long journey through the ‘Tea World’ commenced as
earlyas1966attheTeaResearchInstituteofEastAfrica,Kericho,Kenya.In1998he
deservedly became the founder Executive Director of the Tea Research Institute of
Tanzania. Having occupied senior positions in different research institutes on varied
crops and undertaken professorial assignments in several universities, Professor Carr
hasbeenavisitingprofessor,aprofessoremeritusandanadviser/consultanttonational
andinternationalacademiaandmultinationalcommercialorganisationsonteaandother
plantationcrops.Inconnectionwithhisprofessionalrolehehastravelledextensivelyto
overfiftycountries.Hecontinuestoserveasaconsultantand/oradvisertoresearchand
commercialorganisations.
Professor Carr has published numerous scientific articles and four books on tea,
irrigation and related subjects. He edited the prestigious journal Experimental
Agriculture for seven years. With such a distinguished career and rich experience in
diverse crops, he is eminently qualified to provide an intelligent discourse on tea
agronomy. This book, Advances in Tea Agronomy, is not a routine planters’ guide.
The author has attempted to identify and evaluate the research findings that form the
basis for current cultivation practices and also those that often defy explanation and
interpretation.
The book commences with a ‘world view’ of tea and weaves its way sequentially
through basic physiology, breeding techniques (including that unique to tea, clonal
selection),establishmentofyoungteaplantsinthefield,theirtrainingintostrongand
healthy bushes, shoot growth and development of shoots, and harvesting techniques.
Thediscussiononthedifficultyinexplainingthevarying,ifnotconflicting,resultsfrom
fertilisertrialsandthechapteronirrigationareparticularlyengrossing.Treespeciesthat
playanimportantroleinteacultivationarehighlighted.
Thechaptersthatstandoutmostconspicuouslyaretwotowardstheendofthebookon
ethicsintheteaindustryandsustainability.Theyarelikelytoinducesomecontroversy,
stimulateintelligentargumentandwakeupthe‘generals’oftheindustry!
V.S.Sharma,MSc,PhD
Previously:DirectorUPASITeaResearchInstituteand
Editor-in-Chief,InternationalJournalofTeaScience
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