🌱 Climate and Soil Requirements
- Climate: Best in humid, tropical & subtropical climates | Ideal temperature: 18–30°C | Sensitive to frost & drought.
- Rainfall: 1,200–2,500 mm/year, well-distributed.
- Soil: Deep, well-drained acidic soils (pH 4.5–5.5) | Rich in organic matter | Loamy soils on slopes are best.
🌿 Varieties
- Assam type (C. sinensis var. assamica): Broad leaves, grown in tropical areas (e.g., Assam, Sri Lanka).
- China type (C. sinensis var. sinensis): Small leaves, hardy, cold-tolerant.
- Cambodia type: Intermediate form, mainly for breeding.
- Many improved clonal varieties exist for yield, quality & pest resistance.
🌱 Propagation
Traditionally by seeds, but now mainly by vegetative (clonal) propagation for uniform quality and higher yield. Methods: cuttings, grafting, tissue culture.
🌳 Planting
- Spacing: 1.2–1.5 m between rows × 0.6–1.0 m between plants (10,000–13,000 bushes/ha).
- Season: At the start of the rainy season.
- Shade trees: Planted for microclimate regulation and soil conservation.
💧 Management Practices
- Pruning: Maintain plucking table height (~1 m), encourage lateral branching.
- Irrigation: Needed during dry spells | Sprinkler/drip systems effective.
- Mulching: Conserves moisture & suppresses weeds.
- Fertilization: High nitrogen requirement | Balanced NPK + compost/manure | Lime used for acidity control.
- Weed control: Regular weeding + cover crops.
🐞 Pests and Diseases
- Pests: Tea mosquito bug, red spider mites, tea looper, thrips.
- Diseases: Blister blight, root rot, stem canker, dieback.
- Management: Resistant clones, biological control, selective pesticides.
🍃 Harvesting (Plucking)
- Bearing starts: 3 years after planting.
- Plucking method: “Two leaves and a bud” is standard.
- Frequency: Every 7–15 days depending on growth.
- Season: Continuous in tropics | Seasonal flushes (spring, summer, autumn) in subtropics.
📦 Processing and Yield
- Processing: Fresh green leaves → Black tea, Green tea, Oolong tea, White tea.
- Yield: 1,500–2,500 kg made tea/ha annually (varies with management & clone).
- Postharvest: Leaves must reach factory within hours for best quality.