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Weather, Physiology and Seasonality of Tea (Camellia sinensis) Yields in Malawi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

G. R. Squire
G. R. Squire
Affiliation:
Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa, Mulanje, Malawi, and Department of Physiology and Environmental Studies, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough
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Summary

Field measurements with a pressure chamber showed that the water potential of tea shoots was more closely related to the atmospheric saturation deficit than to the amount of water in the soil. Records for shoot growth and weather then revealed that, within a narrow range of mean temperature, the weekly rate of shoot extension was inversely related to mean saturation deficit measured at 1400 h. During periods when saturation deficit did not rise above 20 mbar, the rate of shoot extension varied linearly with mean temperature above a base temperature of 12.5–13.0°C. These correlations suggested that seasonality of shoot growth in tea can be explained largely by the independent effects of temperature and humidity. The effect of mean air temperature on the rate of shoot extension was confirmed in a glasshouse built over an established crop.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , October 1979 , pp. 321 - 330
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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