Pattern of Tea Shoot Growth

Abstract

SUMMARYTea shoot development was measured by sequentially sampling shoots from seven clones growing at Nsuwadzi Research Station, Mulanje, Malawi. A Gompertz growth curve best described the increase in shoot length with time, an exponential curve described the relation between dry weight and shoot length, and a quadratic curve related dry weight to fresh weight. The parameters of these curves differed among clones and provide a basis for exploring genetic influences on tea yield. The most rapid elongation of shoots of all clones occurred about 42 days after plucking, considered the optimum age for harvest at Mulanje. Clones selected at Mulanje produced longer shoots with greater dry weight but slightly lower dry matter content per unit stem length than clones selected at Kericho, Kenya. The dry:fresh weight ratio of 0.22 used at Mulanje to calculate dry matter yields was too high for most clones.