Visit

Glimpses Of Tea Research In India

Tea Research is one of the oldest organized sectors of agricultural research in India. The Indian Tea Association established its Tocklai Experimental Station at Jorhat in 1911, while the United Planters' Association of Southern India started its scientific department at Devarashola in 1926, and set up its Tea Research Institute at Cinchona in 1961. The India Tea Board established its Darjeeling Tea Research Center at Kurseong in 1976. Since then the scope and dimension of research has expanded considerably to cater to the needs of the present day. The India Tea Board has extended its helping hand for promoting and conducting research in various disciplines by providing grant-in-aid and also by way of launching specialized research schemes in different institutions.

WORKING WITH NATURE

The Tea Research Association (TRA) has released a number of quality and high-yielding clones in Northeast India while The United Planters Association has made similar contributions in the South of India. Research activities has also been extended to such areas as development of vegetative propagation, balanced doses of nutrition, role of enzymes in nutrient metabolism, shade management, irrigation and drainage, improvement in agri-techniques, improvement in manufacturing technology, development of tea-making machinery including CTC machines, oxidators, sorters, rollers and color sorters.

SPECIALIZED AREAS OF RESEARCH

Lab-to-land programs have been strengthened over the years through a wide network of tea advisory centers in India. The specialized fields of tea research include genetic cataloguing, gene identification, application of bio-technology for genetic improvement; photoperiodism and role of enzymes in phasic growth. It also covers nutrition uptake, synthesis and translocation of endogenous hormones, application of computers in crop logging and manufacturing, remote sensing for exploitation of ground water resources, role of essential microbes in soil, bio-pests, new quality concept of tea processing, residual toxicity and its avoidance, organic culture, beneficial aspects of tea as a health drink and improvement of bulk packaging.

The India Tea Board and the various Tea Planters Associations are working very hard to provide discriminating tea drinkers with superb India Teas but it is you, the consumer, who MUST demand it from your tea merchant.

TeaTalk

info@teatalk.com

Prepared by and property of: "The Tea Man"
May not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of: "The Tea Man"
Copyright © February 1996