C5e-AGRICULTURAL CROPS-CASH CROPS - TEA

TEA

•Important beverage crop
•Stimulating and cheap drink

TYPES:
1.Black Tea – by drying leaves in the sun & then rolling them mechanically between steel rollers & fermenting them

2.Green Tea – no fermentation in this process

3.Oolong Tea-made by fermenting tea leaves-gives gereenish-brown colour

TEMPERATURE: 12 to 35 degree C but 25 degree C is an ideal temperature
RAINFALL:150 cm TO 250 cm (distribution throughout the year)

SOIL: Light loams rich in iron content , porous sub-soils so that water percolates , stagnation of water near roots is harmful.

METHODS OF FARMING: By sowing seeds in germinating beds, and another method is to use cuttings from high yielding plants.

•AREAS AND STATES:
•Assam – largest producer
•Brahmaputra valley in Assam, Darjeeling in West Bengal, Kangra in Himachal, Garhwal Hills in Uttaranchal, Nilgiri Hills and Annamalai Hills in the South .

PICKING OF TEA LEAVES

PROCESSING

5 STAGES OF PROCESSING:

1. WITHERING:


Tea leaves are spread on racks for 15 to 20 hours - hot air blown over the racks to remove the excess moisture - makes leaves soft and flexible.

LEAVES IN TEA PROCESSING PLANT

•Drying leaves

2. ROLLING: Tea leaves are pressed in rollers to break their cells and exposes the natural juices to fermentation. – this gives flavour .


They are rolling tea leaves







3. FERMENTATION: Leaves are spread out on special trays for fermentation under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. In this process the tannin in tea is partly oxidised and colour changes and flavour develops.

tea leaves are left for fermentation

4. FIRING OR DRYING: Fermented leaves are passed through oven over a belt


5. SORTING : Tea leaves are sorted out in various grades with the help of sifters with different size of meshes. After sorting they are given the brand names, denoting the size of the leaves like pekoe, broken orange, dust, etc)

sorting

REVISION:

a.. Which crop in India represents the world’s best example of plantation agriculture in all its aspects? What are the climatic requirements of this crop? (2)
Tea is the world’s best example of plantation crop.
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS are :
Temperature : It needs a temperature of 13 degree C – 35 degree C
Rainfall – It requires well distributed rainfall between 150 cms to 250 cms. It cannot withstand long spells of dry
conditions. It needs high humidity and heavy dew for it growth.
Soil – It requires light loamy soil with porous subsoil.

Labour is needed for its plantation, pruning and plucking and packing.

b. State the leading beverage crop of India. What are its requirements in terms of soil, rainfall and labour?
Tea is the leading beverage crop of India
Soil – It requires light loamy soil.
Rainfall – Tea plants require 150 cm to 250 cm of rainfall.
Labour - Skilled female labour for picking leaves.

c. Name the two conditions which favour the growth of tea Nilgiris.
HILLS: Because roots of tea cannot tolerate stagnant water, tea grows well in Nilgiris Hills.
RAINFALL: This region has well distributed rainfall throughout the year.

d. What is ‘Suckering’? What is its importance?
Suckering is removing of auxiliary bud that grows after topping.
Suckering helps to improve the size, body and quality of the leaves.

e. Name the largest exporting tea port in the world. Where is tea grown in India?
Kolkotta port.
Tea is mainly grown in Assam, northern hill slopes of West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and hills of Uttarakhand.

f. What is the importance of tea industry for Indian economy?
* It employs a million persons directly and another million indirectly.
* Tea industry is the main foreign exchange earner.

g. What do you mean by fine plucking? What point should be kept in mind by the plucker during this process.
Plucking of two leaves and a bud from the tea bush is known as fine plucking.
Plucker should not pluck third leaf as it is coarser and does not produce good tea.

h. What is flush? How much time is taken by shrub to produce flush?
New shoots in a tea plant are known as flush.
Tree shrubs develop flush after three to five years.

i. Name one important plantation crop. Explain two important features of plantation farming with reference to the crop named above.
Tea is a plantation crop.
· Plantation farms are generally large and normal size of the farm varies from 5 to 40 hctares.
· these farms employ labour on large scale.

j. Mention a leading beverage crop of India. What are its requirements in term of soil and rainfall?
Tea is a leading beverage crop of India.
Rainfall – Well distributed rainfall between 150 cms to 250 cms. It cannot withstand long spells of dry conditions.
Soil – It requires light loamy soil with porous subsoil.

k. Name one important tea growing area. Name the most important port for the export of tea.
Kerala, Assam, W. Bengal are important tea growing areas.
Kolkotta port is the most important port for the export of tea.

l. Tea is grown mainly on hill and mountain slopes. Give reason.
Tea is grown mainly on hill and mountain slopes because water strains out quickly on the slope as stagnation of water is harmful to tea crop.

m. With reference to cultivation of tea in the southern India, name one important tea-growing area.
Nilgiri-Hills in south of India.