Modelling yield of tea clones grown in monsoonal plains of Assam

Abstract

This study reports the potentiality of ‘Cranfield University Plantation Production Analyzer for Tea’ (CUPPA Tea model) to predict the yield of tea under monsoonal climatic conditions of the plains of Assam. The CUPPA-Tea model, developed using data from a high-altitude site close to the equator in East Africa, was validated against the yield data from experiments conducted on tea soil at Borbhetta tea estate, Jorhat, Assam. The model is used to simulate the yield response of tea to the soil conditions of Jorhat for the clone TV1 (using clone specific genotypic parameters) using weather data for last 96 years available with Tea Research Association, Tocklai, Jorhat, Assam. The close correspondence between observed and predicted yield and yield distribution suggests that the model is applicable to tea in north-east India. It can be further calibrated and validated for other tea growing regions of north east India if more input parameters required for the study are collected from a number of plantations.