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Evaluation of Foliar Analysis as a Diagnostic Tool of Predicting Nutrients Deficiencies of Clonal Tea in Kenya

Asian Journal of Biological and Life Sciences ,2012,1,1,08-18.
Published:May 2012
Type:Research Article
Authors:
Author(s) affiliations:

Bowa O. Kwach1, P. Okinda Owuor1,*, David M. Kamau2, John K. Wanyoko2

1Department of Chemistry, Maseno University, P. O. Box 333 40105, Maseno, KENYA.

2Department of Chemistry, Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, P.O. Box 820 20200, Kericho, KENYA.

Abstract:

Tea is a high value cash crop grown in countries with varying environmental conditions. High demand for the commodity led to development of high yielding varieties leading to nutrients loss with harvested crop. For continuous high production, replenishment of lost nutrients is mandatory, hence the need for a reliable nutrients diagnostic tool to predict nutrients demand. Although such a tool was developed for seedling tea, clonal tea varieties which now dominate the tea grown in Kenya adopted the set limits without re-evaluation. It is not known if these limits are suitable for clonal tea grown in different environments or if clonal tea partitions the leaf nutrients differently. This study assessed these factors and results showed that leaf nutrients varied (P< 0.05) with clones and locations with significant (P< 0.05) interaction effects between clones and location of production. The level of nutrients obtained in the clonal leaf did not concur with set limits in seedling tea, demonstrating the limits set for seedling tea are unsuitable for clonal tea. No relationship existed between nutrients in different leaves or clones in different locations. It is necessary to generate more data on tissue nutrients levels of clonal tea for use in producing region and clonal specific foliar diagnostic guidelines.

Keywords:Nil