RESPONSES OF TEA TO ENVIRONMENT IN KENYA. 2. DRY MATTER PRODUCTION AND PARTITIONING

• Published in: Experimental agriculture 2001-07, Vol.37 (3), p.343-360
• Main Authors: Ng'etich, W. K., Stephens, W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation to environment and cultivation conditions; Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning; Crop climate. Energy and radiation balances; Dry matter; Dry season; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Ground cover; Leaves; Radiation; Seasonal variations; Solar radiation; Temperature; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
• ISSN: 0014-4797; 1469-4441
• DOI: 10.1017/S0014479701003064

In a genotype × environment experiment at four sites with four tea (Camellia sinensis) clones in Kericho, Kenya, differences in ground cover and total dry matter production and partitioning were found between clones and between sites. The major contributor to these differences was the daily intercepted solar radiation that differed by as much as 30% between sites. Differences in radiation use efficiency (RUE) between the sites were small, but varied from 0.3 to 0.45 g MJ−1 between the clones. The rate of dry matter production was affected by the prevailing weather conditions. During the dry seasons the rate of dry matter production differed between the sites and clones by a maximum of 2 g m−2 d−1. Harvest indices were found to vary between the sites and increased with time. Partitioning to harvested shoots ranged from 10% for clone TN14-3 to a maximum of 19% in clone S15/10 at site 4. Partitioning to roots showed distinct differences between clones, being least in clone S15/10 (10–20%) compared with 15–32% in other clones. Rooting depths were greatly influenced by the prevailing temperatures.