13/07/2012

Responses of Low Grown Tea to

Irrigation

S.N.Bandara
Agronomy Division
Tea Research Institute
Ratnapura

Drought & Climate Change

Drought
1. Soil moisture depletion - PWP
2. Temperature rise - >350C
3. Vapor pressure deficit - >2KPa
Picture: Mt. Everest Nepal
1921

Climate change
2010

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Temperature rise
C-3 type crop
Island nature
Mountainous area
Tea vegetative crop

13/07/2012

Is there a moisture stress?

Young Tea Water Stress Coefficient

Ks
Water Stress Coefficient
TAW
Total Available Water
Dr
- Depletion rate
P
fraction of TAW plant can use
(for tea, p = 0.4)

Water Stress Coefficient - Ratnapura 2010

160

1.0

140

0.5

120

Rain
Ks

100

0.0
-0.5

80
60

-1.0

40
-1.5

20
0
Jan

Water stress coefficient (KS)

Rainfall (mm/day)

180

2010 very
wet year
with
annual
rainfall of
4983mm.
Still there
are some
moisture
stress
periods.

-2.0
Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month - 2010
4

13/07/2012

Different Irrigation Practices

-manual irrigation
-small sprinkler
-high labor cost
-delayed irrigation
-low monitoring

Methodology

Netafim Ram 17D inline drip system

Application rate 1.6L/hr
TRI 2023 & TRI 3025 cultivars
1999 May planting
Harvesting commenced 2001 Oct
Irrigation during January-March
Graze period 5 con. rainless days
Based on Class A pan evaporation

13/07/2012

16

100

irigated
rainfed

Photosynthesis (mmolm-2s-1)

14

33 and 38% higher

photosynthesis under irrigation
for TRI 2023 and TRI 3025

80

12
10

60

8
40

6
4

20
2
0

100

16

irrigated
rainfed

14

80
12
10

Rainfall (mm/week)

Physiological
response.,

60

40

6
4

20
2

10

12

Week no
7

Leaf temperature
45

rapidly build up than TRI

2023
At 1400hrs, ~100C
difference between irrigated
and rain-fed plants

Temperature (0C)

TRI 3025 leaf temperature

40

35

30
TRI 2023 irrigated
TRI 2023 rainfed
TRI 3025 irrigated
TRI 3025 rainfed
air temperature

25

20
600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Time (hours)
8

13/07/2012

Temperature effect on
photosynthesis

12

Photosynthesis (molm-2s-1)

TRI 3025 more sensitive to

increasing ambient
temperature even under
irrigation

14

10
8
6
4
2

irrigated y = 36.9 - 0.76x (r =0.11, P=0.4)

2
rain-fed y = 92.2 - 2.44x (r =0.75, P=0.005)

TRI 2023

0
14
12
10
8
6
4
2

irrigated y = 71.8 - 1.83x (r =0.57, P=0.03)

2
rain-fed y=101-2.75x (r =0.75, P=0.005)

TRI 3025

0
33

34

35

36

Max. air temperature ( 0C)

9

Tea yield

200

150

Graph shows weekly tea

yield for each month

There are some months

with high yield fluctuation
Effect of irrigation on tea
yield observed even
during wet season

Made tea (kg/ha/week)

100

50
TRI 2023 irrigated
TRI 2023 rainfed
0

200

150

100

50
TRI 3025 irrigated
TRI 3025 rainfed
0
Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Month
10

13/07/2012

Yield analysis
Yield (Made

Treatment

tea kg/ha)

TRI 2023 rain-fed

4468(327)

TRI 2023 irrigated

5650(220)

TRI 3025 rain-fed

4176(137)

TRI 3025 irrigated

4859(160)

Significance
Cultivar

0.0009

Irrigation

0.0001

Cultivar X

0.24

Irrigation

11

Environmental factors controlling low elevation tea yield

Variable

TRI 2023

TRI 2023

TRI 3025 rain-

TRI 3025

rain-fed

irrigate

fed

irrigate

slope

slope

slope

slope

Tmin

6.1

0.27

13.0

0.02

4.5

0.32

9.6

0.06

Tmax

-28.8

<0.001

-26.4

0.002

-27.1

<0.001

-22.9

0.003

1.2

0.58

1.0

0.64

-0.09

0.64

-0.9

0.66

-0.06

0.64

-0.04

0.78

0.03

0.75

0.03

0.83

Evaporation

1.4

0.42

0.9

0.59

0.15

0.91

-0.09

0.95

VPD

30.0

0.60

53.0

0.36

73.7

0.13

66.7

0.2

Radiation
RF

12

13/07/2012

Stem canker infection

the infection ~80%

TRI 2023 highly
vulnerable

100

Infected population (%)

Irrigation reduced

severe
moderate
less infection
no infection

80

60

40

20

I2
TR

02

3r

d
-fe
ain
T

2
RI

02

ate
rrig

3i

3
RI

02

5r

d
-fe
ain
T

3
RI

02

ate
rrig

5i

Treatment
13

NPV analysis for TRI 2023 and TRI 3025

Increased yield
Year

TRI
3025

TRI
2023

Income (add.)
TRI
3025

TRI
2023

Cost (add.)
TRI
3025

TRI
2023

Net revenue
TRI
3025

TRI
2023

Investment cost

Discount
Factor
(10%)

NPV
TRI
3025

TRI
2023

1 -515,841 -515,841

1999/00

7433

7433

-7433

-7433

0.91

-6757

-6757

2000/01

5011

5011

-5011

-5011

0.83

-4141

-4141

2001/02

8071

10498

417271

542726

170027

219165

247244

323560

0.75

185758

243096

2002/03

5873

12802

303634

661843

125192

265496

178442

396347

0.68

121879

270710

2003/04

1908

3902

98644

201754

47381

87767

51263

113987

0.62

31830

70777

2004/05

3254

5448

168232

281646

72349

116771

95883

164875

0.56

54123

93067

2005/06

203

1148

10495

59349

7284

26419

3211

32930

0.51

1648

16898

2006/07

2606

5318

134730

274923

64547

119458

70184

155465

0.47

32741

72526

2007/08

1121

9993

57956

516623

28546

208198

29410

308425

0.42

12473

130802

2008/09

2691

2052

139125

106088

65490

52550

73635

53539

0.38

28390

20641

-57898

391779

Net Present Value (Rs)

14

13/07/2012

Sensitivity analysis - land

Extent
(ha)

Unit
cost

TRI 3025
0%

5%

515841

25255

452921

TRI 2023

10%

15%

0%

5%

10%

15%

-93529 -247476 -369983

638180

360259

13706 -244545

88175

-30609 -184555 -307063

701101

423180

76626 -181624

413168

127927

9144 -144803 -267310

740853

462932

116379 -141872

10

363168

177927

59144

-94803 -217310

790853

512932

166379

-91872

20

343168

197927

79144

-74803 -197310

810853

532932

186379

-71872

15

Rs 405/day
2000

TRI 3025

TRI 2023
0%
5%
10%
15%

1500
1000
500

Sensitivity
analysis for
wage rate at
different green
leaf prices

Net Presen Value (Rs. 000)

0
-500

Rs 500/day
2000

TRI 2023

TRI 3025

1500
1000
500
0
-500

Rs 700/day

2000

TRI 3025

TRI 2023

1500
1000
500
0
-500
35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75 35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

Green Leaf Price (Rs/kg)

16

13/07/2012

Results of Drip/Sprinkler Trial

Yield 2008

Made Tea (Kg/ha)

5500

5000

4500

4000

3500

3000
Sprinkler

Drip

Control

17

Diurnal photosynthetic rate

Photosynthesis rate

14
12

Sprinkler
Drip
Control

10
8
6
4
2
0
600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Time (hours)
18

13/07/2012

Diurnal temperature

Temperature (0C)

48
44

Sprinkler
Drip
Control

40
36
32
28
24
600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Time (Hours)
19

Density (kg/m-3)

Root Development

10

20

30

40

50

-20

Root development was

studied on a parallel drip
-40

Depth (cm)

sprinkler experiment.
-60

Fine roots

-20

-40

-60

rainfed
drip
sprinkler

20

10

13/07/2012

Conclusions
Response depends on cultivar
High yield observed during wet
season

High temperature limits

photosynthesis as well as yield

No reduction in root development

Drip irrigation economical only with
high productive cultivars
21

Implications to industry
Alternative solution to mitigate drought effect and threat
posed by climate change
Main factor availability of water sources
Cost effective irrigation solutions are available
Based on severity of water stress, young plant deaths and
productivity, irrigation can be considered as alternative for
improved performance
New technology, like GIS can be used to identify potential
areas for irrigation
22

11

13/07/2012

Mobile irrigator

2010 Feb

Low cost mobile irrigation

system with gun sprinkler
Irrigation head cost
approximately Rs 15000.00
Can be operated with
common 2 kerosene pump
Application area ~ 1000m2

23

Weather Forecasting
To sense future weather patterns
Important in deciding applications like
fertilizing, planting, irrigation etc.,
Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka
www.meteo.gov.lk
Weather forecasting websites
www.noaa.gov
www.accuweather.com
www.intellicast.com

24

12

13/07/2012

Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka

www.meteo.gov.lk

25

Weather forecasting websites

www.accuweather.com

26

13

13/07/2012

Weather forecast for LINDULA and

PASSARA, Sri Lanka

27

Acknowledgement:
Tea Research Board of Sri Lanka
The University of Adelaide
Dr. Ian Nuberg
Prof. W.A.J.M de Costa
Prof. Glen McDonald
Dr. Anne McNeil

Thank You

28

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