TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA INTRODUCTION

Currently the leading cash crop in Kenya with significant contribution to the economy In 2009 391,006 tonnes of made tea was produced from 171,916 Ha (TBK, 2010) Contributed 4% of GDP and 28% (equiv. KShs 97.7 billion) export earnings Is the highest export earning from a single commodity and crop. Tea contributes directly to objectives of the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) as a rural based enterprise Additionally, tea continues to contribute to the overall growth of agriculture in line with the Strategy for Revitalization of Agriculture (SRA)-2004-2014 as stipulated in the Medium Term Plan (MTP)-2008-2012
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Tea in Kenya

TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Tea in Kenya Contd

About 3 million Kenyans (about 10% of total population) derive livelihoods from tea industry. Tea also contributes significantly to the development of rural infrastructure Contributes to environmental conservation through enhanced water infiltration, reduced surface erosion, and mitigation of global warming through carbon sequestration. Small holder sub-sector (SHSS) average holdings range from <1Ha to 20Ha SHSS accounts for about 66% of total area and 60% of total production Rising production and processing costs do not auger well for the future of Kenya tea industry
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Tea in Kenya Contd Adoption of researched technologies on CIM has seen productivity rise from 1500 Kg MT/Ha to 3300 Kg MT/Ha in Estate sub sector (ESS) & from 600 Kg MT/Ha to 2300 Kg MT/Ha in SHSS over a period of about 40 years (TBK; TRFK, 2010) Average productivity in SHSS is therefore 70% that of ESS. By 1944 tea covered 6356 Ha, all in the ESS (Laycock, 1978) By 1986 this was considered old (Obaga and Othieno, 1986) SHSS tea was first planted around 1954 or later (Obaga and Othieno, 1986) History of planting in SHSS: In 1955, only 55 Ha (Laycock, 1978), 1965, 5429 Ha, 1975, 37,205 Ha, 1985, 56,505 Ha and 2005, 92, 682 Ha under tea in the (TBK, 2010)

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA Tea in Kenya Contd Earliest plantation in SHSS are about 50 years (est. late 1960s) Majority however, were established in the 1970s and 1980s which saw rapid expansion in the small scale tea sector ESS therefore, has some of the oldest tea plantations (comprising teas of 70 years and more) Declining productivity & moribundcy has been reported in many of these fields with many of the proprietors opting to uproot and replant in order to optimize yields Although small holder tea farms may be considered younger, management practices may render them moribund much earlier than normal as compared to well managed estates tea (Mwakha, 1983)
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Moribund state in tea Moribund tea plantations Where production has stagnated or shows a decline despite optimum cultural practices Tea stands aged >50 years with >25% vacancies are usually moribund and therefore require drastic action to bring the field back to full production (Anon, 2002) Causes of moribund state in tea (Anon, 2002): Yield stagnation due to weakened bushes and gaps due to deaths Major causes of plant deaths: pests (e.g. Mosquito bug or Helopeltis spp., Spider mites, nematodes and moles) and diseases (e.g. Armillaria mellea, Phomopsis theae and Hypoxylon serpens) Non-pathological causes of tea bush weakening & death: lightning, removal of prunings, soil mineral deficiencies, drought, weed competition and inter-row cultivation (damages feeder roots)
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Moribund state in tea contd In India, it was reported: after prolonged period of monoculture under tea, physico-chemical and biological properties of soil deteriorate considerably old tea fields due for uprooting have many vacancies death & debility of bushes are caused by: diseases, pests, faulty agronomic practices, soil physical condition and fertility deterioration due to inadequate fertilization, erosion, poor drainage compaction, etc. old age is the cause of low yield of fields due for uprooting Proper rehabilitation of the uprooted soil is a pre-condition for success of any replanted operation The old tea fields, after uprooting, are put under rehabilitation crops for 18-24 months The rehabilitation crops used in Northeast India are Guatemala grass (Tripsacum laxum), Pusa Giant Hybrid Napier Pennisetum purpureum), Citronella grass (Cymbopogon wintarianus) (Tocklai, 2012).
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Tea replanting in India In India it takes at least 5-6 years for a tea sapling to grow into a fullfledged tea bush Generally, estates gardens uproot & replant 2.5% of the tea estate every 5-6 years Replantation (replanting) costs estimated to range between Rs 3.03 lakhs (KShs 454,500) to Rs 5 lakhs (KShs 750,000) per Ha in North and South Indian estates respectively (Ghosal, 2009) However, that the financial health of the industry in the last decade was not robust enough to undertake replantation Except for a few big companies, most have for long been unwilling to invest in their gardens In 2009 Indian Tea Association (ITA) reported that due to improving finances, most Indian tea companies, big and small, were going in for massive replantation to upgrade the quality of their tea (Ghosal, 2009) (Companies included McLeod Russel, Goodricke, Warren Tea, Dhunseri Tea, Rossell Tea, Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co and Amalgamated Plantations, among others)
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Tea replanting in Kenya In Kenya, uprooting and replanting of tea has been going on for sometime now in the estates However, information as to the procedure and costs is scarce Unpublished sources however, estimate the costs/Ha at between KShs 582,641 (collar pruning stumps & ploughing out roots) and KShs 903,023 (Bulldozing to clear bushes & uprooting or winching out the stumps) Use of heavy equipment is unaffordable to the small holder farmer & impracticable for use in the terrain & scale of farms prevalent in the small holder sector.
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

PAST STUDIES ON REPLANTING Tea yields peak in 21-30 years after which yields decline (Gazi, 1978) Bulldozer uprooting caused highest soil compaction giving mechanical impedance to penetration, heavy destruction of soil structure and significantly reducing water infiltration rate compared to winching and hand uprooting-TRFK (Obaga and Othieno, 1986) Ellis, (1976) and Feng, (1979) described a system of replanting tea with minimum cultivation whereby old tea frames are pruned at ground level, and without uprooting the stumps the inter rows are interplanted with clonal transplants Effect of rehabilitation crops on soil properties (Tocklai):- roots of Guatemala grass proliferated to depth of 120cm, reducing compaction (2.8-7.7%), increasing water stable aggregates (24.4162.5%), hydraulic conductivity (16.0-81.0%), porosity (0.0-15.4%) & organic matter status (5.4-119.6%) Conclusion: rehabilitation with Guatemala grass improved the soil health (Tocklai 2012)
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA PAST STUDIES ON REPLANTING contd.

Traditional method of replanting tea in Darjeeling hills by manual uprooting of old tea bushes is expensive & promotes soil erosion Studies at Darjeeling Tea Research Centre used minimum tillage replanting after chopping off the stems of tea and killing the chopped stumps of tea with 2,4-D at 0.8 kg a.i. in 75 litres of water (10g/ltr H2O) or urea at 250 g/stump Survival %age & yield of young plants were high in 2,4-D treated plots Chopped treatments effectively controlled soil erosion and no primary root disease was observed on the roots of chopped stumps or roots of young plants (Kabir et al. 1993)

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA PAST STUDIES ON REPLANTING contd.

Study on economic and ecological benefits of tea replantation by interplanting new tea between old tea plants (old tea uprooted after new tea plants came into production) showed that the system was feasible Both the new and old tea plants in the interplanting grew well New tea came into production in the third year and yielded 6979kg GL/Ha The system produced better effects on soil conservation, field micro-climate, growth of newly interplanted tea plants, soil fertility and tea yields compared to traditional replanting (uprooting and replanting) method The system also realized better economic benefit & shorter period of return to investment (Shen and Tong, 1994).
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

CHALLENGES

Experience from ESS sub sector foretells of decline in productivity in the small scale sector in the next 10 to 20 years Decline in yield in the small holder sub sector is yet to be significantly felt Most small holder tea plantations in Kenya average 30 50 years, the age at which the tea bush starts showing a decline in production The rate of establishment of new plantings cannot forestall the expected decline nor maintain the current production levels
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA CHALLENGES Contd.

It is also necessary to create room for food crops to ensure food security among small holder tea farmers by replacing low to medium yielding clones with high yielding clones Replacement of the old tea plants with new improved varieties will be necessary if economic production levels and productivity is to be maintained, particularly in the small holder sub sector so as not to expose the farmers to economic vulnerability This has been going on in the Estates sub sector which has some of the oldest tea plantings The development of a proper scientifically sound tea bush replacement plan is necessary.
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

TEA FARM REHABILITATION SYSTEMS To establish the need for rehabilitation of moribund tea areas, monitoring yield levels and percentage of gaps in individual fields is necessary Under optimal practices, yields <1000 kg MT/Ha/Yr in fields >50 years & gaps constituting at least 25% of filed may serve as a guide to initiate rehabilitation programme (2002) Three rehabilitation methods previously applied in Kenya and other tea growing countries are:
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA TEA FARM REHABILITATION SYSTEMS Contd.

1. Rejuvenation pruning Cutting back tea bushes to 10-15 cm above the ground (to remove old, diseased, gnarled and knotted branches low down) Enables new growth leading to vigorous new framework of bush Interplanting with high yielding, good quality clonal plants within the rows (originally wide-spaced) & infilling gaps may increase field productivity (Increased population) Method only applicable in very widely spaced tea; often results in mixed materials & uneven spacing making subsequent field operations difficult
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

TEA FARM REHABILITATION SYSTEMS Contd. 2. Replanting Replantation becomes imperative when yields are very low despite optimal cultural practices 2.1 Uprooting 1. 2. Uprooting and removal of the moribund tea stumps Followed by construction of terraces, cut-off drains and waterways as soil conservation measures, Cover cropping with soil conditioning crops (e.g. Guatemala grass oats) for up to 2 years in order to rehabilitate the soil Replanting with suitable high yielding, good quality clonal plants Method has been used successfully in both the small holder and estate sub sectors Is expensive, (whether carried out by hand or by machinery) relative to the other methods.
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3.

TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

TEA FARM REHABILITATION SYSTEMS Contd. 2.2 Collar pruning Described by Ellis, (1976) and Feng, (1979) - Cutting old frames at ground level, by motorized cutter or by hand Modified (Ellis, 1976 and Feng, 1979) - application of a N rich fertilizer (SoA or Urea at 250 g/stump) on stump or systemic herbicide at high rate Cover with 10 cm soil (hastens wood decay by cellulose destroying fungi and bacteria from the soil) Pruning and treating be done early in the dry season (e.g. Jany/Feb) preceding long rains for lining in between the stumps; replant to follow during long rains at desired spacing Volunteer shoots best controlled with systemic herbicides (physical removal stimulates shoot growth) Method is applicable to small holder is inexpensive and applicable on all kinds of terrain Has been successfully used in Kenya at TRFKs station, Kangaita, Kirinyaga County Method can be applied to the whole farm at once, or in portions of the farm in stages of two years to allow return to production before embarking on the next portion.
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Collar pruning and replanting

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

2.3 Side/lung pruning Similar to collar pruning except that bushes are rim-lung pruned for continued plucking Replanting in the pruned inter rows When replants have established rims are pruned, stumps collar pruned and inter-row lined and planted Stumps may be treated as described above or left to decay for a few months then removed by hand Method may also result in uneven plant spacing and high mortality rate of interplants due to disturbance, injury and destruction during other operations before the rims are removed or during collar pruning or removal of the stumps System has also been successfully employed at KTDA (KTDA) farm, Kangaita, Kirinyaga under advice of TRFK. Under collar or side pruning systems, it is highly recommended that if a field due for replacement falls under the category of moribund as described above, it should be rehabilitated with Guatemalla or napier grass for at least two years.

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Decision Support model A simple decision support (DS) tool (Kamau, 2008) was developed to gain a better understanding on how productivity and resource use of tea agroecosystem is influenced by factors associated with ageing Objectives of model To determine; (i) if replanted tea gives better returns than old seedling tea, (ii) length of time to break even (iii) if tea replants perform as well as old seedling tea, (iv) the right age to uproot and replant. How model works: Calculates net economic returns to tea production over time (up to 100 yrs) using estimates of costs & yields for plantations of contrasting genotypes, e.g. low-yielding seedling tea and high-yielding clonal cultivar. Considers the 4 phases of tea cultivation, i.e. Establishment; Frame formation; Mature/commercial; Degraded phase. Distinguishes two levels of management (i) poor (with no replanting) (ii) good (gradual replanting with clonal tea - done after 40yrs). Considers 2 degradation rates, 0.02/yr & 0.06/yr depending on site.
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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

Operation or Factor / Phase Land (Ksh ha1) Land clearance (Ksh ha1) Planting materials (Ksh ha1) Planting (mandays ha1) Weeding (mandays yr1) Fertilizer costs (Ksh yr1) Formation prune (mandays ha1) Rent of investments (Ksh yr1) Yield (kg MT ha1 yr1) Price of tea (Ksh kg1 MT) Factory processing costs (Ksh kg1 MT) Plucking costs (Ksh kg1 GL) Pruning costs (mandays ha1 yr1) Seedlings degradation rate (fraction yr1) Clonal replants degradation rate (fraction yr1) Estab lishm ent 600 80 700 10 4 6 6 55.2 Frame Mature/C Degr format ommercia aded ion l 80 4 6 6 55.2 24 55.2
2,000 (seedling), 4,000 (clonal)

700 10 4 24 55.2 0.11 0.03 0.00 5 3.5 0.02, 0.06 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4

0.11 0.03

0.005 3.5 -

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

300,000 250,000 200,000

(a)
Poor management, k=0.02 Good management, k=0.02 Poor management, k=0.06 Good management, k=0.06

150,000 100,000 50,000 0 0 -50,000 -100,000 10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Age (years)

Figure 1: Simulated net annual (a) and cumulative (b) financial returns (in Ksh ha1) of tea plantations under poor management (not replanting degrading seedling tea) and good management (replanting degrading seedling tea bushes by clonal tea bushes) of tea plantations that start to degrade at constant rates of 0.02 and 0.06 yr1 at the age of 35 years Net returns negative during establishment phase Net returns +ve during mature/commercial phase (5 to 35 years) Annual returns start to decline due to degradation of seedling tea bushes Under poor management the net returns decreased to zero at an age of 52 and 85 years The break-even point is attained after 14 years Under good management, max net returns of Ksh 242,900 and Ksh 271,700 achieved by 56 and 89 years

Net returns (Ksh)

16,000,000 14,000,000 12,000,000

(b)

Poor management (k=0.02) Good management (k=0.02) Poor management (k=0.06) Good management (k=0.06)

Net returns (Ksh)

10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 0 -2,000,000 10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

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Age (years)

TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

CONCLUSIONS 1. Replanting is vital to maintaining high productivity in ageing tea plantations 2. Replanting of seedling by clonal tea is economically feasible & profitable 3. Farmers income can be doubled by replanting

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TEA REPLANTATION IN KENYA

END. THANK YOU!

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