Maranga, E.K (1982) Water Balance Studies in Relation to Tea Yields in the Brooks Bond Liebig Estates, Kericho, Kenya. Masters thesis, University of Nairobi. Masters thesis, University of Nairobi.
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Abstract
Tea is an important cash crop in East Africa and is grown in areas contrasting substantially in their physiographic and climatic conditions. The mode of production in Kenya varies from large commercial estates managed by commercial companies to small production units owned by small holder farmers. Previous researches on tea productivity in East Africa endorse the fact that climate and soils are the major physical factors controlling tea growth. Whereas climate is the product of large scale atmospheric circulation features over which man has little control, under good management practices, the deficiencies in soils can be identified and rectified. Thus the only factor inhibiting or encouraging tea growth is climate. It is proposed, therefore, that knowledge of the relationship between tea production and climate is essential in the evolution of land management policies behind the development of tea varieties concomitant with increased tea productivity. It is against this background that this thesis attempts to examine the role of climate in the production of tea in Kericho, Kenya. An evaluation of the role of climate in tea production must of necessity take into consideration the interaction of climate with other non-climatic factors in affecting tea productivity. Thus in a bid to gauge realistically the influence of climate on tea production, an attempt has been made to eliminate as much as possible certain agronomic aspects of tea cultivation which interact with weather to confuse the interrelationships between tea yield and weather parameters. The effect of these factors which were identified as soil fertility, age of the tea bush, plucking aspects and pruning cycles was minimized by a logical and suitable sampling design. The broad ranges of climatic variables that affect tea growth make it difficult to isolate and specify the actual influence of any single climatic element upon tea productivity. However, by formulating agro climatological/agrometeorological indices that have a bearing on tea growth, it is possible to quantify the influence of climate on tea yields. For the purpose of this investigation, the water balance model has been used as a basis for formulating agroclimatological indices related to tea growth. The adoption of the water balance approach was decided upon after a careful and meticulous evaluation of the suitability of other alternative approaches. For example, past approaches in studies of climate-plant relationships have tended to measure the impact of climate on plant growth and production by correlating individual climatic parameters such as Stevenson's screen air temperature or rainfall with crop yields. The limited success of such approaches is obvious since air temperature or rainfall is not sufficiently representative parameters of the tea crop environment or any other crop for that matter. Also analysis of the relations between individual climatic elements and plant production lacks recognition of the multivariate nature of plant-climate relationships. Some aspects of the structure and content of this thesis deserve comment. The introductory chapters 1 and 2 serve to identify the problem, the need end justification of the present investigation into tea-climatic relationships in the study environment. A review of the existing literature on plant-water relations with particular reference to tea production occurs in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 discusses the objectives of the present investigation in the light of existing knowledge can tea-climate relations and pertinent methodology used in realizing the identified objectives and testing of hypotheses. The scope and suitability of the data required for this investigation is discussed in chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses the results of the analysis concerning tea-climate interactions in the study are simple correlation coefficients and linear regression analysis were used in establishing and gauging the role of climate on tea production. A summary of the major findings arising from this investigation and conclusions drawn is the subject of chapter 6. The implications of the findings of this study upon present tea production management practices are spelt out. Future research needs to enhance our stock of knowledge on tea- climate relations are also identified. It is hoped that the results of this study will not only be of value to the tea industry in the limited area of study but should appeal to a wide audience interested in matters relating to plant-environment relationships.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | Geoffrey Obatsa |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2016 14:03 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2016 14:10 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/913 |
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