Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T05:29:24.061Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Altitude, Temperature and Shoot Production of Tea in the Kenyan Highlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

G. R. Squire ,
S. M. O. Obaga  and
C. O. Othieno
G. R. Squire
Affiliation:
Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, PO Box 820, Kericho, Kenya
S. M. O. Obaga
Affiliation:
Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, PO Box 820, Kericho, Kenya
C. O. Othieno
Affiliation:
Tea Research Foundation of Kenya, PO Box 820, Kericho, Kenya
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Shoot production was examined for two clones at four sites in western Kenya, differing by up to 300 m in altitude and from 16.4 to 18.1°C in mean air temperature. The duration of the shoot growth cycle increased with altitude, and the rate of shoot extension decreased, mainly because of the temperature differences. Outside a dry season, linear regressions of both extension rate and 1/duration on temperature were significant for Clone S.15/10, and gave apparent base temperatures around 7.5°C, but were not significant for Clone TN.14/3 which responded only slightly to temperature. The dry weight per shoot was stable and the growing point frequency did not change systematically with altitude. Analysis that excluded the effects of drought indicated that the yield of Clone S.15/10 decreased from 740 g m-2 at the lowest site by about 10% per degree fall in temperature, whereas the yield of TN.14/3 did not change systematically with altitude.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 107 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Covell, S., Ellis, R. H., Roberts, E. H. & Summerfield, R.J. (1986). The influence of temperature on seed germination rate in grain legumes. I. A comparison of chickpea, lentil, soyabean and cowpea at constant temperature. Journal of Experimental Botany 37:705–715.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R. H., Covell, S., Roberts, E. H. & Summerfield, R. J. (1986). The influence of temperature on seed germination rate in grain legumes. II. Intraspecific variation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). journal of Experimental Botany 37:1503–1515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcia-Huidobro, J., Monteith, J. L. & Squire, G. R. (1982). Time, temperature and germination of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides S. & H.). 1. Constant temperature. journal of Experimental Botany 33:288–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Littleton, E. J., Dennett, M. D., Elston, J. & Monteith, J. L. (1979). The growth and development of cowpea (Vigna unguiculala) under tropical field conditions. 1. Leaf area. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93:291–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohamed, H. A., Clark, J. A. & Ong, C. K. (1988). Genotypic differences in the temperature responses of tropical crops. I. Germination characteristics of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides S. & H.). Journal of Experimental Botany 39:1121–1128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monteith, J. L. (1977). Climate. In Ecophysiology of Tropical Crops, 1–27 (Eds de, P.Alvim, T. and Kozlowski, T. T.). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Snyder, R. L. (1985). Hand calculating degree days. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 35:353–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, G. R. (1979). Weather, physiology and seasonality of tea (Camellia sinensis) yields in Malawi. Experimental Agriculture 15:321–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, G. R. (1989). Responses to temperature in a stand of pearl millet. 9. Expansion processes. Journal of Experimental Botany 40:1383–1389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, G. R. & Callander, B. A. (1981). Tea plantations. In Water Deficits and Plant Growth 6:471–510 (Ed. Kozlowski, T. T.). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Stephens, W. & Carr, M. K. V. (1990). Seasonal and clonal differences in shoot extension rates and numbers in tea (Camellia sinensis L.). Experimental Agriculture 26:83–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stephens, W., Othieno, C. O. & Carr, M. K. V. (1992). Climate and weather variability at the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology(in press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanton, T. W. (1979). Some factors limiting yields of tea (Camellia sinensis). Experimental Agriculture 15:187–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanton, T. W. (1982). Environmental factors affecting the yield of tea (Camellia sinensis). I. Effects of air temperature. Experimental Agriculture 18:47–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar