Abstract
Economic evaluation analysis of foliar (NPK) fertilizer on tea yields was investigated on three varieties of tea grown in the Kenyan Highlands. Foliar fertilizers trial was setup on three sites, Meru, Kirinyaga and Kericho, comprising of 36 plots per site. Two foliar fertilizer types, Foliar Fertilizer 1 (FF1) and Foliar Fertilizer 2 (FF2), a positive control of Soil Fertilizer (SF) and a blank (FF0) were used to standardize the method. Yield analysis in Meru site showed significant increase (HSD=4.9, p?0.05) after FF1 full rate application. SF had significant yield increases for all its rates from zero rate (HSD= 49, 44, 19, p?0.05) for half, full and double rates respectively. FF2 had no yield increase after its application. The economic rates were determined to be full rate for FF1 and SF and half rate for FF2 in Kericho site; half rate for all fertilizer types Kirinyaga site; double rate for FF2 and SF and full rate for FF1 in Meru site. The profitable rates were: double rate for SF across all sites and for FF1 and FF2 in Meru site; full rate for FF1 and half rate for FF2 in Kericho and Kirinyaga sites respectively.
Highlights
Tea, Camellia sinensis, is the second largest foreign exchange earner contributes significantly, 107 billion in 2011, to the Kenyan economy (TBK, 2010)
In Kericho, full rates had the highest yield mean difference for Foliar Fertilizer 1 (FF1) (217 Mt/Ha) as compared to zero rates, while the double rates lead to decreased yields from full rates (-205Mt/Ha) which indicates the diminishing returns of FF1 beyond full rates
For Foliar Fertilizer 2 (FF2), the half rates had the highest yields with a mean difference of 236 Mt/Ha from zero fertilizer
Summary
Camellia sinensis, is the second largest foreign exchange earner contributes significantly, 107 billion in 2011, to the Kenyan economy (TBK, 2010). Fertilizer is the second largest tea production cost item after plucking with significant bearing on both yield and quality of tea. Fertilizers increase the growth rate and density of harvested shoots thereby increasing yields (TRFK, 1999). Different tea clones have different genetic potentials to yield and response to nutrients supply. The fertilizers applied to the soil either is lost, by being bound by soil or are washed out of the root zone (Njogu et al, 2014a). Nutrient imbalances for tea in the soil occur, rendering the soils moribund unsustainable for tea production (Ayiemba & Nyabundi, 2010). Experiments have shown that foliar fertilizer application can increase yield from 12 to 25 percent when compared to soil fertilizer application (Islam et al, 2012)
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