Abstract
Tea (<i>Camellia sinensis</i>) is the top foreign exchange earner in Kenya. Its demand is relatively high and this has triggered increased production. Manufacturing companies have also stiff competitions amongst themselves on the aspect of branding. However, for quality assurance and high productivity, the nature of fertilizer in regard to its nutrients has played a major role. This study investigated the effects of blended NPK (Nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium) fertilizer on tea crop productivity in different growing regions of Kenya. The optimum sustainable rate of fertilizer application was also determined. Different rates of 0, 75, 150 and 225 Kg/ha/Yr (kilogram per hectare per year) were used. A randomized complete block design was applied and the sample clone was Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) 6/8. The samples, composed of two leaves and a bud, were randomly picked, dried and ground into powder. Each sample was heated to ash in a muffle furnace, cooled and digested using 50% double acid of HNO<sub>3</sub> and HCl with H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Desorption was done using HCl and samples allowed to settle before being aspirated into an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OPS). They were reweighed and digested for determination of total percentage nitrogen.; This was followed by distillation before titration with ammonium borate solution and HCl. Data analysis was done using MSTAT statistical package. The results revealed that the percentage accumulation of elements was highest when blended fertilizer was applied at a lower rate of 75 Kg N/Ha/Yr. compared to standard compounded fertilizer, which required higher rates of up to 225 Kg N/Ha/Yr. for accumulation of nutrients. Blended fertilizer was therefore found to be more economical and highly yielding than Standard compounded fertilizer, as a lower rate of application still led to higher accumulation of elements which is directly proportional to higher yield and quality in tea.
Highlights
Kenya is a major producer of black tea (Camellia sinensis)
These results were presented in form of a bar graph as shown in figure 1. Based on these the results, the highest percentage accumulation of nitrogen in the two leaves and a bud samples occurred when MEA blended fertilizer NPK 29:5:5 formulation was applied at the rate of 75 Kg N/Ha/Yr. and when the Standard compounded fertilizer 25:5:5 formulation was applied at the rate of 150 Kg N/Ha/Yr
It was observed that the highest percentage accumulation of Phosphorus in the two leaves and a bud was when MEA blended fertilizer was applied at the rate of 75 Kg P/Ha/Yr compared to Standard compounded Fertilizer applied at the rate of 225 Kg P/Ha/Yr
Summary
Kenya is a major producer of black tea (Camellia sinensis). It is ranked first before China and India in tea production. One of the best bet practices for intensive production of tea is regular application of fertilizers. Tea fertilizers is available commercially in many physical and chemical forms [9]. Among these are the compound granular fertilizers which contain all of the plant nutrients specified in each granule, and the blended granular fertilizer which is a mixture of dry fertilizer granules or pills or chips, which have no chemical reaction [10, 11]. Each physical form of the fertilizer has its own uses and limitations, which provide the basis for selecting the best fertilizer for specific crops or location [9]
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