Abstract
Tea is the most consumed beverages after water. In Terai and Dooars region of sub Himalayan West Bengal, India, tea plantations are around 150 years. Exploitation of tea garden soil over centuries has led to decline in soil fertility and crop productivity after all initiatives of external inputs. As nutrients play a crucial role in quality and quantity of manufactured tea, the present initiative has been designed to quantify the soil nutrient status of tea growing Terai and Dooars region. 79.62% (Terai) and 84.72% (Dooars) of the soil samples were found to have normal pH. 47.21% (Terai) and 49.3% (Dooars) of soil samples was found to have normal organic carbon. 12.03% and 20.82% of soil from Terai and Dooars showed low total nitrogen. Both the organic carbon and nitrogen in soil are positively correlated. Phosphorus (as P2O5) content of soil is extremely site and depth specific. Almost all samples of the study area showed high potassium (as K2O) content. Monoculture, change in rainfall pattern and inorganic additives have contributed enormous stress to soil but despite of all these odds the overall nutritional richness of these tea growing regions seems to be satisfactory.
Highlights
Tea is the most popular beverages and an important plantation crop cultivated in India along with many other areas of the world (Nath).[1]
Soil Sampling In our study area, a total number of 126 soil samples were collected by means of a screw type auger of which 54 samples were from Terai and 72 samples were from Dooars region
Application of phosphorus fertilizer is usually recommended for enhancing soil phosphate availability (Vance et al.,[26]: Lambers et al.,27)
Summary
Tea is the most popular beverages and an important plantation crop cultivated in India along with many other areas of the world (Nath).[1] It is a much liked beverage of the people in the country and fetches a good amount of foreign exchange. Tea plants are leafy perennial trees planted and pruned to desirable height with an objective of recurring harvest. The quality of tea leaf used for manufacturing is highly influenced by soil nutrients and tea clone. Concentration of nutrients in tea leaf is related with the soil environment (Özyazici et al.,[3]). Mineral contentof harvested tea depend on the soil properties on which it is grown along with itsagronomic practice (Kalita and Mahanta[4]). The contents of nutrient element of tea plant are related with soil environments
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