Many fungi play a vital role in the decomposition of wood in nature and nutrient cycling, yet some afflict serious damage to cultivated tree crops and forestry. Tea (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze) is affected by Hypoxylon wood rot (HWR) disease caused by the Hypoxylon sp. Pers ex Fr. In the recent years; there have been reports on increase of the disease in Kenya. This study aimed at determining disease incidence and biodegradation by 59 Hypoxylon isolates from diverse tea growing counties of Kenya on wood, from resistant (TRFK 6/25) and susceptible (TRFK 6/129) tea cultivars. The disease incidence varied (p less than or eqaul to 0.05) in different counties (6.7 to 77.5%) and was more prevalent in tea cultivars (77.5%) than seedling type of teas (15.7%). Bio-degradation of wood was performed in Falcon tubes for 40 days. The 59 Hypoxylon isolates significantly (p less than or eqaul to 0.05) bio-degraded tea wood. The weight loss ranged from 4.84 to 16.44% in the susceptible and 4.61 to 12.64% in the resistant cultivars. The results indicate the potential use of biodegradation to evaluate resistance of tea cultivars to damage by Hypoxylon sp. This study concludes that biodegradation is potentially usable technique to screen tea cultivars for resistance to HWR.

Despite the use of similar cultivars in the smallholder tea sector in Kenya, resultant black tea quality varies. These variations could in part be arising from the formation of varying quantities and ratios of the black tea quality precursor compounds with agro-ecological zones of production. This study evaluated the variations in the caffeine and flavon-3-ol profiles of three cultivars (SFS 150, TRFK 31/8 and TRFK 303/577) of tea from smallholder tea farms in three agro-zones in Kenya. Overall, there were significant variations (p ≤0.05) in the levels of caffeine and flavan-3-ols due to cultivars and agro-ecological zones of production. In the same cultivar, the components varied (p ≤0.05) with an ecological area of production. The patterns in the changes were not systematically leading significant ecological zone x cultivar interactions effects in gallic acid, catechin, and epicatechin gallate. This demonstrated that it may not be predictable how the quality of clonal tea may vary when produced in different agro-ecological zone. Consequently, a high-quality clone in one agro-ecological zone may not replicate the same characteristics in the different agro-ecological zone. It is, therefore, necessary to test new clones in new environments before they are extensively exploited in these environments. The current findings suggest that flavon-3-ols may not be potential factors in the discrimination of tea quality within the ecological zones of Kenya.

For Japanese people tea is first and foremost green tea. Tea has a long history in Japan, having been introduced into the country more than 1000 years ago by Buddhist monks returning from China. From that time on tea drinking spread to the samurai and aristocratic classes, and at the end of the 16th century Sen-no Rikyu evolved what is known as the tea ceremony CHANOYU, which became an important part of Japan's culture. At the end of the 19th century, with the loosening up of Japan's diplomatic relations, the cultivation and production of tea as an export item earning foreign currency was promoted by the government and production became more and more widespread. Following this tea came to be consumed also by ordinary people.

At this time, the beginning of the 21st Century, tea as a beverage is favored in many countries of the World. It is said, that it is the most used drink second to water. In the writer's opinion, it is actualy better than water in many parts of the world, where clean sterile water is not available. The preparation of tea involves boiling of the water, which wil automaticaly sterilize it and therefore, makes it safe.

The degradative kinetics of pesticides on tea plant surface are characterized by an initial rapid degradation which follows a first-order kinetics, then transferred to a more slower degradative rate. The degradative process mainly consists of photodegradation, evaporation, rainfall elution and growth dilution. The influencing parameters of these processes were investigated on tea plant. The predictive model of the initial concentration, photodegradation rate constant, evaporation rate constant, rainfall elution rate, growth dilution rate and the total degradative rate was discussed and verified in four locations situated in the range of 25°-30°N latitude, and acceptable results were obtained.

Assessment of health problems of tea workers is an essential pre-requisite for formulating health care system to address health needs of this community in India. One of the great challenges to the health care system of the tea workers has been malnutrition and diseases associated with unhygienic living .Although India is trying to cope with these problems through nutritional improvement, improvement in health infrastructures including eradication, elimination and control of major communicable diseases, the impact of these health-benefits on poor socio-economic groups are still the major concern. Health needs are also changing in tea plantation and tea factory workers of India. This epidemiological transitions will pose health challenge for the tea industry in future. Medical awareness, supplementation of food with nutrients and training of workers for safe work practices are important for reducing disease burden in tea planters and workers.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) has been grown in the United States since colonial times, and continues to flourish in many coastal parts of the country as well as on the islands of Hawai'i. Cultivars include imported material from China, Japan, Taiwan and India, as well as wind-propagated cross-fertilized cultivars and locally adapted varieties to suit soil and climatic conditions. Longevity of tea ventures, however, has proved short, chiefly due to the relative cost of American labour compared to Asian. Current efforts to grow tea around the country are few, ranging from a relatively large machine-harvested estate in South Carolina to experimental boutique fields on the East and West Coasts and in Alabama and Hawaii which employ handplucking and various operations by machine to produce fresh, terroir specific American teas. Despite renewed interest in green tea, iced black tea continues to dominate the U.S. tea market. America's few tea planters, with a growing consciousness of geographic variations and sustainable organic production methods, now produce tiny but steadily increasing amounts of tea. They have demonstrated the diligence, devotion and attention to detail that successful tea cultivation requires. Overall, however, North American conditions have proved quite challenging for the production of tea.

Glomus fasciculatum , one of the dominant arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) associated with tea root colonization, was selected and maintained in maize plants. Besides AMF, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TRS6 isolated from tea rhizosphere, which showed in vitro antagonism to a number of tea root rot pathogens as well as siderophore-producing and phosphate-solubilizing activities, was selected for utilization as bioinoculants in tea plants for improvement of health status. The bacterium was applied to the soil as aqueous suspensions, and in case of G. fasciculatum , soil was inoculated with its spores and in joint inoculations, the AMF was inoculated prior to the bacterium. Inoculation of rhizosphere of tea plants of six different varieties (TV-18, T-17, AV-2, T-78, UP-3 and UP-26) with any of two microorganisms increased growth of plants, but the most significant increase was obtained in dual application. Plant growth was measured in terms of increase in height, increase in number of branches and leaves. Similarly, sclerotial blight of tea, caused by Sclerotium rolfsu , was suppressed to certain extent by G. fasciculatum or B. amyloliquefaciens , but significant suppression occurred when G. fasciculatum and B. amyloliquefaciens were applied jointly. Polyphenolics and four major defense enzymes showed enhanced activities during disease suppression. Western blot of the enzjone extracts from control and all treated plants using PAb raised against chitinase revealed strong reaction when disease suppression was evident. Population of S. rolfsu in soil was also determined following immunological techniques using PAb raised against the pathogen. Results of ELISA and dot-blot revealed that application of G. fasciculatum and B. amyloliquefaciens significantly reduced S. rolfsu population.

Tea has been grown in Vietnam for over 2,000 years and the custom of tea drinking has been handed down from generation to generation.At the end of the 19th century the French colonial power set up the first tea plantation in order to commercialize tea in Vietnam. Large scale commercialization started in 1918 after the creation of the Union of Vietnam Tea Farming-Industry. During the French War (1945 -1954), the teamarket collapsed, and most tea plantations were abandoned, until 1960 to 1970, when there was a strong revival. During this period area under tea increased by 14,330 hectares. The implementation of doi moi (open door policy of the government) added to the surge of revival. Between 1990 and 2003 tea production, yield and area increased at average annual rates of 7, 3.5, 3.1 percent, respectively. Despite this growth, the average yield remains relatively low at 0.95 ton made tea /hectare, compared to India at 1.8 ton and Kenya at 2.2 ton. In 2003 the tea industry, which depended on Inter-governmental trade with Iraq, suffered due to the Iraq war.

This communication outlines the influence of tea cultivation on the change in vegetation through summer, winter and rainy season in tea gardens and adjoining non-tea areas in Uttarakhand hills. A total of 184 genera (57 families) grow in summer, 263 genera (73 families) in rainy season and 211 genera (57 families) in winter. Weed species such as Ageratum conyzoides, Chrysanthellum americanum , Crassocephalum crepidioides and others grow abundantly in tea gardens, which are otherwise uncommon in the native flora adjoining the tea gardens. These species may invade the adjacent areas and change the composition of native flora that could lead to ecological consequences such as alteration of natural habitat, elimination of native species and a change in pollinators’ populations. Some of the habitats ideal for medicinal herbs have been brought under tea cultivation. The adverse impact on insect pollination and soil fauna is emphasized due to the use of pesticides in tea gardens.