Effects of Harvesting Policy and Nitrogen Application Rates on the Production of Tea in Central Africa. II. Quality and Total Value of the Crop

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Abstract
The black teas produced from the field treatments described previously (Cloughley et al., 1983) were evaluated chemically and organoleptically. Increasing N application rates and harvesting larger shoots had adverse effects on the liquor quality as assessed by theaflavin (TF) analysis, and on the value of the product as assessed by tea tasters' sensory examination. There were also large, regular intraseasonal fluctuations in TF content, small values corresponding to occasions of crop peaks. Shoots predominantly of 2 or 3 leaves and a bud harvested from plots given 135 kg N ha−1 generated the largest total cash value. A total value index (TVI), involving yield and quality, is introduced and illustrated.
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