Question

Give a geographical reason for the following.
Clonal planting is the best method for tea propagation.

Answer 1

Hint: Tea is a popular beverage among both aristocrats and commoners.The tea plant thrives in tropical and subtropical climates with abundant humus and organic matter in deep, fertile, well-drained soil. India has the world's largest tea-growing area and produces 28.3% of global tea production.

Complete answer:
Clonal propagation is the asexual reproduction of genetically identical clones of a cultivar, and a clone is a plant population generated from a single individual through asexual reproduction. The best way of tea propagation is clonal planting.

Tea plants require shading to improve the humidity surrounding them in growing locations that have a long dry season. Seeds or rooted leaf cuttings are used to propagate tea. Cuttings are taken from a tea plant known as the mother plant, 'which is noted for its exceptional yield, flavour, and quality, and then developed into tea shrubs that produce the same excellent quality of tea. As a result, clonal planting is the most effective technique of tea multiplication.

Tea shrubs of high producing cultivars from nurseries can be planted in plantations using this strategy. New tea farms have started using leaf cuttings. Single node cuttings are collected from the desired variety and firmly pressed into the soil in polyethene bags holding soil. Because clonal planting aids in the production of increased quality, yield, and flavour in the mother plants, it is the best approach for tea propagation.

Note: To retain soil moisture and minimise soil erosion, tea plants are frequently interplanted with legumes or grasses. Tea plantations at lower elevations make use of shade plants. While the tea plants are establishing, weeds must be kept out of newly established tea plantations.