A Path to Southern Tea: Propagation of Camellia Sinensus to Support an Alternative Field Crop for Southern Farmers

PI WITHDREW FROM PROJECT 8/29/2023. PROJECT CANCELLED.

Commodities

• Additional Plants: tea

Practices

• Crop Production: crop improvement and selection, varieties and cultivars

The proposed solution will build off the existing tea plot at Jenny Jack Farm to identify a small set of cultivars that have proven well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions and have produced high yields as well as high quality tea in test production runs. Continental US farmers have access to wide variety of generic material. Our existing years of hands-on experience growing and processing with our plants give us a unique ability to isolate cultivars that are of higher potential. 

We would use two propagation methods: air layering and cuttings.

In general, we plan to use paired comparison experimental design to evaluate 2 approaches for on farm propagation under controlled conditions. In evaluating progress and outcomes we’ll look at factors such as the rate of plant growth and plant health as well as consider the costs associated with each potential solution.

• Identification of specimen plants for propagation
  • In field and data-based on historical growth, processing success/marketability
• Year 1: Experiment 1:
  • Comparison of 2 propagation approaches
• Year 2: Experiment 2:
  • Comparison of 2 nursery approaches to grow the plants on for transplanting