Definition:

Pruning is a vital operation for tea management to limit the top growth and to stimulate the
growth of the bush.

Pruning is a process to the tea bush at a certain height to control the vertical growth and allow it
expanding horizontally for comfortable plucking with renewed and vigorous branching pattern.

Fig: Pruning operation

Objectives of Pruning:
Some objectives of pruning are:

 to check the reproductive growth and provide stimulus for vegetative growth especially
for the production of young shoot that constitute the crop.

 to remove the dead wear and unproductive wood.

 to renew the actively growing branches which can support the sufficient volume of
maintenance foliase on it.

 to maintain the height and dead frame for economic plucking.

 to increase the growth hormone for vegetative growth.

 to derive store energy for the production of the growing shoot.

 to improve bush hygienic.

 to reduce the incidence of pest and diseases which help to rejuvenate the bushes for the
maximum cross production.

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  to regulate the crop harvest.

 to renew the growing branches and maintenance the foliage to meet physiological needs
of the plant.

 minimizing formation of banjhi and spreading of pests and diseases.

 controlling crop during rush period and to achieve better crop distribution.

 maintaining quality in the processed Tea.

 to help the structure of flush.

 easy to plucking of the Tea leaf.

Types of Pruning:
According to the age of the tea population pruning may be two types:

 Pruning in immature Tea plant.

 Pruning in mature Tea plant.

Pruning in immature Tea plant may be divided into three parts:

 Decentering

 Breaking

 Bending

Pruning in maturing Tea plant may be divided into six types:

 Collar prune [cp]

 Heavy prune[hp]

 Medium prune[mp]

 Light prune[lp]\Top prune[tp]\Cut across prune.

 Skiff prune [sp]\Lung prune[lp]

Skiff prune may be divided into five types :

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  Deep skiff [DSK]

 Medium skiff [MSK]

 Light skiff [LSK]

 Level of skiff [LOSK]

 Unpruned [UP]

Light prune {LP}: Initial light pruning operation is generally given at 60-75 cm. and regulated
in such a way that the maximum plucking level is restricted to 96-100cm. for 15-20 years before
medium pruning is done. Light pruning should be given at 4-5cm. above the previous pruned
level and it is the most important operation in a pruning cycle. This will ensure the development
of strong new shoots with minimum die-back.

Objectives of Light prune:

 To renew the wood.
 To regulate the distribution of crop.
 To get rid of excessive crop.
 To maintain the dead and drought branches.

Collar Prune: Collar pruning is the most severe operation in which the bole of the bush is cut
at the ground level or even 5 cm. below ground level.It helps to remove the dead and defunct
wood and development of good ,healthy and new primary frames.It also important for restoration
of plant density by in filling or interplanting. For this perform carbohydrate content needs 18.5%.

Objectives of Collar prune:

 To maintain shape/size of the plant or bush when it is out of shape.
 If the structure of growthness of plant doesn’t properly, need CP.
 When plants are diseased collar prune is needed.
 When plant bush structure destroyed then collar prune is needed for rejuvenation.

Medium Prune:
Medium pruning is performed at level between 45-65 cm. The main object is to reduce the
plucking table for efficient maintenance when it attains the height of 95 cm. The exact height on

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which a section should be reduced depends on the average form and if previous cut has been
satisfactory ,the cut may be between 55-68 cm. from the ground level. But the height should not
be lower than necessary to remove the knots and congestion.

Objectives of Medium prune:

 To reduce frame height of bush.
 Medium prune is effective for produce new branch and leaf.
 To reduce incidence of pest and disease.
 To reduce the incidence of excess biomass of bush frame.
 To remove knot renew wood.
 When to create a problem/abnormal problem, then it is needed.
 To facilitate consolidation by infilling vacancy.

Heavy or Low Pruning:

Heavy pruning is a varient of collar pruning and when the height of the frame of the
bushes that they are difficult to pluck and when the branches have formed snags and
knots then heavy pruning become necessary.The height of heavy pruning dependson
the type of Tea and condition of the frame.Generally the bole is cut at 15-45 cm.

Skiffing Prune:
It is performed just at the top of the plant.

Finger / lung prune:

It may be performed between 70-80 cm.

Skiffing Prune:

Deep skiff(DSK): Deep skiff is to cut the bush half way between the last pruning mark and
the tipping height, usually 75-85 cm. or it should be cut 12-15 cm. above the last light prune so
as to leave a fork on the stem to increase the number of new plucking shoots.

Objectives of Deep skiff:

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  To regulate the distribution of crop.
 To reduce the ill effect of drought.
 To get rid of excessive creep.
 To reduce height of plucking table.
 To longer the vegetative life of the plants.

Medium skiff (MSK): Medium skiff is to cut the bush at the mid way of deep skiff and
tipping level,usually between 85-95 cm. or 5 cm. above the deep skiff.Its object is to cut below
the majority crows feet to remove the most of the conjested growth above the junction of red and
green wood.

Objectives of Medium skiff:

 To regulate the distribution of crop.
 To reduce the ill effect of drought.
 To reduce the incidence of excessive bungee
formation.
 To reduce height of plucking table.
 To longer the vegetative life of the plants.

Light Skiff (LSK): Light skiff is to cut the bush at the mid way of the medium skiff and
tipping height,usually 20 cm. above frome the last light pruning.It is performed at the current
years tipping level to remove the creep foliase.

Level off skiff (LOSK):

It is performed to level the the bush at the end seasons plucking level.It is to cut at the 8 cm.
from the top of the bush of the current years tipping level.In the skiffed section pruning litters
should be removed from the top of the bush to avoid infection of horse hair blight and thred
blight diseases.

Unpruned(UP):

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It is the most top layer of a tea population which portion is not cut.This portion may be found at
the intervel period between two pruning practices.

Pruning administration:-
Pruning administration consists of following factors-

(1) Measuring stick supply.

(2) Sharp knife and saw.

(3) Cut should be parallel to the slope of ground.

(4) Pruning litters preserved as mulch.

(5) Advanced P,K (20-40) kg. above normal dose in spring season.

(6) Winter wash oil for demossing.

(7) The bitumine point in large cut.

(8) Caustic wash for firm cleaning.

Pruning factors:-

Some factors are affected in pruning types and pruning cycle, such as:-

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 (1) Sun scorch damage.

(2) Drought damage/Blister damage.

(3) Growth time desired.

(4) Rest period required.

(5) Crop required.

(6) Nutrient status.

(7) Pest damage.

(8) Yield required.

(9) Well equipment.

Crop distribution

a) The high treatment, UP, LOS, LSK, MSK, increase the first flush.

b) LP and DSK increase second flush and main crop.

c) HRP, MP, heavy prune and young tea increase the autumn crop.

Pruning Cycle:
The interval time between two successive prune is called the pruning cycle.

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It varies from 1-6 years based on the following criteria:-
-Varity to variety.

-Season to season.

-Growth pattern of tea garden.

-Soil climatology conditions.

-Height of plucking level.

-Quality and quantity of crop pattern.

-Availability of pluckers.

Various pruning cycle:

Specially in Bangladesh two pruning cycles are followed, such as:-

-Three years pruning cycle.

-Four years pruning cycle.

Consequences of Pruning Cycle:

The consequence of three years pruning cycle are as follows:-

LP:LSK:DSK

The consequences four years pruning cycle are as follows:-

LP:MSK:DSK:LSK /

LP:MSK:DSK:MSK

Time of pruning:-
According to the seasons different times of pruning are followed which are given as follows :

In two seasons pruning operations can be performed.

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Winter Season Pruning:
In this season respiration rate low,rainfall and moisture suitable so that plant growth enough and
light pruning and skiff pruning are performed.

Summer Season Pruning:

In this season rainfall off, respiration high, rains and soil moisture low so collar type prune
usually performed.

Pruning schedule of immature Tea population:-

Year Months/Time Types of pruning Plucking height

0 April-May Planting _

1 January-February. Decentering, at 15-23 cm, height. Above 50 cm.

2 Do Prune ,at 40 cm. Above 50 cm.

3 Do Prune, above 50-55 cm. Above 52-55 cm.

4 Do Prune,at 45-55 cm. Above 70-75 cm.

5 Do Prune,at 75 cm. Above 78-80 cm.

Pruning schedule of mature Tea population:

Pruning schedule of mature Tea population:

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 Types of prune Months/ Time

Light prune (LP) First December—End December (Week)

Deep skiff (DSK) First February—End February (Week)

Medium skiff (MSK) Mid January—First February (Week)

Light skiff (LSK) End January—Whole February (Week)

Medium prune (MP) 24—30 Years.

Requirements of pruning:
Some requirements should be fullfiled in order to successful pruning programme such as:

(1) Pruning programme.

(2) Sample inspection.

(3) Starch test: Particularly starch test is used in young tea and that has not been rested until
dormancy.

(3 g iodine crystale + 6g potassiumm +1 litre water)/ Weak hospital iodine solution.Observation:- Dark
black color.Decision:- Starch present.

(4) To select pruning expert labour.

(5) To select chemical reagents and equipments : such as measuring stick, soda or quicklime.

Choice of Pruning System:

The pruning system chosen must ideally be related to growth characteristics of plant types, general
health of the bushes, quality and quantity of crop needed. The other related but important factors that
need consideration are climatological conditions and susceptibilities to pests and diseases ( Rahman

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 and mitra, 1973). With so many interacting factors in operation, it is often difficult to generalise
anything on an ideal pruning system, but it is perhaps reasonable that crop requirement, crop
distribution and crop quality are the important attributes of an ideal pruning cycle.

The principle axiom for requirements is the fact that the lighter the cut during pruning, the more is the
yield and vice versa. Moreover, continuous high treatment also congestion at the top, apart from a
general decline in productivity and resultant crop loss. Although the earlier practise was to go for
annual pruning to stimulate growth, it caused a major stagnation in yield level. When this situation was
overcome by the introduction of selective unpruning between pruned years as in unpruned tea, the
level of yield was generally high. This essentially was the rationale behind the introduction of the so
called longer pruning cycle with a combination of pruned and unpruned years (Dutta, 1956). But
keeping tea continuously unpruned (with appropiate height reduction) had it own drawbacks, because
this led to the formation of large knots on the branches accompanied by general thickening and
reduction of number of pruning sticks, and severe congestion at the top. The physiological basis for
this complex morphological change is not known, except perhaps that more of the dry matter goes into
the stems (Magambo and Waithaka, 1985; Banerjee, 1988) but the net effect is a serious decline in
yield.
However, as pointed out earlier, long term productivity of the plants their intrinsic abilities to yield
should be overriding importance. The rule of thumb in selecting the form of skiffing is the quantum of
possible yield increase very light prune tea; this would be in the region of the 10 to 15 with deep skiff,
15 to 20 percent with medium skiff, 20 to 25 percent with light skiff and if tea is kept unpruned the
possible yield increase would be in the region of 30 to 35 percent over pruned tea. It is important that
these apparent gains over light pruned tea are neither cumulative nor continuous. The second important
consideration in selecting a pruning cycle is the pattern of crop distribution. Unlike the tea growing
areas close to the equator, crop distribution in north-east India being somewhat erratic the only way to
get more of early equality crop is to go for skiffing, and perhaps to an extent unpruned tea as well. The
crop distribution under different forms of pruning and skiffing (Table 1.1) suggests that a varying
measure of early crop is possible by differential pruning but the best results come only from a realistic
combination of different forms of pruning and skiffing.

Table: 1.1 Relative crop distributions in different forms of pruning and skiffing

MONTH

11
 Type of
skiffing
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Light
prune
-
-
-
1
5
11
15
16
20
20
11
1

Deep
skiff
-
-
-
3
9
11
17
18
18
15
9
-

12Medium
 Plucking:
Plucking tea leaves is crop harvesting. It is an artistic job. Production of a tea estate depends upon
accurate plucking. Wrong plucking leads to crop loss because of creation of uneven plucking table due to
rough plucking.

The objective of plucking is to produce the maximum sustainable yield of a standard sufficient to
maximize the profitability per hectare of plantation. Standard plucking may be defined as taking all
growths on the plucking table. Leaving the Jan am, buds, and small one leaf and a bud shoots. Standard
plucking should be practiced on 7 days round. This will result in making maximum sale able crop with
the best potential. As growth slows down towards the end of the season, the round may be gradually
extended to around 10 days by the end of October. All banjo shoots must be removed at the time of
plucking all throughout the season.

When standard plucking is practiced, the plucking table will gradually rise during the season. However,
this rise, known as ‘creep’, should be kept to a maximum of 5cm. This may necessitate breaking back if
the round has fallen behind. Light skiffed and unprimed areas should be plucked hard to restrict creep; to
not more than 3cm. Removal of bush side growth by puckers must be strictly forbidden. Where there is a
considerable space between bushes, this is even more important so that bushes are encouraged to spread
and fill up the unit area allocated to them.

Objective of plucking:

 The main objectives of plucking are harvesting the leaf.

 Ensure the produce again shoot after plucking round.
 By the regular plucking maintaining the high quality.
 By help the physiological activities in the bush.
 To ensure the maximum no. of shoot for manufacturing.
 To ensure the harvest of leaf for multiple event on a year.
 To maintain the plucking round/plucking interval.
 After tipping, by the plucking of leaf tea maintain the plucking table.

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Plucking system:
A plucking system is ideal only when it is based on growth of shoots. This
growth rate varies with plant types or nature of the cultivars, conditions of growing, and
general environmental conditions, particilarly temperature and humidity.

Kinds of plucking system:

There are nine system of plucking:

1. Fine plucking: When plucking bud and leaf is called Fine plucking. It gives quality but
quantity is low and cost is high.
2. Coarse plucking: Bud and three or more leaf is called coarse plucking. it has low quality
of tea but quantity is high.
3. Light plucking: When plucked except some newly developed leaf and under the plucking
table with the previous.
4. Hard plucking: When plucked just below the previous plucking table is called Hard
plucking.
5. Janam Plucking: When plucking except Janam and fish leaf is called Janam plucking.
6. Fish leaf plucking: When plucking except janam is called Fish leaf plucking.
7. Single leaf plucking: When plucking except janam and fish leaf and a leaf is called
single leaf plucking.
8. Standard plucking: When plucking except janam, small leaf and a bud is called standard
plucking.
9. Black plucking: When plucking except only janam and a bud is called black plucking.

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 Before doing plucking the following thing to be known:

1). Sticks: The branches left over in the bush after pruning is called sticks.

2). Primaries: Leaves coming out from sticks are called primaries.

3). Laterals: Leaves coming out from primaries are called laterals. These laterals are plucked
at certain height. Then again leaves are coming out from the laterals. In this way maximum 8
times leaves are coming out from laterals in a crop season in Bangladesh tea plantation.

4). Stubs: The portion left over in the primaries after plucking is done, called stubs.

5). Maintenance Leaves: Leaves under the plucking surface including fish leaf and other
mature leaves in tea bush.

6). Apical dominance: The bud in the apex which influence over the increasing and sleeping
buds under it.

7). Plucking table or surface: The height above pruning mark where plucking is done is
called plucking table surface.

8). Table height: Plucking height from the ground level or distance from pruning height to
plucking height.

9). flush: primaries in the tea bush ready for plucking are called flush. In the other word flush
is interval of two bunjhis.

10). Flushing shoot: Actively enlarging primaries are called flushing shoot. In this case shoot
will be more than 10mm length.

11). Bhanji: This word is widely used in tea plantation. The apex bud will not be more than
2-3mm Long and will remain at sleeping stage.

12). Single, Double, Triple Bhanji: A closed primary consists of soft one, two or three leaf.

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 13). Acceptable shoots: Two leaves and a bud, three leaves and a bud which are suitable for
processing called acceptable shoots.

14). Hard Bhanji: Small apex bud with full bloom one, two or three hard leaf primary is
called hard bhanji.

15). Immature Shoots: Expanding apex bud with one full bloom second leaf is called
immature leaf.

16). Janam: A Small leaf at end of primaries is called janam.

17).Fish leaf: Fish leaf stands immediate above janam in the primaries.

18). light Plucking: Plucking is done keeping some new leaf above earlier plucking table.

19). Hard plucking: Plucking is done below earlier plucking table.

20). Breaking back: In order to make the plucking table even following plucking acceptable
leaf, it is necessary to remove and break unacceptable leaf and stubs. This process is called
breaking back.

21). Plucking round: Plucking round means frequency of plucking a particular sections or
plantation after a certain interval.

22). Plucker: Tea estates laborers mostly female worker who pluck tea leaf from tea bush are
called pluckers. Tea plucking need skilled work force who ensure increased production while
deployment of unskilled plucker will not hamper production but will also make future
plucking difficult.

Plucking standard:
The standard of plucking is unequivocally important as it determines the quality
potential of the processed leaf. it is generally accepted that fine plucking makes the best
quality tea as this form of plucking consists picking of only two leaves and a bud and
plucking of these flushes is regarded as fine plucking. At the extreme of fine plucking are the
medium, coarse or very coarse plucking. These three systems of plucking greatly increase the
quantity of harvested crop, but only at the cost of quality. Medium plucking, for example,
involves harvesting of large shoots with two leaves and a bud, three leaves and a bud plus the
single banjhis or dormant leaves. coarse plucking involves removal of all shoots with two
leaves and a bud, three leaves and a bud, four leaves and a bud and double banjhis. Very

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 coarse plucking removes all shoots with three leaves and a bud and even shoots with four
leaves and a bud. Coarse plucking can be done at eight to ten or even 12 days intervals.

Plucking interval:
For efficient harvesting of shoots plucking interval is most crucial. The interval is ideally
determined by the rate of a leaf unfolding. In north-east India, the general practise is to
harvest shoots at seven days interval on the assumption that by this time the levels of various
biochemical’s constituents necessary to make tea of quality would reach their optima. Any
increase or decrease in plucking interval could significantly influence the dynamic metallic
system, even leading to alterations in leaf physiology. Therefore plucking round at shorter
inetrvals with fine plucking can reasonably assure a better quality of made tea than teas
plucked at longer intervals. Thus five days plucking round can give good quality of made tea
because of a lower content of ash fibre though black tea made from seven days plucking
would have a balance of VFC, ash soluble solids caffeine and therefore would have an
optimum quality.

Plucking and maintenance foliage:

Any rational approach towards plucking is inexorably linked with the concept of having an
optimum quantum of maintenance leaves. Operation of any form of plucking without due
consideration of an adequate layer of maintenance foliage is fraught with dangerous
physiological consequence.

The quantum of maintenance foliage is basically regulated by tipping height and only a
correct tipping provides an optimum layer of maintenance foliage.

Reference

1. Sana D.L. 1989. Mature Tea Management. Tea Science, 80-87.

2.Rahman Lutfur, 2006. Pruning & Plucking, Tea Estate Management, 35-37.

3.Banerjee Barundeb, 1993. Pruning & Plucking, Tea Production & Processing, 142-163

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