Comparative Analysis of Manual and Mechanical Tea Harvesting
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Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Harvesting operation was critically defined as the most labour intensive and most costly field
operation at a tea plantation and therefore the need of innovative strategies to setup for this step
was highlighted by the economic evaluations. The setting for a new strategy in harvesting
became more difficult and caused to more criticisms, because the economic profitability and
quality of output were two different ends of a product or an output. Therefore, the developing of
integrated approach to assure the better output requires great potential. The concept of
mechanical harvesting was given an innovative potential to the plantations as the best solution
for labour shortage at the harvesting operation. Therefore the plantation people were looking for
a better harvesting approach from that. However, the leading solution from existing mechanical
harvesting is not efficient to overcome the labour shortage and high cost of production. This
research is to evaluate the impacts of mechanical harvesting using the experimental data
obtained for harvesting with different mechanical devices against the manual harvesting.
Methodology
Second year Vegetative Propagated (VP) tea field was alienated and plot was made which
included 3000 tea bushes. Uniformity of each bush was assured with the age, soil quality etc.
Field experiment was conducted with the Completely Randomized Block Design that followed
3 treatments, 3 replicates and 3 blocks. There were 3 treatments namely machine (T1), shear
(T2) and manual harvesting (T3). Three blocks were established in terms of the variability of
slope at the land (A, B, C). Therefore the nuisance factor was the slope. Each block was divided
into three plots that each had 333 plants. These plots were again divided into three sub plots that
each had 111 plants. Plot which consisted of 111 plants was taken as one replicate and therefore
one block contained three treatments and three replicates and altogether 09 experimental units.
Three blocks contained total 27 experimental units. Randomization procedure was done by
using the lottery method. Independent variable was the method of harvesting. Profitability of
each method was reviewed by concerning the various aspects of output including the indicators
for productivity and quality. Those dependent variables are the yield (Kg Ha Round
Acceptable flush (%), Harvesting capacity (Ha Day Labour ), Productivity (Kg Day Labour
). Quality of
harvested green leaves was monitored by concentrating on harvesting policies and shoot growth
pattern. Data collection was carried out for 10 consecutive plucking rounds.
Description
Keywords
Agriculture, Export Agriculture, Crop Production, Tea Industrials, Tea Technology