Effect of Genotypes in Different Environments on Micronutrient Content of Black Tea

Abstract

Essential elements are needed in the day to day living of both human beings and the plants including tea (Camellia sinensis). Different clones of tea have been developed and distributed to farmers in various locations however it remains obscure the levels of the essential elements in their resultant black teas. This study aimed at establishing the micronutrient levels of different clones planted in a single site and also establish whether the levels of the micronutrients varied in the same pattern when planted in different regions. It was found that the different clones varied significantly (p≤0.05) in their micronutrient levels when planted in a single location under similar agronomic practices and this did not follow a similar pattern when the clones were planted in different locations. Thus there is need to identify region specific clones in order to optimize the micronutrient content of resultant black teas.