Agriculture and Environment: Tea
Better Management Practices: Reduce Use of Toxic Chemicals
While there will be times when pesticides will be necessary for the production of tea, such chemicals should never be used prophylactically.
Integrated pest management (IPM) can be the key to reduced toxicity and more sustainable pest control for tea production.
For this to work, however, producers must not only identify the main pests in the different areas of the plantation but also develop management plans for controlling them.
Proper research and analyses
This means the development of censuses and analyses of the life cycles and natural enemies. Economic damage thresholds must be established for each pest with appropriate control measures indicated for each. Research on biological control agents (e.g., predators, parasites, biological fungicides, and pheromones) will need to be undertaken on a wide range of tea-growing areas.
Monitoring efficacy of IPM practices
In addition, positive results and field trials should be incorporated into IPM practices so that improvements can be identified and adopted over time. Even the most effective IPM strategies will not eliminate the use of pesticides, but they can insure that pesticide applications are kept to a minimum.
This in turn will minimise seepage into groundwater or runoff into freshwater systems. In some areas, like East Africa, diseases and insect pests are not a major problem. In such areas, IPM should be used to keep the natural enemies of tea in check and minimise the need for toxic chemicals.
Controlled use of chemicals
If herbicides are required, safer compounds should be targeted whenever practical. Low volumes and spot applications can be used to reduce overall impacts. Applicators should practice with the equipment to insure they are competent to use it and understand how to protect themselves. For small farms, manual weeding is recommended. This reduces the costs of herbicides, application equipment, and protective clothing.
