ABSTRACT
Young shoots consisting mostly of top two fresh green leaves and a bud constitute the harvest of tea called fine plucking and this accounts for about 10-12% of the total biomass of tea. Hence, unlike other perennials, tea has a low harvest index which is difficult to surmount (Banerjee, 2001b). These shoots prized for their flavour also contain the compounds of pharmaceutical importance, are harvested at intervals of seven to ten days. To effect the production of these shoots, tea is maintained as a low bush in a state of continuous vegetative growth, by periodic productive pruning at pre determined heights, usually at about 4 to 5 ft to facilitate plucking of the top leaves by hand.
