Question

Though coffee and tea both are cultivated on hill slopes, there is some difference between them regarding their cultivation. In this context, consider the following statements :

1. Coffee plant requires a hot and humid climate of tropical areas whereas tea can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical areas.

2. Coffee is propagated by seeds but tea is propagated by stem cuttings only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : 1 only

The correct answer is 1 only.

• Tea is grown in tropical and sub-tropical climates.
• Coffee is able to tolerate warm Temperate Dry to Rain (with little or no frost) through Tropical Very Dry to Wet Forest. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Coffee is generally propagated by seeds yet budding, grafting, and cuttings have been used for the propagation of coffee, and Tea plants are propagated from seeds and also from root cuttings. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
• In tea, The cuttings are planted straight or slightly slanted so that the leaf does not touch the soil. They are then transplanted to the field about 12 months later once they are rooted. Seeds are planted at a depth of 1.5–2.5 cm.
• Coffee is propagated through seeds, cuttings, grafting, and tissue culture. For cuttings, the non-lignified orthotropic shoots with one node are harvested early in the morning when the relative humidity is comparatively high.

• The climatic conditions of tea plantation are as follows:-

Type of Tea	Geographical conditions suitable	Advantages	Disadvantages
Green Tea	Elevation less than 300 m Rainfall 200 cm per year	The major variety (>90% of all farmers grow it) Good quality Easy to grow, and cultivate intensively Yielding: normally 5.000 - 6.000 kg/ha In intensive cultivation: its yield can reach 12.000 - 15.000 kg/ha
Half Fermented Tea	Elevation less than 500 m Rainfall about 200 cm per year Able to tolerate low soil fertility	Able to tolerate low soil fertility Very high quality	Still require more research
Green tea Black tea	Elevation more than 500m Rainfall over 200 cm per year	High Quality	Tea doesn't look good after being processed by hand More susceptible to pests at low elevations

 

• Ideal climatic conditions to grow coffee are related to temperature and rainfall-
  • Temperatures in the range of 23 °C and 28 °C with
  • Rainfall incidence in the range of 60–80 inches (1.5–2.0 m) followed by a dry spell of 2–3 months suit the Arabica variety.
• Coffee Diseases-
  • Hemileia vastatrix fungus disease is the most common disease in coffee.
• The Coffee Board of India is an organization managed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the government of India to promote coffee production in India.