&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Dry days from Super El Niño claim an Indian favourite victim in the Nilgiris")
Super El Niño is affecting tea crops in the Nilgiris this season, according to a paper, which warns that rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns are spelling trouble for the plantations in the region. P Murugesan, author of the paper and Advisory Officer at the UPASI Tea Research Foundation Regional Centre in Coonoor, said that tea tracts in South India are not governed by "the quantum of total annual rainfall but by its temporal distribution." So even if the annual rainfall is fine, "an increase in dry-day frequency and a rise in short-duration high-intensity rainfall events could lead to agronomically significant moisture deficits."
Tea is harvested continuously as young shoots, and is vulnerable to even the slightest change in climate. An increasingly hot Earth affects shoot growth, internodal length, harvesting time, yield, quality and long-term bush health. Temperature, soil moisture, irradiance, and humidity dictate the crop’s growth and overall leaf quality. Murugesan wrote in “Super El Niño: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for The Nilgiris" that there hasn't been a drastic drop in total annual rainfall volume in the region, as per the meteorological data.
However, there has been a higher frequency of dry days and short-duration, high-intensity rainfall events. The average temperature has increased by approximately 0.5 degrees Celsius, and the geographic reach of frost and hailstorm damage has expanded, long-term observatory data from the Nilgiris shows.
Also Read: NASA satellite spots strongest sign of Super El Niño, confirming all predictions - What to expect?
“Because tea shoots are harvested continuously, these volatile conditions directly affect internodal length, shoot development, and harvesting schedules, ultimately threatening long-term bush health and crop yields,” Murugesan said.
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Steps to protect tea plantation from El Nino
As Earth continues to become warmer, and threats like Super El Niño continue to become stronger, he says there is a need for steps to mitigate the effects. He has called for immediate field-level interventions including strategic shade management, optimising canopy cover using shade trees such as Gliricidia sepium to regulate microclimates and protect tea bushes. “The governing principle for tea management under Super El Niño conditions is unambiguous. So, protect the bush before protecting the crop," he said.
