Production of High Quality Export Green Tea Through Integrated Management RIRDC Publication No
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Production of High Quality Export Green Tea through Integrated Management RIRDC Publication No. 09/124 RIRDCInnovation for rural Australia Production of High Quality Export Green Tea through Integrated Management by John Golding Paul Roach Sophie Parks August 2009 RIRDC Publication No 09/124 RIRDC Project No. PRJ-000501 © 2009 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 923 3 ISSN 1440-6845 Production of High Quality Export Green Tea through Integrated Management Publication No. 09/124 Project No. PRJ-000501 The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on phone 02 6271 4165. Researcher Contact Details John Golding Gosford Horticultural Institute NSW Department of Primary Industries Locked Bag 26. Gosford NSW 2250 Phone: (02) 4348 1900 Fax: (02) 4348 1910 Email [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Electronically published by RIRDC in August 2009 Print-on-demand by Union Offset Printing, Canberra at www.rirdc.gov.au or phone 1300 634 313 ii Foreword Green tea is a potential new crop in Australia with significant economic benefits. Green tea is produced from the leaf of Camellia sinensis var sinensis, which grows well in many parts of Australia. This report provides data to support the development of out-of-season export of high quality green tea to Japan. This project examined the integration of important pre and postharvest management factors, such as propagation, shading, nutrition, and postharvest storage techniques to produce high quality green tea. The project developed methods for quantifying green tea quality which were applied to a series of pre and postharvest trials. This report explores and assesses various establishment and production methods. The research showed that high quality green tea could be produced on the NSW Central Coast. A major outcome of this project was the demonstration that permanent shading is not necessary to produce high quality green tea. The temporary application of shading before harvest was sufficient to increase leaf colour and improve final product quality. A series of trials determined the optimal propagation methods for producing consistently high quality green tea plants. The development of a successful technique for the storage of cuttings allows the efficient use of propagation time, labour and limited availability of cutting material. Insect pests and diseases were regularly monitored. The study found no pests or diseases of economic concern to green tea grown in this location. The establishment of an organic block within the green tea plantation at the NSW DPI Somersby Research Station demonstrated the feasibility of organic production of high quality green tea. During the project, interim findings were presented at a two day Green Tea conference which was a significant forum for both formal and informal information exchange with over 75 attendees, and was a key extension activity of the project. Financial support for the project was provided by RIRDC and the Japanese tea company, Kunitaro Tea and Coffee Company Ltd, which also provided technical support to the project. NSW Department of Primary Industries and The University of Newcastle also supported this project. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1,800 research publications, forms part of our new plant products R&D program, which aims to facilitate the development of new industries based on plants or plant products that have commercial potential for Australia. Most of RIRDC’s publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online at www.rirdc.gov.au. Purchases can also be made by phoning 1300 634 313. Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Acknowledgments This project has been a collaborative effort. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Vong Nguyen. Vong was instrumental in the establishment of the green tea plantation at Gosford Horticultural Institute, Narara, and at the Somersby Research Station. Vong’s passion for green tea was a tremendous drive for this project. Without Vong’s vision, commitment and dedication, this project would not have succeeded. We would also especially like to thank Mr Kunitaro Nakamura for the financial and technical support of Kunitaro Tea and Coffee Company Ltd with this project. We would also like to express our thanks for assistance from Mr Motomi Ito, Mr Rinta Uchikawa and especially Mr Akio Onozawa who was based on the NSW Central Coast and has given his full support to this project. We also acknowledge the support of NSW Department of Primary Industries for the support of this project. A number of staff at Gosford Horticultural Institute and within NSW DPI have significantly contributed to this project. These include: • Ben Jarvis was fundamental to the smooth running of the green tea plantation and with all trials. • Marilyn Steiner and Deborah Kent for their regular pest monitoring and reporting of the green tea block. • Len Tesoriero and his plant pathology team for the green tea disease monitoring and diagnosis work, especially Fiona Lidbetter, Leanne Forsyth and Aida Ghalayini. • Tony Somers for his contribution to the practical establishment, growing and extension of the project. • Joe Ekman for his contribution to the certification and organics section. • Jonathan Lidbetter for his support at Somersby and contributions to the final report. • The maintenance and support for the green tea plantation at Somersby Research Station was assisted by the farm staff with Roy Ward, David Halliday, Wayne Pitt and Matt Pearse. • We also thank and acknowledge the support of David Hall (Director Gosford Horticultural Institute) in supporting the green tea project. A general thanks and acknowledgement to all the staff at Gosford Horticultural Institute who assisted and supported this project, particularly during the organising and running of the Green Tea Conference in July 2006. We also thank Dr. Shashi Satyan and Sarah Johnstone for their help. Special thanks also go to Paradise Plants Wholesale Nursery and John Robb (Nursery Manager) who has been instrumental in the propagation and establishment sections of this project, and with general assistance and knowledge of green tea. Dr Paul Roach at the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Ourimbah Campus would like to thank and acknowledge the invaluable assistance and contributions of the University of Newcastle students: Nenad Naumovski, Bich Nhu Le, Dung Dang Nguyen, Van Quan Vuong and James Krahe. In addition, we acknowledge the assistance of exchange students, Cecil Dubus and Serena Saint-Cerin from Montpellier University, France. We also acknowledge the support of the Australian Green Tea Growers Association for their support of the project and the 2006 Green Tea Conference. In particular we would like to thank Tony Austin and Audrey Gerber who have been very helpful, assisting the project and liaising in Victoria. iv Abbreviations A absorbance AGTGA Australian Green Tea Growers Association Inc. BFA Biological Farmers of Australia BLAST basic local alignment search tool Chl chlorophyll DMF N,N-dimethylformamide DNA deoxyribonucleic acid DPI Department of Primary Industries EA environmental assurance EC (-)-epicatechin ECG (-)-epicatechin 3-gallate EGC (-)-epigallocatechin EGCG (-)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate EMS environmental management systems GCG gallocatechin gallate Ho hue angle HAL Horticulture Australia Limited HPLC high performance liquid chromatography HRDC Horticultural Research and Development Corporation IPM integrated pest management IS internal standard ISO international organisation for standardisation IST internal transcribed spacer JAS Japanese agricultural standards K potassium N nitrogen NIR near infrared NGOs non-governmental organisations NSW New South