Sustainable Tea Production

Tea is one of the most popular and inexpensive beverages of the world. India is the largest producer of black tea and the largest consumer of this beverage. Tea crop in India is infested by various insect and mite species that cause substantial damage to this foliage-crop. The use of pesticides has often been considered as the only way to manage pest infestation on tea. Indiscriminate application of pesticides poses various risks to environment, human health and also the plant itself in the long run. There is a need to relook into the usage pattern of synthetic pesticides on this crop and development of non-chemical-based strategies for pest management.