Abstract
To determine the role of the resources of mother stems and roots in the growth of the first flush of tea, ' changes in the content of total available carbohydrate (TAG) of these organs after shoot removal were investigated.
One-year old clonal tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze cv. Yabukita) grown on a nursery bed were used.
With the removal of all new shoots containing axillary buds befor the time of bud opening or at the stage of three leaves and a bud development, the decrease of TAC content of mother stems reduced. But the TAC content of roots steadily decreased, which magnitude was less than that of unplucked plants.
With the removal of apical shoots at the stage of three leaves and a bud development, the decrease of TAC content of mother stems also reduced. After the opening of axillary buds, their content decreased. TAC content of roots decreased irrespective of the presence of apical shoots. With the development of axillary shoots, TAC contents of mother stems and roots decreased more rapidly than those of unplucked plants.
These results indicate that the changes in TAC content of mother stems are highly correlated with the growth of the first flush, but the TAC of roots seems to be consumed in roots themselves.
