Studies on the Development of Tea-Plucking Machine (Part 3)

Trial Construction of Tea-Plucking Machine

Abstract

A plucking roll type machine was assembled for field experiment to obtain the state of plucked tea leaves.
The rate of injured tea leaves were 30-50% for the first crop of long tea shoots and 50-80% for the 3rd crop of short tea shoots, respectively. The injured leaves reduced the quality of plucked tea leaves, and the injury of leaves occurred from the selective plucking of the test model. As the results of quality test, the tea leaves plucked with the plucking roll type machine showed equal or better quality comparing the ones with shearing tool or commercial cutting type machine, because of the reduction of hard and woody parts of tea stems through the effect of selective plucking.