1. The study examined the tea pests and plant diseases present in the Kacharigaon Tea Estate in Assam, India. 2. Major tea pests identified include the tea green leafhopper, red spider mites, shoot borers, tea aphids, and tea mosquito bug. Common plant diseases include blister blight, red rust, brown blight, and twig dieback. 3. Cultural practices like pruning and pesticide application are used to manage pests, though overreliance on pesticides can lead to residue issues in processed tea.

1. Study on the Tea pest and Tea Plant
diseases of
Kacharigaon T.E Estate,
Rangapara,Assam
NAME: SURAJ PASWAN UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
PROF. DR. SANGITA BARUAH
B.SC GRADUATE (ZOOLOGY)
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
DARRANG COLLEGE ,TEZPUR

2. Introduction
The Tea(Camellia sinensis) industry in Assam is about 172 years old. It occupies an
important place and plays a very useful part in the national economy.
In tea production, the term pest can be defined broadly as any living organism, plant
or animal, which causes damage to the tea plant by feeding on it. The pest damage
in tea can often lead to a significant impact on productivity, although the magnitude of
pest infestation varies depending on altitude, climate and cultural practices.
Despite crop loss, pest infestation also adversely
affects the quality of processed tea, for example: damage caused by sucking pests
like thrips and mites leading to dull appearance of tea. Severe infestation of
flushworm, thrips, mites and mosquito bug affects the flavour of made tea.

3. Aims and Objectives
 The study is aimed at obtaining information on the tea
pest prevalence in Kacharigaon Tea Estate,Rangapara
under Sonitpur district of Assam with reference to the
plant diseases in the garden.
 This study brings up the various information
regarding plant diseases and the management of
pests,which affects the high yield production of tea.

4. Review of Literature
Gireesh Nadd, S.G Eswara Reddy and Adarsh Shanker(2013) studied
the insects and mites pest of tea and their management. The
findings of such works were published in the book:Science of tea
Technology.
L.k Hazarika ,K.C Pujari and Seema Wahab studied about the
biological control of tea pests. The study focused the Various
aspects to control the tea pest of Assam.
Barua,D.N (2008) studied about the pest and diseases,Science and
practice in tea cultivation under Tea Research Association.

5. Study Area
To study on Tea pest prevalance of Tea and
diseases of tea plant the Kacharigaon Tea
Estate is selected .
Kacharigaon T.E
estate is a leading
manufacturer,supplier,trading company of
Tea,black tea,green tea from
Rangapara,Assam India. The distance of
study site from Tezpur town is 31.3 km. The
garden is 71.61 hectares spread
throughout.

6. Materials and Method
The primary data relating to the pest attack on the plantaion and disease of
the tea plant were collected during the period may 2022 to June 2022
through the following methods:
 Survey : Survey routes based upon endemics areas were identified during
the period of infestation,After that survey was undertaken at every 1km
distance initially during different part of the day. Everyday, a maximum of 5
spots were observed with the aid of garden labour and local people.
 Field Scouting: Based on the survey ,field scouting was initiated for tea
pests once in 3-5 days in the concern garden to observe the pest
occurance
 Interaction: I contact the manager visited his resident to know more
about pest attack and diseases of tea plant in detail .The local
people,labourer also provided the information .

7. Results and Discussion
1. Tea green Leaf hopper:
Tea green leaf hopper(Emposca flavescens)are most
damaging to the leaves. Both the nymphs and
adults are found to be damaging. The suck sap from
the leaves and cause the leaves to remain dry and
finally make it to fall off. Eggs are laid by inserting in
the tissue of new tea buds,and shoots .In one bud
upto 7 eggs laid.Fecundity 100 eggs during her
lifetime
Symptoms and disease: Nymphs are more
damaging than adults due to intensive
sucking the affected leaves curl downward,
the margin becomes
curved then turn brown
and gradually dry up.
2. Red Spider Mites :
Red spider mite (Oligonychus coffeae) is one of the
most common tea pest found in the tea plantation.
Red spider mites were seen damaging the upper
surface of the mature leaves. Spherical bright red
eggs are deposited by the female on leaves at the
rate 4 – 6 eggs per day. Three developing stages are
found to occur six legged larvae. Elliptically shaped
female body is broad & round at the posterior end
and carries the large purple markings.
Symptoms and disease:Infestation starts along
midrib and veins and
spread to the entire
upper surface of the leves
leaves gets bronzed,dry and
crumpled

8. 3. Shoot borer:
Shoot Hole borer or Shoot borer (Xyleborus
fornicates) are found to be effective in the
gardens in January and early February. They
have an Incubation period of about 10 to 12
days. The adults are small in size brown,
reddish brown or black in colour, head is
completely bending downwards with blunt
end. Only the adult stage was found to be
damaging. They makes holes on the roots and
on the lower part of main stem. Caterpillar
bores into the stem or branches to feed on
the wood.
Symptoms and disease: Yellowing of later
hhgg branches is a symptom
hdg of the attack. Sometime
gf oozing of liquid is also
gch observed.
4. Tea Aphids:
Tea Aphid (Toxoptera auranti) is a polyphagous
species attacking tea and other host plants such
as coffee, cacao, citrus etc. Colonies of aphids are
seen on tender shoots of tea immediately after
pruning. Leaves curl up and shoot growth is
stunted. Yellowing and distorted leaves, stunted
growth and an unsightly black sticky substance
on the plant may mean aphid attack. Aphids feed
on a wide range of plants, and in severe cases the
plant fails to thrive.
Symptoms and disease: Plants in shady areas are
more vulnerable to
aphid infestion. Leaves
curl and crinkle and
flower buds may harden
causing flower to distort.

9. 5. Tea Mosquito Bug :
Tea mosquito bug (Heteroptera miridae) is a
major sucking pest of tea. The nymph and
adults suck the sap from tender leaves,buds
and young shoots,which results in heavy crop
losses. The damage to tea plant caused by the
tea mosquito bug is not limited to sucking of
plant material and extra oral digestion by
salivation. Damage is also caused by the
insertation of eggs into plant tissue during
oviposition.
Symptoms and disease: Within 2-3 hours of
sucking a circular spot is formed around
cgc the feeding points ann
and 24hr it becomes
jbcc translucent,light,
gfh browning within few
bhdh days it appears dark.
6. Leaf eating caterpillar:
Looper Caterpillar (Buzura suppressaria) is a well
known pest of tea in India and Indonesia. bushes
that control becomes difficult unless measures are
initiated at the start of the attack. Both nymphs
and adults suck the sap from the lower leaf
surfaces through their piercing and sucking
mouthparts. While sucking the plant sap, they also
inject toxic saliva into the plant tissues, which leads
to yellowing.
Symptoms and disease: In early stages the
caterpillar are gregarious
and scrape the leaves
they make holes on the
leaves . Irregular holes
on the leaves results on
skeletonization having
only veins and petioles.

10. Some of Tea Plant Diseases
Found in Kacharigaon T.E estae
1. Blister Blight:
Small, pinhole-size spots are initially seen on
young leaves less than a month old. As the leaves
develop, the spots become transparent, larger, and
light brown.
After about 7 days, the lower leaf surface develops
blister-like symptoms, with dark green, water-
soaked zones surrounding the blisters.
Survival and spread: The pathogen survive
bh on stem and in fallen
D plant host debris.
disease is readily spread
spread by the
dbhg dispersal of spore by
bf wind.
2. Red rust:
Leaves develop lesions that are roughly
circular, raised, and purple to reddish-brown.
The alga may spread from leaves to branches
and fruit.
Most algal spots develop on the upper leaf
surface.
Older infections become greenish-gray and
look like lichen. Cephaleuros usually does not
harm the plant.
Survival and spread: The pathogen
reproduce and survive in
spots on leaves or stem and
in fallen plant host debris

11. 3. Brown blight,grey blight :
Small, oval, pale yellow-green spots first
appear on youngBrown blight grey
blightleaves. Often the spots are surrounded
by a narrow, yellow zone.
As the spots grow and turn brown or gray,
concentric rings with scattered, tiny black dots
become visible and eventually the dried tissue
falls, leading to defoliation. Leaves of any age
can be aff
Survival and Spread:The pathogen survives in
decay plant debris which is the sourse of
primary infection.
4. Twig die back,stem canker:
The first symptoms include browning and drooping
of affected leaves. As the disease spreads into the
shoots, they become dry and die. The entire branch
can die from the tip downward.
Dying branches often have cankers-shallow, slowly
spreading lesions surrounded by a thick area of
bark.
Survival and Spread:The fungus usually requires
wounded plant tissue to gain entry and initiate
infection.

12. Pest Management
With the cultivation of crops there comes the pest problems and n crop
protection, the same is true for tea cultivation.Some major aspects to control
pests are:
Cultural Practices: Cultural practices are integral parts of tea cultivation
include pruning,plucking,winter cleaning,and stirring of soil around the collar
during the winter. These practices directly influence the pest build up.
Pesticides: The use of pesticides to kill the various pest of the garden to
control. Thus, over reliance on pesticides end up with pesticide residue in
made tea (DDT - 10.4-47.1%; endosulfan - 41.1-98.0%; dicofol- 0.0-82.4%;
ethion - 0.0-36.2%; cypermethrin - 6.0- 45.1%).

13. Photo gallery
 hgghvh
.

14. Conclusion
Tea like other agricultural crops is prone to attack by diseases. Disease can be
explained as a condition of the plant involving abnormalities of growth or
structure. The symptoms, or visible signs, of a disease can vary between
minute changes in appearance to death of the whole plant. Disease causing
pathogens are parasitic organisms that live in or on the host plant and cause
the appearance of disease symptoms, a process called pathogenesis. Parasitic
diseases are important because they are infectious. They can spread between
plants, often rapidly and extensively and may produce epidemics. The severity
of symptoms when judged visually is not a good indication of the importance
of the disease. Some diseases may produce no immediately obvious
symptoms in the field but cause substantial reduction in yield, whereas others
produce very obvious symptoms, which have little effect on the productivity
of the plant.

15. References
 Anonymous (1994)Pest of tea in North-East India and their control.Tea Research
Association.
 Barua,D.N (2008). Pest and diseases.Science and Practice in Tea culture.Tea Research
Association.
 Borthakur M,and Singh K,(2002). Biology and cultural control of Tea Pest and shade
tree pest.
 Lakshmi Kanta Hazarika(2001).Biological Control of Tea pests.
 Gireesh nadda,S.G. Eswara Reddy and Adarsh Shanker,(2013).Insect and mites Pests
of Tea and their Management.
 Hazarika L.K, Bhuyan M, Hazarika BN(2009).Insects Pest of Tea and their
managements.
 https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop/production