Impact of the adoption of good agricultural practices on tea bush debilitation in two smallholding ranges in Galle District Sri Lanka

It was reported that tea bushes of smallholdings in some areas were debilitated and are expressing certain stress symptoms. This study attempted to understand the technology adoption level among the tea smallholders in Neluwa and Udugama ranges and to examine their tea bush debilitation status and identify possible attributes. Data were collected from randomly selected smallholdings. Cultivation history, technology adoption, and field problems were identified by using a structured questionnaire and were statistically analyzed. Results show that stress symptoms appeared in 75% of the holdings from a low to a moderate acuteness level and mostly distributed less than 30% of the lands investigated. However, in certain cases, there has been an impact on the yield. Results revealed that the adoption level of some of the GAPs is not at a satisfactory level and was identified as one of the attributes of debilitation. It was found that certain pests such as Lowcountry live wood termite, Canker, Wood-rot, and Horsehair blight are significantly contributing to the problem. About 28% of parasitic nematode incidents were detected, which could make a serious consequence under the poor crop management strategies.