Page 18 - 2009-10.pdf

IHBT Annual Report 2009-10

Farm mechanization

Mechanization will enable efficient operations in tea gardens, where inadequacy of farm labour is a
major constraint. Therefore, a machine STIHL HS 81 weighing 5.2 kg with 75 cm blade size was
developed and used for skiffing. It has a double cutting action blade and can be adjusted for
horizontal and vertical cutting of tea bushes for desired shape. This led to an improvement in work
efficiency by 6 to 8 fold and the benefit-cost ratio was worked out to be 1.20, 1.20 and 1.79 for light,
medium and deep skiff, respectively.

Field training cum demonstration was carried out in the planters plot and self help group at
Palampur, Manghingbal, Bhawarna, Sungal, Bir, Baijnath, Zikar and Dharamshala (HP). More
than 250 planters were trained for mechanized operation and integrated management of the tea
gardens.

Studies on aroma complex of tea from Kangra region ( Funded by DST, New Delhi)

Understanding the flavour marker compounds in Kangra orthodox black tea is important to
decipher the flavour profile. This year, flavour compounds extracted from orthodox tea of Kangra,
Uttarakhand and South India were analysed by GC. Potent odorants viz.,1-pentanol, 2-pentenol, 2-
hexenal, 3-hexenol, (Z)-linalool oxide (furanoid), (E)-linalool oxide (furanoid), linalool, (Z)-
linalool oxide (pyranoid), methyl salicylate, geraniol and b-ionone were identified with
quantitative differences. The major aroma compounds (2,5-dimethyl pyrazine and ethyl pyrazine)
of Kangra orthodox tea were absent in others. Similarly, benzaldehyde and hotrienol were the
potent aroma compounds of Uttarakhand tea. South Indian tea did not have an unique aromatic
compound. Hotrienol, a powerful odorant of Uttarakhand tea though present in low concentrations
in Kangra orthodox tea, is absent in South Indian tea.

Studies on pesticide residue and heavy metals

Changing global patterns of food production, international trade, technology and public
expectations for health have created concern for pesticide residues and heavy metals in food
products. It is therefore essential to develop simple analytical methods for these toxicants.
Analytical protocols have earlier been developed for organophosphate and organochlorines in tea
products and work is in progress to enhance the efficiency of the prevalent analytical techniques.
Multiresidue method was developed and validated following ISO17025 guidelines for
determination of organochlorines (OCPs), carbofuran and monochrotophos in tea and herbal
products using liquid-liquid extraction method and GC. The recoveries of OCPs in tea were found
to be in the range of 81-107% (Fig. 7). Services for pesticide residue analysis in different matrices
were also provided to HFRI, Shimla; CSKHPKV, Palampur; and GNDU, Amritsar. In another

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