Group characteristics of tea growers relative to weed management: a case study in southwestern China. (22nd August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Guoqi; Zhang, Bin; Wu, Qiong; Jin, Linhong; Chen, Zhuo; Tan, Xiaofeng
• Is Part Of: Weed technology. Volume 33:Number 6(2019)
• Page Start: 847
• Page End: 854
• Publication Date: 2019-08-22
• Subjects: Andrew Kniss, University of Wyoming; Tea, -- Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze; Anticipation of cost trends, -- farmer's training, -- questionnaire, -- serious weed species, -- weed control cost; Weeds -- Periodicals; Weeds -- Control -- Periodicals; 632.5
• DOI: 10.1017/wet.2019.67
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-037X

Abstract

Abstract: Farmer training is important to improve weed management practices in tea cultivation. To explore the group characteristics of tea growers, we interviewed 354 growers in Guizhou Province, China. Sixty-one percent of the respondents planted tea for companies or cooperative groups, and 56% managed tea gardens larger than 10 ha. Self-employed tea growers tended to be older and smallholders, and to apply herbicides and conduct weed control less frequently ( P < 0.05). Approximately 87% of the respondents conducted weed control two to four times yr −1, 83% spent between $200 and $2, 000 ha −1 yr −1 for weed control, and 42% thought weed control costs would decrease by 5 years from this study. Twenty-eight species were mentioned by the respondents as being the most serious. According to canonical correspondence analysis, latitude, altitude, being self-employed or a member of a cooperative, having training experience in tea-garden weed management, and frequency and cost of weed control in tea gardens had significant ( P < 0.05) influence on the composition of most troublesome weed species listed by respondents. Among the respondents, 60% had had farmer's training on weed management in tea gardens. Of these, a significant number ( P < 0.05) tended to think weed control costs would decrease, and a nonsignificant number ( P > 0.05) tended to conduct weed control more frequently and have lower weed management costs in their tea gardens.