text:
Tea Research in India: Achievements and Current Priorities
Nikhil Ghosh Hajra
Formerly Tea Board of India, Darjeeling Tea Research & Development Centre, Kurseong, India
Received: 01&nbspJun., 2019 Accepted: 08&nbspNov., 2019 Published: 30&nbspDec., 2019
Ghosh Hajra N., 2019, Tea research in india: achievements and current priorities, Journal of Tea Science Research, 9(2): 07--23 (doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2019.09.0002)
Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] research has huge prospects for success with fascinating targets and major tea producing countries have a community of talented scientists. In this paper, the major achievements of tea research conducted at the different tea research institutes in India have been described. Further, current research priorities like conservation of germplasm resources, genome mapping, impact of climate change, pesticide residues, product diversification and value addition, tea and health have been reviewed as well. Future prospects of research and research strategies to cope up with the currently existing situation have also been discussed.
Tea research; Germplasm; Genome mapping; Climate change; Pesticide residue; Tea and health
Tea as a plantation crop has been considered as a strong nutraceutical, non-alcoholic and widely consumed beverage after water. It is produced in more than 58 countries and the annual production is 5 million tonnes valued at around $20 billion contributing to rural poverty alleviation and value chain (cultivation- consumption). In India, tea is grown in two distinct regions. Located between 22-270 North, the North Indian tea belt is characterised by a wet and hot summer and a cold, dry winter (Barua, 1989). South Indian tea, located at 70 North latitude, enjoys a tropical climate. In the district of Darjeeling, tea is planted on hill slopes up to a height of 2000 meter above sea level, while in flat valleys of Assam at elevations ranging from few to about 200 meter above MSL. Indian tea industry produces about 1.2 million tons from about 5.64 million hectares of land accounted for 22.7 per cent of global tea production. On an average18 per cent of the total production is exported and balance 82 per cent is consumed within the country. Besides bringing in valuable foreign exchange of US$ 837.33 million (INR 4987.59 crores) (https://www.google.co.in/search) from quality tea of 256.6 million kg during 2017-2018, tea industry is one of the important sources for revenue for the tea growing states. India is the largest producer and consumer of black tea in the world.million people of which 50% are women. Additionally, more than six million people derive their livelihood from ancillary activities associated with the industry (Anonymous, 2017).
Achievements Tea Research in India
The main players in research and extension in Indian tea sector include: Tocklai Tea Research Institute, UPASI - Tea Research Foundation (TRF), Darjeeling Tea Research & Development Centre (DTRDC) and Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur are four major research institutes carrying out tea research in India. Despite, National Tea Research Foundation (NTRF) jointly set up by Tea Board, tea industry and National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) provides funds for universities/Institutes involved in innovative tea research. Their mission is to promote, develop and encourage research connected with cultivation, production, processing, machinery, marketing, package of tea and allied products of tea, socio-economic aspects and health benefits of tea through tea research organizations/bodies/institutions/ universities by providing financial grants to them.
Tea industry in North East India started dabbling in adhoc researches in 1888 (Bamber, 1902) and set up a full-fledged research station in 1900 A.D. In North East India, Tea Research Association popularly known as TRA Tocklai. Tocklai Tea research institute (TRI) is the oldest and the largest tea research institute in the world. It looks after the research and development needs of the Assam and North Bengal tea industry. United Planters' Association of southern India (UPASI) has established Tea Experimental Station at Davershola in 1927. At present UPASI TRF comprises the Tea Research Institute at Valparai. In Kangra Valley, the State Govt. of Himachal Pradesh started tea research station in 1936 but the efforts at practical research have been augmented only in 1986 when Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur under CSIR started functioning (Kankani, 1987). Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Centre (DTRDC) were established in 1977 at Kurseong to provide R & D support to the Darjeeling tea Industry. The increase in productivity from 424 kg/ha in 1900 to about 2153 kg/ha (2017) is a reflection of the impact that Tocklai, UPASI and other research institutes have had on the Indian tea industry. The major research breakthroughs as reported by Tocklai, UPASI, IHBT, DTRDC are listed in table 1 to 4.
Table 1 Major achievement in tea by Tocklai Tea Research Institute* ** ***
* Jain (1991) ** Mukhopadhyay (2004) ***www.tocklai.net (accessed 25 January, 2019). This compilation is indicative of the broad areas of research undertaken by TTRI over the years
Table 2 Major achievements in tea by UPASI Tea Research Institute ****
****www.upasitearesearch.org (accessed 25 January, 2019)
Table 3 Major achievements of Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT)#
# http://www.ihbt.res.in/ (accessed January 19, 2018)
Table 4 Major achievements of Darjeeling Tea Research & Development Centre
The current priority areas of research and service to the Indian tea industry include:
1. Germplasm Resources and Conservation
Tea germplasm resources are the most basic materials for tea breeding and biotechnology. Over the past decades collection, preservation, exploitation, utilization and cataloguing of germplasm have accelerated expanding genetic pool and breeding of new cultivars of the tea producing countries despite improvement of our understanding of the genetic diversity of the tea plant and its related species. The narrow genetic base of tea cultivars is a hindrance to improving productivity due to rapid vulnerability of genetically uniform cultivars. Hence, studying the genetic diversity of the newly improved clones under exploitation is necessary to avoid narrowing the genetic pool (Borthakur et al., 1995; Leonida et al., 2013). Molecular markers, such as RFLP (Restriction Fragment of Length Polymorphism), AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism), RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA), CAPS (Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequence), ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeat), SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat), EST-SSR (Expressed Sequence Tags based SSR), and ALPs (Amplicon Length Polymorphisms) etc. were initiated by using RAPD markers with the aim of assessing the genetic diversity of tea cultivars. These markers have been proven to be robust and valuable in the research of genetic diversity and variation, introduction and spread, molecular identification and DNA fingerprinting, molecular phylogenetics, genetic stability and integrity, and the establishment of the genetic linkage map for tea breeding (Ni et al., 2008). Furthermore, characterization of germplasm will assist in varietal improvement of deserved agronomical traits, avoidance of any unwarranted entry in the gene pool, proficient selection, and taxonomic classification of tea based on molecular markers. Economically important characteristics viz. high content of individual and total catechins (Sabhapondit et al., 2012; Jin et al., 2014a) and theanine (Song et al., 2015), low caffeine (Jin et al., 2014b), high yield and quality (Singh et al., 2013), biotic resistance (Liang et al., 2012) have been identified from different germplasm evaluation studies conducted in different tea producing countries.
In recent past the genetic diversity is being narrowed down at an alarming rate due to uprooting of old seed grown population and gradually been replaced by clonal cultivars as tea industry prefers improved superior cultivars such as early sprouting, high yield with better quality, suitable for machine harvest etc. Further, situation is worsened by deforestation, shifting cultivation, industrialization, other human activity related to other agricultural production and climate change. The narrowness of the genetic diversity of improved tea cultivars may possibly lead to a decline in production and quality in the future. It is thus utmost necessary to further collect, preserve valuable landraces and their wild relatives for future tea improvement programme before they are lost for ever. In many tea-producing countries systematic evaluation of tea germplasm accessions has been done and elite germplasm with desirable traits have been successfully used in varietal development programme. Wild species, weedy relatives and polyploid genetic stocks of tea are maintained in a collection at Tocklai TRI, UPASI in south India, Valparai, Coimbatore and in North-West India at the CSIR-IHBT. These stocks are utilized for continuous tea breeding programmes. It is estimated that more than 2100 and 1250 accessions are maintained at Tocklai TRI and UPASI respectively (Das et al., 2012). Large number of commercially important South Indian, North Indian clones/accessions, Darjeeling garden selections and some other collections are being maintained at the germplasm block of DTRDC experimental farm.
Today, no world-sourced collections of tea exist, and the local collections and crossbred populations that have been described in the literature so far have not, in general, been made available to the wider research community (Bennetzen, 2019). It is estimated that more than 600 tea cultivated varieties are available worldwide till date (Mondal et al., 2004) of which many have unique traits. Since identification and exploitation of the useful variation from the huge collections of genetic resources is not an easy task, Ma and Chen (2018) has listed out solutions viz. (1) establishment of core and mini-core collections; (2) application of appropriate methods and technologies like linkage and association mapping, comparative genomics and molecular genetics to increase the efficiency of functional gene identification and allele mining; (3) development of databases and sharing of same among researchers; and (4) exchange of germplasm among the tea producing countries to facilitate exploitation of the full potential of genetic diversity in order to develop elite cultivars.
2 Genome Mapping
Genome mapping helps to decode the genetic controls linked to different characters of tea that govern its yield, quality and other attributes. In the past two decades, genome researchers have faced enormous difficulties due to lack of genetic information but in the last two years several genomic resources for tea have made possible some important achievements in this area (Wang et al., 2018; Dolgin, 2019). In tea, the processed tender shoots are rich in secondary metabolites like polyphenols, amino acids and alkaloids. These secondary metabolites are regulated by various pathways. The secondary metabolic biosynthesis, biotic or/and abiotic stress, pest and disease stress are controlled by a number of genes composed of complex regulatory networks (Wang et al., 2018). Meanwhile, Xia et al. (2017) reported the first genome sequence of the cultivated tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) (Assam type) with an extraordinary large size of 3.02 billion base pairs in length. It provides and contributes a deeper understanding of the complex evolution and the functions of key genes associated with stress tolerance, tea flavour and adaptation. Further, exploration of the tea genome revealed what Dr. Xia and colleagues called "jumping genes". These genes are sequences within the genome where the genes have essentially copied themselves in a variety of location. This duplication, which make up approximately 67 per cent of the genome sequence, which is a part of the reason why the actual size of the genome is so extensive. Xia's team believes that these jumping genes, some of which may have been the result of cultivation and may have helped the plant adapt to climate change, and other environmental stressors. Later, Wei et al. (2018) presented sequence of the genome of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (China type), with a size of 3.1 billion base pairs in length which provide information on how tea plants produce the abundant and diverse flavonoids and theanine that synergistically contribute to tea palatability and health benefits. Sequencing of the tea genome and identification of functional genes provides the foundation for extracting all the genetic information needed to help breed and speed up development of new varieties of tea. Further, this is an important milestone for tea researchers since it provides a deeper understanding of the complex evolution and the functions of key genes associated with stress tolerance, tea flavour and adaptation. Many of the secondary metabolites that contribute to tea drinking quality are known, such as theanine and catechins. Many candidate genes for the biosynthetic pathways leading to these compounds are now identified by this study (Xia et al., 2017). It may be possible to breed for increases of specific target metabolites and down regulation of branches leading away from target metabolites. Mukhopadhyay and Mondal (2018) opined that genetic transformation of tea has immense potential although it has some negative effect (e.g. allergen contamination) from consumer end. However, black tea is heated at 1200C during manufacturing process and at this temperature toxin or foreign protein if present in transgenic tea will be degraded. Further, techniques are available to remove those marker genes, broadly called as marker-free plant production. A recent gene-editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) will be a novel and powerful approach to develop the transgenic product. India, which recently launched its tea genome sequencing multi-institutional project aims to develop climate-smart tea plantations wherein it aims to establish the whole genetic make-up of India tea, in addition to molecular methods like DNA fingerprinting and DNA barcoding. A four-year on-going genome project is being supported by the NTRF, Kolkata, India. Further, UPASI, TRI, has also identified the value of genome mapping of the Camelia sinensis cultivars. Currently, the researchers are embarking on one of the largest genomes sequencing projects and looking at several aspects of the plant's genome including the metabolic aspects to help determine the features that can help the plant adapt to abiotic and biotic stresses. The potential benefits from this research are extensive including being able to outline key gene markers which could then be used in plant breeding programmes. Mondal et al. (2019) decoded TV-1, an Assam variety, assembled in 2.93 Gb size consisting of 14,824 scaffolds and covering 97.66% of the predicted genome size 3.0 Gb. This decoding will help out to determine the genetic variations among Indian tea cultivars and the baseline data will assist to identify the genes having agronomic importance. Further, the data will be useful for future research related to genetic improvement of Indian tea. However, Wang et al. (2018) emphasized some issues on the improvement of future tea genome research. These are: 1. Making of authentic reference genome and perfection of the gene annotations. 2. Conducting more re-sequencings on some trait-specific cultivars and obtaining exact genetic regulation information of desirable traits. 3. Getting more molecular markers and establishing a highly saturated genetic map to identify locations of quantitative trait locus. 4. Creation of a high-efficiency genetic transformation system and/or gene editing technology to fulfil gene function homological identification and directional improvement of tea plant traits.
3 Impact of Climate Change
Currently global warming is one of the major environmental problems due to climate change. Tea is an ideal model perennial plant for studying the effects of climate change due to its wide distribution, stable ecosystem, quality parameters, and long economic life. Tea is a rain-fed mono-cropping system and has been found that tea would be one of the crops most adversely affected by climate change (Ochieng et al., 2016). Many tea growing countries viz. China, India, Kenya and Sri Lanka etc. have witnessed significant change in climate in the last few decades (Han et al., 2018a; Bhagat et al., 2016a; ITC, 2014; Wijeratne, 1996). In India, the main tea-growing areas of Northeast India, Assam and West Bengal, showed a steady increase in mean temperature with the average minimum temperature having increased by about 1.3°C over the last 100 years. Further, the annual precipitation has steadily declined. For example, annual precipitation in the south bank region at the Tocklai TRI of Assam has declined by more than 200 mm in the last 96 years. Dutta (2014) applied predicted models derived by WorldClim and IPCC4 and found that the possibility of an increase in average temperatures by 20C in Northeast India in 2050 but not much variation in rainfall pattern as compared to today. Increasing temperatures, enrichment of ambient CO2, changes to annual rainfall and its distribution pattern, coupled with major shifts in other meteorological parameters have a profound impact on growth and yield of tea. It has been observed that climate change influences tea yields by altering precipitation levels, increasing temperatures, shifting the timing of seasons and encouraging insect pests (Nowogrodzki, 2019). In a study on the suitability of the tea growing regions in 2050 and 2070, it has been reported that tea growing areas in Assam could drastically reduce drastically by 2050 (Bhagat et al., 2016b; ITC, 2014). Hence, facing an unpredictable fate and with the knowledge that climatic conditions are likely to worsen. They have further reported that South bank region; parts of upper Assam and Cachar are the suitable regions (very good and excellent suitability) whereas north bank region is comparatively less suitable (good/marginal suitability). However, the predicted probability distribution of Assam tea by 2050 will reduce drastically and could shift towards comparatively higher and cooler altitude areas. Darjeeling also not immune to the effects of climate change, which has already negatively impacted tea cultivation on several levels. A study conducted at DTRDC demonstrated that the temperatures in the region for last 20 years have risen by 10F (0.51°C); the annual precipitation has decreased by 152.50 cm, and, more than a 16% reduction in relative humidity (Patra et al., 2013). Further, Edwin Raj et al. (2017) reported a land ecological suitability evaluation (LESE) map of tea production regions of South India which was based on geographic information system (GIS). The total area of the study covered 1,08,901 ha including three districts and five regions. Highly suitable regions were mainly located in the northern regions of the Anamalais and the Nilgiris along with the eastern regions of Vandiperiyar and Munnar. Regions deemed very suitable were located in east border of Anamalais and Munnar and the central regions of Udhagamandalam and Gudalur. Very marginal to marginal areas were located in the southern and southwest regions of the Nilgiris viz., Gudalur and Udhagamandalam. These areas have arguably the greatest need for new crop varieties that are tolerant to extreme climate especially to drought. Further, the quality of tea is also severely affected due to changes in the environment (Bhagat et al., 2016b). Some of the specific climate change impacts and challenges for the tea sector listed out in table 5.
Table 5 Climate change problems and its impacts on tea producers *
* ITC, 2014
3.1 Adaptation and mitigation options
The climate mitigation challenge involves reducing the negative impacts of tea systems throughout the entire value chain. The GHG (Green House Gas) like CO2 is produced during burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Methane is produced from cattle as well as during the decomposition of organic waste. Further, nitrous oxide emits GHG during fertilization of tea field (ITC, 2014; Ahmed, 2018). The summary of environmental impacts of tea and possible mitigation measures at different stages of tea industry listed out by Wajiratne (2018) are presented in table 6.
Table 6 Summary of environmental impacts of tea and possible mitigation measures at different stages of tea industry*
* Wajiratne (2018)
Climate change results in negative economic and social consequences for the tea stakeholders and they are in urgent need of adaptation practices against climate change. Chang and Brattlof (2015) have recommended adaptation measures for tea cultivation. These are • planting drought and stress tolerant tea cultivars or improved seed varieties and grafted plants; • planting of a basket of cultivars in one land; • conservation of soil and soil moisture by physical methods and other agronomic practices; • diversification of marginal lands as energy/timber plantation and thatch banks (green manure); • diversifying production, including changing low-yielding tea land from tea to other crops that can thrive in poor soil and in tea-growing areas; • intercropping tea with tree crops, like rubber, and/or other food crops; • organic cultivation; and • water conservation and rain water harvesting; and focus on tea production in marine climate zones.. The cost benefit analysis of these mitigation and adaptation measures prior to implementation would need to be undertaken.
3.2. Planting Material
Development of new climate resilient cultivars having high tolerance to heat, cold and drought stress, high resistance to pests and diseases, high nitrogen nutrient use efficiency and high net photosynthesis, especially in response to higher CO2 concentrations is the priority research area in the face of climate change. For example, tea cultivars with characteristics of deep-growing roots and high metabolite content (e.g. amino acids and sugars) have proved highly resistant to drought (Thiep et al., 2015; Nyarukowa et al., 2016). Integration of physiological, biochemical, molecular breeding and modelling tools can play a major role in the selection of tolerant genotypes. Additionally, better understanding will improve the capacity to enhance the yield or maintenance of yield under hostile environmental conditions (John Sunoj et al., 2017). TRA, Tocklai has been shortlisted planting materials suitable for unfavourable condition like marginal land, drought and poor drainage for Assam and Darjeeling. Recently, TRA released two high yielding and drought tolerant clones viz. TV 34 and TV 35. TV 34 is very good cup quality for CTC and TV 35 is good for both CTC and orthodox tea manufacture. These two clones are more tolerant to drought over the popular TRA clones used by the tea industry. For the drought prone areas in southern India, clones like UPASI-2, UPASI-9, ATK-1, TRI-2025, UPASI-20, UPASI-26, biclonal seed stocks viz. BSS-1 to BSS-5 are recommended by UPASI TRI. In Kurseong, Darjeeling, B157, P312, T78 and AV2 are comparatively performing well during drought (Ghosh Hajra, 2001). These stress tolerant cultivars may be selected for new planting and replanting in drought prone area. Qian et al. (2018) listed out some key features of the previous studies in tea plants challenged by drought stress. These are (1) smaller and succulent leaves, and thick cuticle and palisade tissue and deep root system; (2) water deficit, impairment in photosynthesis and respiration, stomatal closure, reduction of carbohydrate synthesis, acceleration of proteolysis, changes in lipid components in the normal cell wall structure; (3) protein denaturation of the plant tissues constituents, protoplast condensation, and the loss of cell wall semi-permeability; (4) enhanced free radical content, antioxidative systems, and osmoprotectant contents; (5) changes in the contents of minerals required for nutrition, hormones, polyphenols, and amino acids; (6) and changes in the transcription levels of many regulatory and functional genes. Further, early selective markers at the nursery stage for various biotic and abiotic stresses should be generated to revolutionize tea breeding programme which suffers from lack of selection criteria and long gestation periods. An important observation in drought tolerant clones is the greater proportion of dry matter in the root system as compared to the leaf biomass. Therefore, selections need to be based on higher rate of root growth and root depth in genotypes and consequently select for drought tolerance (Ni et al., 2008). Recently, Han et al. (2018b) provided a comprehensive overview of stress-induced changes in tea physiology, biochemistry, and quality as well as physiological and molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance and associated stress management strategies in tea ecosystem in the face of climate change.
3.3 Improvement in Field Management Practices
Use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides are vital for increasing yield of crop but overuse is degrading the environment. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has gained widespread scientific recognition in the past decades which comprises strategies aimed at minimising pest damage through the careful integration of available pest control technologies. IPM includes strategies for monitoring pests for early detection, release of predators, manual control, use of bio-pesticides, and discretion on the choice of pesticides to be used (Ghosh Hajra, 2001; 2007; 2018; Mukhopadhyay and Mondal 2017). Further, Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) practice will be the right option as it gives optimum crop nutrition, improve soil health, minimise nutrition loss and other adverse effects on the environment. Promoting organic agriculture (OA), good agricultural practices (GAP) and climate smart agriculture (CSA) production are capable of contributing to climate mitigation. OA is not only enables agriculture-influenced ecosystems to better adjust to the effects of climate change but also offers potential to reduce the emissions of agricultural GHG. Many field trials worldwide show that organic fertilization compared to mineral fertilization is increasing soil organic carbon and thus, sequestering large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere to the soil (http://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-specialfeatures/oa-climatechange/en/). Research also shows significant higher levels of soil pH, total nitrogen content and soil microbial biomass, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and their ratios to total organic C, N and P, respectively observed in organic tea soils (Han et al., 2013). This interprets into better plant nutrient content, increased water retention capacity and better soil structure and thus to higher yields and greater soil resilience (FAO, 2009). Further, higher levels of biodiversity and natural predators observed in organically managed tea gardens (Ghosh Hajra, 2006; 2018; Saikia et al., 2014; Liu et al., 2015). Difficulties in controlling of pests and the imbalance of nutrients particularly shortage of nitrogen are responsible for decrease in yields by 20-30% (Ghosh Hajra, 2006a). However, organic tea has a 20–50% higher price compared to conventional tea, compensating for the loss in yield. It is thus, promotion of organic tea production is not only beneficial to producers, also offers significant scope for adaptation to climate change. However, future research should examine the following.
• Does development of organic matter in the soil have a significant value in terms of carbon sequestration?
• Quantitative and qualitative information on how much carbon sequestrated and GHG emissions reduced, low carbon regulation/standard development, and attend various activities to power the organic movement of sustainability.
• Comparative study on carbon credit between organic and conventional tea gardens.
GAP is specific methods which take into account environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm production, safe and quality food and non-food agricultural products. The beneficial techniques viz. IPM, integrated plant nutrient management (IPNM) and conservation agriculture are applied.
CSA is an integrated technique which aims to transform and reorientation of agricultural production systems and food value chains so that they support sustainable development and can ensure food security under climate change.
Precision agriculture is a high-tech farming system which is a concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter and intra-field variability in crops. It uses GPS (Global positioning systems), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones to collect the spatial variability of parameters related to crop yield and quality, such as plant-growing situations, terrain features, soil organic matter, moisture and nitrogen contents and pH. It utilises agricultural inputs by machines and equipment controlled by the Expert Technology System. Precision agriculture is an effective and efficient way of combating climate change, offering considerable savings in natural resources and optimising crop yield and quality (Han et al., 2018a). Drones and connected analytics have a big role to play in precision agriculture and in terms of access to actionable real-time quality data (Anonymous, 2018). Drones can be a great surveillance tool for examining tea fields regularly at a reasonable price. It can be used in the tea gardens to take actions at the initial stage in order to reduce the reaction time and decrease in pesticide and insecticide volume. The UAVs are used to spray the pesticides to avoid the health problems of humans when they spray manually. They can be used easily, where the equipment and labours difficulty to operate. It also helps the spraying job easy and faster (Mogili and Deepak, 2018). Drones can do soil health scans, monitor crop health, assist in planning irrigation schedules, apply fertilizers, estimate yield data and provide valuable data for weather analysis.
3.3.1 Irrigation
Tea is usually a rain fed crop but in certain tea districts of North East India including Darjeeling and some parts of South India plants suffer from drought and irrigation is practiced depending on the availability of water and other factors. Sprinkler irrigation systems are the dominant system of irrigation in mature tea. The quantity and frequency of irrigation depends on soil, temperature, root depth, saturation deficits and rate of plant growth.
3.3.2 Rain Water Harvesting
It is an accumulation and storage of rainwater for reuse on site, rather than allowing it to run off. Water harvesting structures in valley areas where tea is grown in undulating topography there water can be stored during heavy precipitation in monsoon. However, more emphasis should be given on water resource management at watershed level.
3.3.3 Insurance Schemes
In India, small tea growers contributing near half of the national yield may finally going to have insurance coverage against loss incurred due to adverse weather conditions. Recently, the authorities of Tea Board of India had a meet with insurance companies including Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AICIL) and other Small tea growers to plan the modalities. Following introduction in few pilot districts, the insurance scheme will be scaled up to pan-country level in a phased manner.
The dynamics of climate change are still poorly understood. In developing countries like India, formulation of research priorities and their development and dissemination of innovative technologies are vital to deal with climate change. Research is required on the interactions between various climate-related stress factors, particularly to quantify the interactive effects of CO2, air temperature and other environmental variables on crop production. Multiple agricultural, physiological, and molecular innovations for tea at the production level have been identified towards the development of climate-resilient tea systems (Ahmed, 2018). She further opined that research and development is also needed at the farm level on the cost-effectiveness, replicability, and adaptability of tea agroforestry and various good agricultural practices for climate mitigation and adaptation practices in different contexts. Gnanapragasam (2018a) suggested in-depth studies to understand the impact of climate change on the physiology and behaviour of pests, their mitigation, predators and parasites as well as the host plant and the interaction of insects. More in-depth studies are also suggested to develop ET (economic threshold) levels for changing environmental situations and climate conditions. Molecular and biochemical studies should be carried out to help to identify different races/pathotypes (Gnanapragasam (2018b). Collaborative research networks with different tea producing countries would be useful to know the impact of climate change on tea productivity, quality, soil characteristics, pests and disease infestations and socioeconomic implications.
4. Pesticide Residue
The hot and moist climatic requirements and the tea ecosystem, which undergoes continuous monocropping are congenial for the infestation of a large number of pests and diseases (Banerjee, 1983) which cause loss and deterioration in both quantity and quality of teas (Sharma et al. 2008). These pesticides inevitably leave residues in the treated crop (Barooah and Borthakur, 2008; Chen and Haibin, 1988; Hou et al., 2013). The presence of pesticide residues in tea is becoming a priority concern for the consumer's as its accumulation will have a risk to health. In order to protect the consumer's health and also promote the development of tea industry, the content of pesticide residues in tea should be less than the maximum residue level (MRL). The MRL is a legal limit and it represents the highest level of a pesticide residue that is permitted in or on food or feed following the use of pesticides in accordance with the good agricultural practices (GAPs). A pesticide after spray on the canopy of the tea plant, most of the pesticide is retained on the leaf surface and constitutes the initial deposit which penetrates gradually with time into the cuticle of the leaf. It could overcome through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, where cultural, biological and chemical means are employed in combination for managing a particular pest or disease situation. Recently, Barooah (2018) reviewed the research carried out on the extent of pesticide residues in tea in different tea producing and consuming countries (Table 7).
Table 7 Results of the survey carried out on monitoring of residues in India
Pesticides applied on tea plants undergo degradation through growth dilution, rainfall, dew elution, evaporation, photodegradation, thermodecomposition and biodegradation (Chen and Wan, 1988). They have further reported that about 25.2-67% of the pesticides applied to tea foliage could be degraded during manufacturing of tea. In Darjeeling, the residue level of malathion, quinalphos and fenvalerate declined more than 90 % in 7 days after spraying and the percentage caused by growth dilution may be little less than 45 % (Bisen and Ghosh Hajra, 2000). Residues are further reduced substantially during processing of black and green teas (Gupta and Shanker, 2009; Sood et al., 2004). It has also been observed from different studies that only a proportion of residues detected in the dry tea leaves are in fact transferred into the liquor. Therefore, the actual residues in tea brew should be considered for setting up realistic MRLs of pesticides in tea (El-Aty et al., 2014; Barooah, 2018) which will satisfy all stakeholders and ensure food safety for consumers. The generation of residue data on commonly used existing pesticides from field trials on different locations of the tea producing countries and sharing data would certainly accelerate the upward revision of many default MRLs which are a major obstacle to non-tariff trade (NTBs) today that restrict exports.
5 Product Diversification and Value Addition
Tea is a rich source of polyphenols and now-a-days interest in the possible health benefits of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, has increased owing to their antioxidant and free-radical scavenging abilities. Presently, the world market price of tea has stagnated with supplies being stable and this situation emphasizes the need for exploring alternative means of increasing profits from tea cultivation. Product diversification of tea through value addition seems to be an important approach to mitigate the impacts of low market price and high production costs (Ghosh Hajra and Yang, 2015; Wachira et al. 2016).
Since tea catechin products presently have gained popularity in different countries, therefore, further research on the development of new products with innovative ideas and their dissemination to the domestic and international markets will counter the escalating global competition to a great extent.
6 Tea and Health
Over last few decades, the scientific progress in the role of tea in the promotion of health has been remarkable. These advances have been recorded in numerous scientific publications, reviews, and presentations at the international symposiums and conferences. A literature search on PubMed using the key words 'Tea and Health' yielded 3831 publications, Tea and Cancer'- 3657 publications, 'Tea and Diabetes'- 640 publications, 'Tea and Heart disease' – 142 publications and 'Tea and weight control' – 290 publications. Various studies suggest that polyphenolic compounds mainly catechins and theaflavins present in green and black tea respectively are associated with beneficial effects in prevention of cancers and cardiovascular diseases, particularly of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and other chronic diseases (Ghosh Hajra, 2006b; Jain et al., 2006; Khan and Mukhtar, 2013; Preedy, 2012; Hara et al., 2017; Yang, 2018). Yang (2018) suggested need of further research on following aspects.
• More laboratory studies to elucidate the biochemical basis for the reported health effects of different types of tea. The relevance of these findings to human health should be evaluated.
• More prospective studies keeping the types and quantity of tea consumption, diet, physical activities, smoking status, genetic polymorphism and other possible interfering factors are in mind.
• More well-designed intervention studies based on strong laboratory data with adequate duration.
On-going research into the properties and possible benefits of tea are of tremendous importance to the industry as it struggles to promote tea over other beverage choices and to establish, once and for all, the veracity of the various health claims espoused for tea.
After long-standing prominence of the USA and Japan in tea research till 1994, the output of their annual research publications stagnated. Simultaneously research output from China, India and South Korea have increased rapidly from about 1995 showing that these countries spearheaded the observed renaissance that characterised tea research after the year 2002. It was revealed that this renaissance coincided with a focal shift where the health aspects took a more central role in tea science over classic tea research after the year 1997 (Wambu et al., 2016). Tea research has huge potential for success with fascinating targets and major tea producing countries have a community of talented scientists. As tea is predominantly an Asian crop, India is a leading global tea producer /exporter has the responsibility to deal with different tea-research issues and further show the way to the researchers. Unfortunately, the following bottlenecks are sometimes hindering the pace of scientific progress in Indian tea.
• There is a necessity to change in the ways of research funding system. Presently, tea research in India is almost entirely dependent on government funding which support the industry to be in a better position amidst the rapidly changing global market. It may be worthwhile to mention, that Indian tea research institutes are facing unprecedented financial crises due to curtail of funds and further exorbitant delay in releasing approved fund. For example, Tocklai Tea Research Institute is funded partly by Indian Government and partly by the Tea Industry and the government of India in the past used to allocated INR 15 crore (2114925 USD) and the industry contributed around INR 10 crore (1414900 USD). Now the industry contributes INR 18 crore (2546820 USD) but for the last two years the fund support from government has come down to about 3.5 crore (4930135 USD). This is posing a huge challenge for TRA. Sometimes fund is allocated where multi-institutional participation in tea research is requirement for grants to be awarded. In comparison, Sri Lanka produces about 338 million kg and the government there allocates about INR 15-20 crore (2114925 - 2819900 USD) towards R&D to the Tea Research Institute (TRI) Sri Lanka (1 INR = 2.53 Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). Kenya produces about 445 million kg and the government provides INR 15-20 crore to the Tea Research Foundation (TRF) Kenya (1 INR = 1.43 Kenyan Shilling (KES). China produces about 2,400 million kg and while the expenditure on R&D is not available for China, the Chinese government entirely funds the R&D efforts of the Tea Research Institute (TRI), affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (CAAS) (P. K. Bezbarua and J. Phukan, 2019, private communication). The tea sector despite the numerous challenges that it faces, the resources expended on R&D is only around one third of that at the national level. This reflects the need to increase R&D investment which would in turn help in realising the research outcomes. It is obvious, absence of a steady and assured funding for research would have undermined the ability of the tea.
• Implementation of long-term global collaborative projects with shared experimental designs and "Big data" sharing to facilitate comparison of outcomes across multiple studies. Such partnerships have contributed endlessly to academic and scientific progress. Institutions that choose to provide shared resources will find that the wider research community converges on them, bringing fresh ideas, scientific advances and their admiration. It was observed that the tea researchers, in general, do not have a history of sharing materials or data within or between countries. Such issues are not unique to tea research, either. But they are problematic for tea; in particular, since the field has no international institute or large research community outside Asia that can provide shared resources.
• Tea research could be advanced by a more open community that alone would not be sufficient. For example, to improve quality of tea, a deep collaboration between agronomists, geneticists, biochemists and tea tasters will be required.
• Researchers should be rewarded for their work. Incorporation of more rewards and appreciation are useful for steady progress of research. The research reward system should recognize scientists' accomplishments, even when such work does not lead to publications.
• Rigorous evaluation of the tea research organisations and the works of their researchers need to be made performed periodically to measure outcomes. Sometimes organisation having long list of publications indicates significant scientific activity and substantial efforts to communicate results to the stakeholders. But it would be equally important the adoption of research results by the ultimate users.
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. Nikhil Ghosh Hajra
. Tea research
. Germplasm
. Genome mapping
. Climate change
. Pesticide residue
. Tea and health


Documentary in which George Lamb dives into the world of legal party pills and herbal highs.
Legal highs are sold openly and legally in shops across the UK and on the internet. There are thousands of different pills, powders and herbs that promise the same effects as illegal drugs, but for much less hassle - no arrests for possession and no backstreet dealers to visit.
Lamb sets out to discover why they are legal and whether this means they can also be called safe. He meets people who take them, a man who sells them and a doctor who says they are potentially more dangerous than class A drugs. He travels to Guernsey, where most of the young people he meets have tried them, and finally decides to try one for himself.
They might be legal and easily accessible, but should they be used? This film presents all the information needed to make a decision.
Last night there was a programme on BBC3 purporting to investigate legal highs. It was fronted by George 'I-used-to-be-in-the-music-business-so-I-know-about-drugs' Lamb. We saw him go to Camden Lock to buy some legal highs, try to meet internet wholesalers, get together with some users of legal highs, visit Guernsey (where legal highs were all the rage, but now have apparently been banned - hey, how can you ban all legal highs?), have a chat on Skype with the legal high dude from New Zealand(sorry, can't remember his name), and take a hit of salvia from a big, smart-looking bong.
The message the programme was trying to make was clear: there's loads of stuff out there, easy to get hold of, some of it we don't even know what it contains, and nobody knows the long-term effects. Clearly a programme to engender panic in Middle Britain - 'your kids are out there possibly having a good time, and are in grave danger' -, one of the UK media's favourite activities. It's also the sort of thing governments like to hear: we've messed up the economy, nobody believes a word we say, but let's show what jolly good chaps we really are by banning these legal highs.
I think some good points have already been made in this thread that are relevant to the programme. It did not, of course, ask the question as to why the market for these products has developed in the first place, the answer being that people of nearly all times and cultures have searched out mind-alteration; and it is a situation provoked by current mad drug laws. The objection that many of these legal highs have not been researched as to their long-term effects (as if this data, if available, would lead to a more rational state of affairs) is invalidated by the fact that there are in existence LSD, psilocybin, MDMA etc, which HAVE been pretty thoroughly researched, and shown to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, yet find themselves in the list of Class A substances. The programme unwittingly highlighted its bias towards the consumerist, alcohol-based culture by screening at least one interview in a pub, surrounded by people happily guzzling that highly dangerous and potentially addictive legal high, alcohol. Which is all jolly good fun, it would seem.
The format of the programme was reminiscent of one a couple of years ago on the cocaine trade, presented by a guy who used to be bass guitarist in Blur, I think (sorry, my memory's crap, and those 90's bands never held much interest for me). The ploy is clearly to get someone from that cool music industry to do it, to give the programme some sort of credibility, rather than some Tory politician or academic boffin. That particular programme included Blurman sucking up to Alvaro Uribe, generalissimo of the most-recently annexed state of the U.S.A., aka Colombia. Again completely missing the point that, if it wasn't for current drugs laws, Colombia wouldn't be so riddled with cocaine-related crime.
Re: Are Spice Silver, Gold, Diamond & Spirit banned in the UK?
Trouble is, there is more and more publicity about "legal highs" in the UK, which isn't doing the scene any good. There was a program on TV last night, doing a (pretty negative) expose of the whole thing.
please add the program to the video archive.
How does SWIM do this SWIAlfa? Never done it before.
I intend to write a large post about why that was a terrible program pretty soon. I'll also include the video.
Aye, this was just a bit of fluff made by BBC3, I'm sure someone from the production company posted on this forum in the mephedone section a while ago asking for people to talk to them about it.
DOes anyone know where that footage came from Lamb showed the "psychonaut", of those people who were using homemade chemicals to get high? It seemed unfair to juxtapose this clearly old footage to infer that mephedrone and/or similar substances had caused these effects. But SWIM is curious as to what happened to these poor folks.
But SWIM is curious as to what happened to these poor folks.
The only synthetic "drug" I know about that causes rapid-onset Parkinsonian symptoms is MPTP, a by-product of MPPP production should the chemist not pay attention to heat or pH. MPTP is broken down by MAOs into MPP+ which selectively kills dopamine neurones, hence the symptoms.
MPPP is a synthetic opiate, so presumably they would have injected it.
If anyone knows otherwise, please fill us in.
Yes, that's the program SWIM meant, thanks SWIAlfa.
SWIM only saw the last 20 minutes, where they were discussing Salvia, RC's and the ways in which a compound like MDMA can be continually adjusted to stay ahead of the lawmakers.
It's not this sort of program that SWIM objects to, rather the fact that they always focus on the dangers of "legals", rather than having a mature discussion about whether or not prohibition of psychoactives is counter-productive. Obviously, those in the media and public who know little about these things will automatically jump to the conclusion, that banning them and criminalizing their use is the obvious solution. Surely, treating them in the same way as alcohol and tobacco, and regulating the industry is a far safer, less harmful way of dealing with this anomaly.
SWIM's cheating a bit here by adding his post about this program from another thread, but felt it would be more suitable in this thread.
Agree with pretty much everything else said in this thread. The footage of people displaying Parkinsons symptoms was disturbing, not least because there was no real explanation as to what these people had taken.
Very disappointing bit of work from the BBC's point of view particularly as it never attempted (in the 20 mins that SWIM saw) to explain why the legal highs market has exploded over the past few years i.e. PROHIBITION!
Swim thought that 'documentary' was a load of crap tbh. It showed some chavvy teenagers getting 'monged off spice'- swim learnt some new words tho . Did anyone else find it hilarious how he had doctor there while he was doing salvia; George lamb really annoyed swim. Albeit it did reinforce in swims mind to keep away from the newer drugs: as can be seen with mephrodone.
Swim is pretty sure that footage they showed of parkonism was due to MPTP- if swim can remember is actually a herbicide called cyperquat as well.
What did it say which scared SWIY about mephedrone? He did not see it all at the time.
nothing much tbh just the fact we have 20 years of knowledge about the effects of MDMA and LSD, but we don't even know the pharmacology of these new drugs or what are the active compounds in these drugs. Swim is actually only doing methylone out of the legals highs at the moment.
My name is Matt Bowden, the crew interviewed me via Skype from New Zealand one day for this thing, they seemed like they understood what substance use was all about and conceded that prohibition is an inferior policy model to regulated supply but perhaps wanted to paint a conservative air over it all for poilitical reasons or whatever.
Did anybody manage to get the thing online so I can see what they used from our chat and what they didn't?
I found it tricky as an interview they seemed like they had made up their mind already by the time they got to talking to New Zealand and wanted to make everything fit with their story by the time they got to me. I think you have some really conservative old people up there in the UK with real out of date values and it might help if you had a few more folks trained up in media ready to step up and make informed comment to balance it out a bit.
That's my view from down here anyway.
Thanks for your post Starboy. I think you did your best on the programme, especially, if I recall, with your arguments about how some of the 'legal highs' might not be 100% harm-free (what is?), but they are a damn sight safer than lots of other stuff people might be doing. Your points could not really be disagreed with; this being the case, the presenter said 'Hmmm', then moved on to some other scene!
Your comment about the media is interesting. It is probably true that there are loads of extremely conservative people (with strong vested interests in the status quo, I may add) in the media in the UK. The media has a lot to answer for: it is the main former of public opinion, and has been the major panic-developer ever since the days it decided that everyone who took LSD jumped out of windows or ended up in the local psychiatric unit. Unfortunately, UK is a very OLD country, where traditions and establishments are deeply ingrained. Attitudes change slowly. There is an advantage in a 'newer' country like New Zealand, I think - greater flexibility and possibilities for more rapid change.
That REALLY annoyed me. The generalisations he made infuriated me. "just because they are legal, we assume they are safe". NO WE DONT. YOU DO.
Swim is thinking thank f*ck for forums such as this where people can express unbiased opinions and share experiences to allow a swimmer to make an informed decision. Swim feels this applies to illicit substances also, and agreed with the doctors view that it may be advisable to steer clear of legals in favour of illegals, as they have been more thoroughly tested, for lack of a better word.
Swim feels that generally, most people (non users) absorb information from the media far better than from actual users. I think a balance needs to be reached, but it never will.
Its sad that people such as George seem to ignore opinions and explanations, and is set in his ways.
Im also disapointed he was prepared to give the 3 guys samples of pills before analyzing the contents.
Also, this was filmed in 09, and i swear BZP has been illegal for quite a while?
"i was in the music industry"
"how much do we know about these so called, legal highs"
This mockery of a doc really annoyed me! Gr.
I used to think G. Lamb was a decent bloke with his own opinions but, after watching this, I feel that he was used as a tool for propaganda. I also feel it was a waste of time interviewing Starboy when the programme had already taken a "drugs are bad" point of view, it seemed like his main aim was to extract every negative aspect of legal highs.
The fact that he smoked salvia as his only "legal high" was astonishing too. There is no way the effects of salvia can be called a "high", nor is salvia (correct me if I'm wrong) used for recreation or as a party drug. Should have done a bit more research, man!
Well written post by the OP there and spot on. I too watched the documentary and was not surprised by its biase.
Matt, your point about how the introduction of BZP based party pills had created a reduction in local Methamphetamine use was, again unsurprisingly, largely ignored. They did, after all, simply want to do a cheap documentary where they can mug people up for supplying "the kids" with drugs their parents know nothing about. The constant reference to these substances as being as easily available as sweets was not accidental.
But then again the BBC just wanted to target the kind of people for whom the word "euphoria" is frightening.
P.s. with regards to the footage of the Parkinsons sufferers, I know that it was as a result of ingesting something that they had made which had been synthed incorrectly. I can't for the life of me remember exactly what but I do know that it apparently toasted their Dopaminergic system leaving them in that state.
SWIM thought that 1 sickening tool used by Lamb was the reference to Salvia extract and his teenage sister. Can't remember what age he said she was. It's an age-old way of influencing peoples' opinions to infer that there is a danger towards children.
Surely, 95% of head shop owners would not be stupid enough to sell to minors, and if she was 18 or over, isn't she old enough to make up her own mind?
It was one argument used for the reclassification of cannabis from class C to B in the UK, the "fact" that new evidence had emerged that cannabis is harmful to the developing brain of teenagers and children are getting their hands on super strength "skunk". Even if the its true that teenagers shouldn't smoke dope, why not legalize the industry then impose an age restriction of 21 say, like alcohol in the USA.


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I Went to a Writing Group Two Weeks Ago - July 10th, 2019
By Jeffrey Alexander Martin Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Why didn't I write this article two weeks ago? I don't know. I could say I've been busy, because I have been. I even officiated my third wedding this last Saturday. But, that's not the real reason. The real reason is that I fell into a more contemplative as opposed to productive mood. I do that sometimes, but we're not diving into that in this article. In this article there is a story to behold.
Analiese had a type of sentence stem this week. (This might really be more like a fill in the blank question, but I figured I'd include a reference to the work of psychologist Nathaniel Brandon anyway.) Here's the prompt she gave us.
Complete the following sentence and write a scene or story that begins with it: "It's strange to think that I never would have known about ___________ if I hadn't taken that left turn."
How do I get ideas? No one really knows the answer to that. Things just happen, then... ideas. One little sentence idea turns into a paragraph, then a story. Here's how that went for me on this day.
It's strange to think that I never would have known about Smith if I hadn't taken that left turn.
The books in the library were overflowing. The shelves were full. Books were shoved sideways into the shelves on top of other books to fit just a few more, and there were stacks on the floor.
Almost no one had used a book in the last decade. Once it had been made mandatory to have the Nink installed in everyone then books had become obsolete almost overnight.
A law was passed to preserve libraries. They became de facto museums, windows into the past, usually with a single caretaker.
In the age of the Nink, short for Neural-Link, there were only three reasons for going to a library: One, your Nink was down. This was pretty rare. Organic self-repairing components don't usually mandate a need for a doctor or Nink technician. Two, nostalgia. A few people still liked to go to the library and mull around. Reading was pointless since any data you needed could be downloaded directly through the Nink in seconds without the need to read it, but, sentiment can be powerful. Three, criminals. If you didn't have a Nink you were an illegal by definition. Or, if you were accessing information not available through the Nink, then you were also breaking the law.
I would like to point out that when I turned that corner I wasn't a criminal.
And yet, staring at that No-Nink didn't feel like it should've. I had never seen one before. On the daily Nink updates there was always something about the trouble that No-Ninks had caused. They were impulsive, aggressive, selfish, brutes. Almost animals.
And here in front of me stood one of these brutish animals. She was a little over five feet tall, reddish-golden hair falling across her face as she looked down into the slender book she held in her hands.
She didn't notice me for three breaths. Then, she looked up. She closed the book, slid it into the shelf, turned and walked away. I stood there for three more breaths before I moved forward.
I picked up the book and looked at the spine, "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus. I had never downloaded it, so I searched for it and the search came up empty.
Let's do a small glimpse into my thoughts while I was making this.
I chose to go with Smith because of agent Smith from "The Matrix", a science fiction movie about machines that took over the world after they became artificially intelligent and enslaved humans in a virtual reality.
When I made that choice I had no other ideas. I just chose the name Smith because that's what jumped in my mind, agent Smith.
I did a library because I was in a library. That's what jumped into my head. Agent Smith in a library seems interesting.
I like the idea of a full library that no one uses. I would love wandering around in there. So I went with that.
Why would libraries be chuck full of books with no one in them? There must be no need for books, but society also hasn't collapsed. Well, cyborg technology where a computer is installed in your brain is being created by a few companies right now, and that would eliminate the need for books without the collapse of society. The idea reminds me of science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick.
Then the idea started to take off. Something like that would be a great tool for government to control people, so that's exactly what would and will happen. But, there would be people that want to have freedom too. What about an encounter? Perfect.
What if the person that's a rebel isn't actually how the government propaganda portrays them? It almost never is.
An intelligent, clean, and articulate brute who's reading an ancient story about standing up to tyranny. The greatest book on standing up to tyranny ever written. Well, that's just a mind blowing encounter for someone like the viewpoint character in this story. So I like it, because it's interesting, so I wrote it, because it's what came into my mind.
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Heliguy Hosts Public Safety Roadshow and UK launch of DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise
A derailed train lies on its side. Casualties are trapped among the wreckage, desperate for help. It's a critical situation, with every minute crucial to survival.
As part of the rescue operation, the emergency services fly a drone to the crash site, allowing officers to analyse the carnage from a safe distance and to provide crucial information to the stricken passengers.
Loud and clear, a message is relayed to the casualties via a speaker attached to the quadcopter. 'This is the emergency services. Please remain calm. Help will be with you shortly.' These reassuring words are played over and over, before vital aid arrives.
Thankfully, this was just an exercise. An imaginary situation based on a real-life scenario to showcase the prowess and advantages of using the recently-released DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise.
The demonstration was staged during Heliguy's Emergency Services Roadshow in Lincoln, which was held in partnership with DJI on Tuesday and doubled up as the official UK launch event for the Mavic 2 Enterprise.
The roadshow, at Waddington Training Site, in Lincoln, was attended by 50 emergency-services personnel – including representatives from almost half of the UK's police forces, as well as a decent number of fire and rescue, mountain rescue and RNLI crews – who learned more about this impressive new drone, which has been designed with public safety, inspection, search and rescue, fire response and law enforcement in mind.
Features of the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise
Among its key features are the three accessories – the strong dual spotlight, which enhances vision in low-light areas and can pinpoint the exact location of a missing person; the beacon, featuring a bright flashing strobe visible from three miles away to enhance visibility during night-time flights; and the aforementioned speaker, which is capable of a projection of 100 decibels and can be used for real-time voice transmission, as well as storing voice recordings for future use.
Another scenario played out during the Heliguy event further endorsed the capabilities of the Mavic 2 Enterprise and the effectiveness of its accessories.
Using the spotlight – which can achieve a maximum brightness of 2,400 lumens – and the dynamic 2x optical, 3x digital zoom camera, the drone was flown out to inspect a suspicious package inside an abandoned vehicle (see picture below). The light, coupled with the zoom, gave absolute clarity, allowing the pilot to conduct this close-range mission without getting into harm's way, analysing the suspect parcel from a far.
The live demonstrations followed a presentation by DJI's Enterprise Product Manager Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave a detailed breakdown on the specifications and features of the Mavic 2 Enterprise.
Other perks of this impressive newbie include the 31 minutes of flight time, its 72kph maximum speed and the self-heating battery which works in temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C); a crucial factor as accidents and incidents can happen at any time of the year.
The Mavic 2 Enterprise is small, light, compact and foldable, meaning that it can be carried with ease and is ready to go within minutes, while its omnidirectional obstacle sensing system keeps the drone at a safe distance away from obstacles, such as cliffs, vegetation and buildings.
A big plus for emergency-service personnel, especially the police, is the password-protect system which is needed to take off or to access the 24 GB on-board storage, ensuring that the data stays safe, even if the drone falls into the wrong hands.
What was clear from the roadshow was that the Mavic 2 Enterprise (pictured below, with speaker accessory attached) is a mighty and sophisticated bit of kit, and attendees liked what they saw. For instance, Mike Smith, of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said that he was absolutely impressed by the aircraft.
Saving Lives With Drones
The benefits of the Mavic 2 Enterprise and drone technology in general were further endorsed by keynote speakers from three police forces.
Speaking during the roadshow, the Force representatives gave fascinating insights about how they are using UAVs for multiple purposes, including searching for missing people, gathering evidence, increasing situational awareness and training new recruits. And in some cases, drones have been the difference between life and death.
Having already used the Mavic 2 Enterprise, PC Tom Shainberg, lead drone operator for Devon and Cornwall Police, and pictured below, told the audience that the aircraft was a massive step forward and had massive capabilities.
He praised the spotlight and the speaker accessories in particular and added: "The password requirement gives a good layer of protection for us, while the battery, which can operate down to -10°C, is another positive."
Meanwhile, Mark Talliss, Force drone trainer at Wiltshire Police, gave numerous examples about how drones are providing valuable eyes from the sky.
Among his case studies, he explained how the drone had helped uncover numerous offences at a traveller site, which was initially under investigation for housing victims of human-trafficking. While surveying the area, the drone revealed an unexpected haul of £200,000-worth of stolen electrical cabling, a cannabis factory and a carefully-concealed stash of weapons.
Mark also told a powerful story about how the drone fitted with a thermal camera had found a missing 13-year-old girl, who was in a ditch and on the brink of death, suffering severe hypothermia. Thankfully, she was located and saved. Mark said: "I believe that if we didn't have the drone, she would have been found dead in the morning."
Lincolnshire Police is also using drones and Special Sergeant Kevin Taylor detailed various examples during the roadshow, including how the Force's drone pilots landed their first successful prosecution earlier this year. During this case, the UAV helped to discover a 'professional cannabis growing operation' which could produce more than £50,000 worth of the drug. As a result, Mark Lovell, 54, of Anderby Road, Chapel St Leonards, was jailed for three years for producing the Class B drug.
DJI Committed to the Enterprise Sector
The case studies were proof that drones are being used for good, and during the event, DJI set out its commitment to developing technology which will improve operations and effectiveness within the enterprise sector. The Mavic 2 Enterprise is just one example of this. The Phantom 4 RTK – DJI's most compact and accurate low-altitude mapping solution.
As well as the Mavic 2 Enterprise, DJI announced other developments and new releases during the event, including the in-depth DJI Flight Simulator, which helps to train pilots in a range of real world scenarios.
DJI PRAISES HELIGUY EMERGENCY SERVICES ROADSHOW
At the end of the roadshow, Tautvydas Juskauskas, DJI's Public Business Development Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that he was delighted with how the event had gone.
He said: "We got a really good crowd from the emergency services and the public-safety sector.
"We see that, more and more, emergency services in the UK commit to large-scale drone operations. What we find very exciting is that these drone operations are getting recognised by key decision-makers and stakeholders. This is thanks to the people who are the pioneers who have used drones for law enforcement, fire services and search and rescue operations and shown how helpful they can be.
"This was the main idea of the Emergency Services Roadshow – bringing these people, who work with the drones, together so that they can share their experiences."
He also praised Heliguy for holding the event, which he described as being slick and well managed.
He said: "It was a true pleasure to work on this project with Heliguy. It was a great team effort and I really appreciate Heliguy's professionalism.
"From day one, when we introduced this concept to the Heliguy team, I saw their continuous commitment to DJI and their clients, their very constructive approach in execution, and of course, the smooth event's implementation.
"It was a great event with lots of good discussions and great presentations from the emergency services. So big thanks to everyone."
Reflecting on the roadshow, Ben Shirley, part of the Heliguy training team who helped to organise the event, said: "The day was well received and really beneficial. It was great to see all of the emergency services share knowledge and experiences, providing valuable insight into how organisations differ in terms of operations.
"Thank you to all the staff from Heliguy, DJI, the guest speakers and all of the attendees for showing their support."
For more information visit www.heliguy.com
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AudioCodes Appoints Chief Strategy Officer (January 2022)
Lod, Israel – January 24, 2022 – AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC) Press Release
AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC), a leading vendor of advanced communications software, products and services to increase productivity in the digital workplace, today announced the appointment of Mr. Dmitry Netis as Chief Strategy Officer effective immediately. Mr. Netis will report to Mr. Shabtai Adlersberg, President and CEO of the Company. Mr. Netis joins AudioCodes having worked 25 years in the technology sector and after 15 years on Wall Street covering infrastructure and application companies in Unified Communications, Collaboration, Customer Experience markets, among other sectors. Most recently Mr. Netis worked as a managing director and an investment banker with Q Advisors, LLC, and as senior equity research analyst at Stephens, Inc. and William Blair & Company.
Mr. Netis will assume responsibility for the Company's Corporate Development and M&A initiatives and will work closely with Mr. Adlersberg on forging strategic partnerships and cooperation with world leading partners in the Unified Communications, Customer Experience (CX), and Conversational AI markets. Mr. Netis will also work closely with investor relations to convey the Company's strategy to shareholders.
"AudioCodes is fortunate to have someone of Dmitry's caliber with a vast global network of connections and Wall Street investment banking and analytical research experience joining our team, and I am looking forward to being able to tap into his vision and creativity," said Mr. Shabtai Adlersberg, President and Chief Executive Officer at AudioCodes. "I am excited to join AudioCodes at a time when cloud communications and AI-based conversations are becoming foundational in the way we work and improve the customer experience," said Dmitry Netis. "As a key enabler of digital transformation, when the world is moving to a digital workplace and hybrid environments, AudioCodes is in an enviable position to power many of these changes. I look forward to leveraging my experience to help AudioCodes deliver even more value to its customers, partners, and shareholders."


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Home / Football Replica Shirts
Let The Zebras run free this season and cheer them on whilst they do in this Juventus 19/20 Kids Home S/S Replica Football Shirt from adidas.
The Old Lady topped the table of the Serie A during this most recent season. The Turin based side, colloquially known as Juve, has won 35 official league titles, 13 Coppa Italia titles and eight Supercoppa Italiana titles, being the record holder for all these competitions; two Intercontinental Cups, two European Cups / UEFA Champions Leagues, one European Cup Winners' Cup, a joint national record of three UEFA Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and one UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Juventus have worn a black and white striped kit since 1903 when team member, Englishman, John Savage used his contact in Nottingham to help with shirts that could better withstand the elements. The friend was a Notts County fans so ended up shipping out black and white striped shirts to turin, which has been the shirt Juventus have used ever since considering the colours to be aggressive and powerful.
Made by adidas, the Juventus 2019-20 home shirt introduces a revolutionary half-and-half design. According to the club, "the new kit is an invitation to fans to embrace a new thought. Different. But always, deeply, Juventus. #BETHESTRIPES". Whereas Juventus' jersey usually features white and black stripes, the Juventus 2019-20 home jersey is half black, half white. Specifically, the right side of the Juventus 19-20 shirt is white and the left one black. There's a pink stripe between the two halves on the front of the shirt. The 'blocked' look of the shirt is continued onto the right and left sleeves, which are black and white, respectively. The whole design continues on the upper and lower back, while a black block covers the center for easier legibility of player names and numbers. The shirt has been made for the fans, it puts comfort first with silky, sweat-wicking fabric and a slightly looser fit than the ones players wear on the pitch.
Ribbed crewneck
100% recycled polyester interlock
Sweat-wicking Climalite fabric
Juventus woven crest
If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase from World Soccer Store, you may return the product(s) to us within 28 days of the purchase date for a refund or exchange.
adidas Juventus 19/20 Kids Home S/S Replica Football Shirt
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adidas, Shirt - Kids size chart
10-11YRS
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64 66-71 71-76 76-81 81-86 71 78 86
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25-25 25 25½-26½ 27-28 28-29½ 29½-30½ 31-32½ 32½-34 26-28 28-30 30-32 32-34 28 30½ 34
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Juventus 19/20 Kids Home S/S Replica Football Shirt
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