TRF: In Forefront of Wide-Ranging Tea Research
Several experiments and researches relating to agronomy, pest control, organic tea and irrigation are being held at TRF.
Coonoor:While Monday marked a special day in the annals of the Tea Research Foundation (TRF) of the United Planters’ Association of South India (Upasi), as it not only celebrated its centenary but also turned out to be a legacy in tea research as TRF is the place where science and technology meet tea for further improvement and look for new avenues to tackle the issues in tea cultivation.
Now turning out to be a historical landmark in tea research in south India, TRF made its humble beginnings in 1926 as a tea experimental station at Gudalur, in the Nilgiris. During the past century, the foundation rendered yeomen service to the tea industry in south India.
Over the last decades the foundation grew into a pioneering research institution dedicated to the advancement of tea cultivation in south India. The centenary tag milestone portrays the dedicated service rendered by the finest minds in the plantation science field, supported by the stakeholders in the tea industry.
The foundation runs an extensive advisory and extension network across the southern tea-growing states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, with regional centres located in Coonoor, Gudalur, Koppa, Munnar, Meppadi and Vandiperiyar.
TRF’s research discipline includes plant pathology, entomology, soil chemistry, biotechnology, plant physiology, tea technology, and pesticide residue analysis.
Its innovation approaches include developing high-yielding, climate-resilient planting materials suited to diverse agro-climatic conditions, tea bush nutrition, refining pruning / harvesting techniques, managing soil health, mechanisation of field operations and the development of effective plant protection measures.
It also runs NABL-accredited quality assurance labs testing black tea parameters, soils, fertilisers and micronutrients. TRF also pays attention to the interests of the small tea growers.
Several experiments and researches relating to agronomy, pest control, organic tea and irrigation are being held at TRF.
