Leaf Quality Assessment

Ballometric Count

Green leaf shoots equivalent to 100 numbers of balls of equal size are picked up at random from each withering trough and thereafter these are separated into fine leaves and coarse leaves. The fine comprise of two leaves and a bud, smaller shoots and also soft banjis. The separation of fine leaf from coarse leaf is done, where necessary, by breaking back the two and a bud/soft banji from the plucked shoot. In the case of three and a bud shoot, the two and a bud comprises the fine leaf and the rest of the broken stem is coarse leaf. Thereafter, the fine leaf is weighed against the equivalent number of balls/coins and this gives the Ballometric/Paisometric Count. It may be noted that the loading of the trough should be done prune-wise, plucking challan-wise and also section-wise, if possible, for each of the three weighments.

Leaf/Bud Count

Total hundred shoots are collected at random from each plucking challan for each of the three weighments and thereafter these shoots are separated into one and a bud, two and a bud, three and a bud, single banji, double banji and single/coarse leaf. This count enables tracking of the percentage of different sizes of shoots being plucked.

Damaged Leaf Count

Total hundred shoots are collected at random and are separated into damaged shoots on one side and undamaged shoots on the other side. The damaged shoots are counted and this gives the Damaged Leaf Count for each of the three weighments.