Effect of Foliar Fertilizer (Nitrogen and ZnSo4) Interval Application to Improve Yield and Yield components of Tea (Camellia sinensis Var. Assamica (Mast.) Kitamura) Mother Bush

Effect of foliar fertilizer (Nitrogen & ZnSo4) interval application had been conducted to improve yield and yield components of tea mother bush in the Research Institute for Tea and Cinchona experiment station, Bandung, Indonesia. The experiment station is at an altitude of 1350 m above sea level with andysol soil type. The experiment was held from April - June 2014 in tea production field area containing 864 plants and the clone was GMB 7. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design (RBD) with three treatments, replicated three times. The foliar fertilizer interval application which had been examined were: (1) Water only application once a week as control (2) Foliar fertilizer N 1% and ZnSo4 2% application once a week (3) Foliar fertilizer N 1% and ZnSo4 2% application once two week. Based on the research obtained the significant result that foliar fertilizer applied once a week has increased yield of tea mother bush (number of multinode cutting per plot) 26,34% than control. While foliar fertilizer applied once 2 week has increased yield of tea mother bush (number of multinode cutting per plot) 10,38% than control. Increased yield of tea mother bush (number of multinode cutting per plot) obtained from increased number of multinode cutting per shrubs. The treatments were examined unsignificant to several yield components, such as long of multinode cutting, number of leaves per multinode cutting, number of single node cutting per multinode cutting and internode.