Effects of Precipitation Variability on Tea Prices.

<p>Farmers at the study site have experienced an average decrease of 51% in on-farm tea prices received during the Monsoon tea harvests compared to the dry spring tea harvests.</p

Effects of Precipitation Variability on Total Phenolic Concentration and Antioxidant Activity.

<p>Increased precipitation from the spring drought to the monsoon tea harvest resulted in significantly higher total phenolic concentration (TMC) and antioxidant activity of tea leaves. Sampling periods not connected by the same letters are significantly different. Values are means ± one standard error.</p

Effects of Precipitation Variability on Tea Growth.

<p>Increased precipitation from the spring drought to the monsoon tea harvest significantly increased tea leaf weight and length. Sampling periods not connected by the same letters are significantly different. Values are means ± one standard error.</p

Increased Inter-annual Variability and Total Precipitation.

<p>Precipitation data at the study site shows inter-annual variability from 1979 through 2010. The shaded section of the figure represents the period comprising 90% of annual rainfall. In addition to increasing variability since 1990, the monsoon season is arriving earlier as indicated by the downward shift of the trend line.</p

Historical Precipitation Trends During the Dry Spring and Monsoon Tea Harvests.

<p>Comparison of average rain rate for dry spring (top) and monsoon (bottom) tea harvests during the following periods: a) 1979–1984, b) 1985–1989, c) 1990–1994, d) 1995–1999, e) 2000–2004, f) 2005–2010. The study site is located at the dot in the middle of each map.</p

Effects of Precipitation Variability on Tea Polyphenolic Catechins.

<p>Increased precipitation from the spring drought to the monsoon tea harvest resulted in significantly lower concentrations of (a) epicatechin 3-gallate (ECG), (b) epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), (c) epigallocatechin (EGC), (d) gallic acid (GA), (e) gallocatechin (GC), (f) gallocatechin gallate (GCG) as well as catechin (C) and catechin gallate (CG; not shown). Sampling periods not connected by the same letters are significantly different. Values are means ± one standard error.</p