UPASI-9
From UPASI Tea Research Foundation, planted as rooted cuttings and also used as a rootstock in grafted plants. UPASI calls it high yield and drought tolerant, and lists it for planting or infilling in any south Indian tea region. A review cited in an IntechOpen chapter names it among the cultivars most prone to blister blight.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Tea
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Kharif
- Starts bearing
- Planted as a rooted cutting; no UPASI-9-specific first-pluck age published
- Expected yield
- UPASI lists it as high yield; no kg per hectare figure published
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- pH
- Does well even in near-neutral soil, around pH 6.8, per UPASI's clone page
- Disease resistance
- Not tolerant of blister blight: a review cited in an IntechOpen chapter names it among the cultivars most prone to it. UPASI's own page does not rate it either way
- Release
- From UPASI Tea Research Foundation (Dr K. S. Venkataramani) · no release year published · also called "Athrey"
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
UPASI-9, also called "Athrey", was developed by Dr K. S. Venkataramani at the UPASI Tea Research Foundation in south India. UPASI describes it as high yield and drought tolerant: an excellent rooter with uniform growth, a vigorous, semi-orthotropic grower with an excellent spread, fairly tolerant of drought, doing well at different altitudes and even in soils with a near-neutral reaction (pH 6.8). It says UPASI-9 can be planted or infilled in any planting region in south India. UPASI does not give a release year or a yield in kilograms. On blister blight, UPASI's page is silent, but an IntechOpen chapter on the disease, citing a 2020 review, names UPASI-9 and UPASI-15, both described as China type, among the most susceptible cultivars. We found no source that calls UPASI-9 tolerant or resistant.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose UPASI-9 for a drought-prone block or for infilling in south India, if you can run a blister blight spray programme. UPASI calls it high yield and fairly tolerant of drought, and lists it for planting or infilling in any south Indian region. It does well even in near-neutral soil, pH 6.8. Its weak point is blister blight: a review cited in an IntechOpen chapter names it among the cultivars most prone to the disease. In a heavy-blight belt of the Nilgiris or the High Range, compare it with the other clones UPASI lists for your region first. UPASI's advisory centres at Coonoor, Gudalur, Koppa, Meppadi, Munnar and Vandiperiyar can tell you what is working nearby.
Sowing & cultivation
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- UPASI lists it as high yield and fairly tolerant of drought.
- An excellent rooter with vigorous, uniform growth and a good spread.
- Does well at different altitudes and even in near-neutral soil, pH 6.8.
- Listed in the Tea Board's south India table for new planting and replanting in every region it covers.
Things to consider
- Named among the cultivars most prone to blister blight, so a spray programme is not optional in blight-prone tracts.
- UPASI gives no release year and no yield in kilograms.
- Not in the wind-prone column of the Tea Board's table; UPASI-1, UPASI-2 and UPASI-26 are the clones listed there.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
- Kerala
- Karnataka
Where UPASI lists UPASI-9: regions, drought and grafted plants
The Tea Board's list of approved planting material includes UPASI-TRF's recommendations for south India, region by region. UPASI-9 is in the new planting and replanting column for Central Travancore, Nilgiri-Wynaad, Karnataka, the Nilgiris and the High Range and Anamalais. It is also in the drought-prone column in each of those regions, usually in the group UPASI 2, 9, 20 and 26.
It is not in the wind-prone column. There the table lists UPASI-1, UPASI-2 and UPASI-26 for most regions, and UPASI-2 and UPASI-10 for the Nilgiris and the High Range (UPASI-26 is added in the High Range). So UPASI-9 is a drought answer and not a wind answer.
The table also has columns for composite plants, headed scion and rootstock. UPASI-9 appears there as UPASI 3/9, 8/9 and 17/9, and as CR-6017 / UPASI 9. Read with the header, UPASI-3, UPASI-8, UPASI-17 and CR-6017 are the scions grafted on a UPASI-9 rootstock. This fits UPASI's clone page, which calls UPASI-3 and UPASI-17 "drought susceptible scions" and UPASI-9 drought tolerant: a drought-tolerant root under a high-yield top.
The practical point is that you may be buying UPASI-9 without knowing it. Ask a nursery whether a grafted plant has UPASI-9 as scion or as rootstock. The root decides drought behaviour and the top decides what you pluck, and blister blight attacks the leaf, so the scion's blight record is the one that matters for spraying.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Tea variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betjan | Conservation and heritage plantings, not a yield plan | Grown from seed; no published first-pluck age for Betjan | No published yield figure; seed-grown bushes vary from bush to bush | Assam |
| TV1 (Tocklai Vegetative 1) | A proven all-round clone with a 75-year record | Planted as a rooted cutting; no TV1-specific first-pluck age published | 3,000–3,500 kg made tea/ha potential (Tea Board "Standard" class) | Assam, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh |
| UPASI-9this page | Drought-prone blocks and infilling in south India, with blight spraying planned | Planted as a rooted cutting; no UPASI-9-specific first-pluck age published | UPASI lists it as high yield; no kg per hectare figure published | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Tea is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Tea plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Tea variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Tea into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Tea in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Tea rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Frequently asked questions
Is UPASI-9 resistant to blister blight?
No source we found says so. UPASI's own page for UPASI-9 does not mention blister blight. An IntechOpen chapter on the disease, citing a 2020 review, names UPASI-9 and UPASI-15 (both China type) among the cultivars most prone to it. Treat UPASI-9 as a susceptible clone. It is grown in south India for its rooting, drought tolerance and spread, not for blight resistance.
What does the name "Athrey" refer to?
Athrey is UPASI-9's other name. UPASI's clone page lists UPASI-9 "also called as Athrey", in the same way it gives other clones their own names, such as Sundaram for UPASI-3 and Swarna for UPASI-17. If a nursery quotes Athrey, ask for the UPASI clone number in writing so you know it is the same plant.
How much made tea does UPASI-9 give per hectare?
UPASI calls it "high yield" but its clone page gives no kilogram figure, and the Tea Board's south India table gives no yield classes. So there is no published number for us to quote. Ask UPASI Tea Research Foundation for its trial data for your region, and ask neighbouring estates that grow UPASI-9 for their last three years of made-tea figures.
In which south Indian regions is UPASI-9 recommended?
UPASI says it can be planted or infilled in any planting region in south India. The Tea Board's south India table lists it for new planting and replanting in Central Travancore, Nilgiri-Wynaad, Karnataka, the Nilgiris, and the High Range and Anamalais. The Board's list for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand also names UPASI-9 among clones acclimatised and in cultivation there, as a list entry and not a trial result.
Is UPASI-9 a good choice for dry spells and windy slopes?
Good for dry spells, not listed for wind. UPASI calls it fairly tolerant of drought, and the Tea Board's table includes it in the drought-prone column in every region, usually with UPASI-2, 20 and 26. In the wind-prone column the table lists UPASI-1, UPASI-2 and UPASI-26 for most regions, and UPASI-2 and UPASI-10 for the Nilgiris and the High Range (UPASI-26 is added in the High Range). On an exposed slope, pick from that column.
Does UPASI-9 need neutral soil?
No. UPASI says it does well at different altitudes and "even in soils with near neutral reaction (pH 6.8)". The word "even" matters: tea is normally grown on acid soil, and UPASI is pointing out that this clone tolerates a less acid field. It is not asking for neutral soil. Have your soil tested before you plant, and ask your UPASI advisory centre what pH your block should be kept at.
Sourced from: Tea Clones — UPASI Tea Research Foundation, List of approved planting materials, south India and Himachal Pradesh sections — Tea Board of India, Blister Blight Disease of Tea: An Enigma — IntechOpen (cites Sen and others, J. King Saud University Science, 2020). editorial policy.