NASA to provide soil moisture information to growers
As the effects of climate change become more severe and tea growing regions experience higher temperature and humidity fluctuations, tea farmers are looking for new ways to predict and manage changes in growing conditions. NASA's "Soil Moisture Active Passive" mission, launched in January, may be of great use in crop planning, thanks to its capacity to map soil moisture. The orbiting space vehicle measures the moisture in the top 5 centimeters of surface soil before beaming the data back to Earth. One organization with access to the data is the Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Assam, India. It hopes to use it to manage pest attacks, which are increasingly common with higher rainfall fluctuations.