With over 40 years' experience, Dr L. Manivel is a renowned expert in the tea industry. Dr Manivel began his career in academia as an assistant lecturer at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India, in 1967. In 1969 he began work as an assistant horticulturalist at the University of California, Davis, USA. Dr Manivel made the move to industry in 1989 by joining the Tocklaid Tea Research Association and UPASI Tea Research Institute, India, as a horticultural researcher. He served as a scientific consultant in tea, principally in India and Sri Lanka, over the last 20 years and has focused on diagnosing growth problems in the field and advising on cost-effective remedial measures. Dr Manivel published extensively in the 1990s (which is why despite his extensive academic background, he does not have a current h-index) and now has his own horticultural consultancy.