Identification Methods and Technical Key Points for Tea Plant Breeding Materials

Observe the traits of breeding materials, analyze the characteristics and features of various variant materials, select the superior and eliminate the inferior according to breeding objectives, and finally develop new varieties through comparative trials. The identification content is divided into 3 aspects: yield traits, quality traits and resistance. The yield traits of tea plants are mainly reflected in sprouting density and bud-leaf weight, growth speed, length of growth period, regeneration capacity after picking, and recovery capacity after suffering disasters or wounds; quality traits are mainly reflected in the chemical composition, color, pubescence and tenderness retention of bud leaves; resistance mainly refers to resistance to cold, drought, diseases and insect pests, including recovery capacity.

Identification methods are generally divided into direct identification and indirect identification, local identification and off-site identification. Direct identification uses certain methods to directly measure various performances of breeding materials, such as tea-making quality and yield; indirect identification indirectly reflects another trait or characteristic by measuring one trait or characteristic. In the early stage of tea plant breeding, the number of breeding materials is large, while the number of plants of each material is small, so the indirect identification method should be used; in the later stage of breeding, only a small number of excellent materials remain after selection, and the number of plants of each material is large, so the direct identification method should be used.