Gui Green No. 1: Introduction to a national-level improved tea tree variety with Guangxi's independent intellectual property rights

Tea is an important economic crop in China, and in particular one of the pillar industries for poverty alleviation and prosperity in the mountainous areas of Guangxi. With the rise of organic tea (green food) production, some varieties with resistance to pests and diseases and strong adaptability have received attention. Varieties determine characteristics such as the sprouting period of tea trees, processing suitability, quality traits and resistance. To develop tea production, tea products must be early to market, distinctive, of superior quality and favorable in price to be in a position to seize the market. Therefore, to make Guangxi's tea industry strong and large, we must start from the "source" - adopting superior varieties. Just as Mai Chujun, Deputy Inspector of the Autonomous Region's Department of Agriculture, pointed out on August 8, 2007, at the "Guangxi Independent Brand Intellectual Property Improved Tea Tree Variety Promotion Symposium" held at Natian Villa in Wuming, Guangxi, variety upgrading is a major issue facing Guangxi's tea people.

The "Gui Green No. 1" tea tree variety was bred by scientific and technical personnel of the Guangxi Guilin Tea Research Institute using systematic selection from the sexual population of Zhejiang yellow-leaf tea, starting in 1983 and being rated as a national-level superior new green tea variety in August 2003, taking 19 years to breed. It has now been promoted and planted in tea areas of Guangxi including Leye, Pingnan, Wuming, Guiping and Luzhai, exceeding 1000 mu. At this "Guangxi Independent Brand Intellectual Property Improved Tea Tree Variety Promotion Symposium," "Gui Green No. 1," as a tea tree variety bred by Guangxi itself and, to date, the only tea tree variety in Guangxi's tea history to have passed national-level improved variety identification, won the recognition of attending experts for the superiority it has demonstrated in tea areas across Guangxi.

First, early to market, early income. The tea tree is the crop that yields returns earliest in the year, but early- and late-sprouting varieties differ greatly. As the farming proverb says: "Tea is a fresh herb of the season; picked three days early it is treasure, picked three days late it is grass," meaning the earlier it is picked, the higher its value. "Gui Green No. 1" sprouts especially early; in the Guilin area it can be picked and marketed before the Lantern Festival, and even earlier in central and southern Guangxi. Among China's current superior tea tree varieties, it is the earliest to be picked. The early-spring famous-quality green tea it produces can fetch a price 1 to 2 times higher than green tea of the same grade picked and processed from mid- and late-sprouting varieties. For example, at the Wuming Natian Tea Farm, 120 mu of Gui Green No. 1 were planted, and in just over one month of spring tea the output value reached more than 400,000 yuan. It can be seen that the early-sprouting characteristic of a variety has obvious commercial and economic advantages.

Second, high yield, more income. Driven by the market economy, producers pay great attention to the yield traits of varieties; even with the same input in a high-quality variety, a high-yielding variety can increase income several times over. The "Gui Green No. 1" variety has strong adaptability, is easy to plant, and forms a mature plantation quickly; it comes into production in the second year of planting and enters the high-yield period in the third year. This variety has extremely strong bud-bearing capacity, sprouting in three dimensions, and high yield. In the second round of national tea tree variety regional trials from 1996 to 2001, its yield exceeded the control Fuding Dabaicha (a national-level improved variety) by 104.4%, ranking first in yield. In the "Gui Green No. 1" tea garden of the Guilin Tea Research Institute, tea-picking workers even bring small stools into the tea garden and sit while picking tea. According to data from "Gui Green No. 1" growers, the yield is 10 to 20% higher than that of "Fuyun No. 6," currently Guangxi's leading tea variety, and double that of "Fuding Dahao." For example, the Luzhai Dale Ling Tea Factory picks fresh leaves of Gui Green No. 1 (one bud and one leaf), and the fresh leaf price alone reaches 80 yuan/kg, achieving very good economic benefits.

Third, superior product, high income. The commercial quality of tea is crucial. Among the various factors affecting quality, the variety is the most fundamental. Without an improved variety as the foundation, even with the most superior cultivation measures and the most refined processing techniques, it is difficult to produce excellent commercial tea. For example, the emerald green and prominent downy tips of Maofeng tea, the delicate fragrance of Longjing tea, the fresh briskness of black tea, and the rich, sweet aftertaste of oolong tea are all determined by the variety. Green tea made from "Gui Green No. 1" has an especially high aroma and a fresh, mellow taste, and both its quality and price are a grade higher than "Fuyun No. 6."

Fourth, wide processing suitability, flexible response to market demand. Gui Green No. 1 has short internodes on its buds and leaves, making it suitable for making various high-grade famous-quality teas. Its spring tea has a high amino acid content of 3.9%, so the quality of green tea made from it is extremely good. The green tea made from Gui Green No. 1 by the Guilin Tea Research Institute has won awards many times in famous-quality tea competitions in Guangxi and even nationwide. In summer, this variety's tea polyphenol content reaches 39.5%, making it suitable for black tea, dark tea, Liubao tea, Pu'er tea and oolong tea. From May to July, as temperatures rise, the young buds of Gui Green No. 1 take on a purple-red color. The Classic of Tea says: "Purple is superior, green is inferior." The ancients also held that "purple is a noble color." The finished or semi-finished product made by picking and processing tea leaves from tea trees whose young buds and leaves are purple is called purple bud, which was a tribute item in ancient times and is very precious. Modern research shows that the anthocyanins rich in purple bud tea are very beneficial to human health. Anthocyanins are water-soluble plant pigments belonging to the flavonoid compounds. Abroad, anthocyanins are often used in health products and have health functions such as weight loss, anti-aging and anti-radiation, so they are a very good health beverage for people who use computers. For example, the Dale Ling Tea Factory uses summer fresh leaves of "Gui Green No. 1" to make black tea, which has a special apple fragrance and a mellow taste, and the product is in short supply.

In addition, the "Gui Green No. 1" variety has strong adaptability and extremely strong cold and drought resistance. In trial plantings in Hunan and Guizhou, the survival rate reached 100%. It is suitable for planting in central China, south China, southwest China and tea areas where winter temperatures reach -9°C. With an improved variety, healthy seedlings are also needed. "Gui Green No. 1" has a high survival rate in cuttings propagation. By adopting the technique of short cuttings of semi-lignified green branches with long side branches, the nursery output speed is fast, and it can leave the nursery in 4 to 6 months, shortening the seedling-raising period by more than 6 months compared with existing equivalent techniques in China, with a survival rate above 98% and a nursery output rate above 90%.

Like any crop, an improved variety is relative, and it likewise has comparative advantages. No improved variety can be perfect in every way. At present, the two most important indicators in selecting an improved variety are high quality and early sprouting. As a national-level tea tree improved variety under Guangxi's independent brand, "Gui Green No. 1," after more than 20 years of breeding and promotion by the scientific and technical personnel of the Guilin Tea Research Institute, is very well suited to Guangxi's own conditions. Just as Deputy Inspector Mai Chujun and Chief Agronomist Bai Xianjin pointed out at the symposium, to make Guangxi's tea industry strong and large, it must have its own things and its own selling points. The task of tea research departments is to do a good job at the gateway of introducing varieties and to select suitable varieties to recommend to enterprises and tea farmers. Guangxi's early-spring green tea is an advantage, and the "Gui Green No. 1" tea tree improved variety can give full play to this advantage. As the saying goes: "Green tea fragrance fills the land; in all the world, I am first."