Advances in Cultivation and Breeding of Tea Plants

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics, Genomics, Breeding, and Biotechnology (G2B2)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 May 2024 | Viewed by 2791

Special Issue Editor

Tea Research Institute, College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: germplasm resources; light environment; healthy compounds; breeding technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tea is rich in secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, theanine and caffeine, recognized as a non-alcoholic health drink that has benefited billions of consumers worldwide. Innovation and application of science and technology in the cultivation and breeding of tea plants are important prerequisites to guarantee the yield, quality, health, safety and efficient production of tea. In the past, tea plants have been gradually introduced and developed in dozens of tea-producing countries because of their good adaptability to temperate and tropical climates. The development of the tea industry now faces many challenges and questions, such as frequent climatic disasters, labor shortages and insufficient development of germplasm resources. Additionally, with the increase of diversified consumer demand in tea market, the field of tea cultivation and breeding will pay more attention to the replacement or upgrading of new varieties, new technologies and new equipments.

This Special Issue will focus on the latest developments and trends in the cultivation and breeding of tea plants.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Breeding technology;
  • Special germplasm resources;
  • Environment and adaptability;
  • Traits and production technology;
  • Formation of healthy compounds;
  • Nutrient management.

Dr. Zhijun Wu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • secondary metabolites
  • efficient production
  • adaptability
  • climatic disasters
  • germplasm resources

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 1398 KiB  
Article
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Enhanced Growth of Tea Trees via Modulating Antioxidant Activity and Secondary Metabolites
by Chen Chen, Jiaying Lai, Hong Chen and Fangyuan Yu
Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9060631 - 27 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1017
Abstract
Nano-fertilizer has been dubbed ‘the fertilizer of the 21st century’, and it is already being used extensively in agriculture. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have excellent biological properties and are expected to be an ideal choice for plant zinc fertilizer. Tea is one of [...] Read more.
Nano-fertilizer has been dubbed ‘the fertilizer of the 21st century’, and it is already being used extensively in agriculture. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have excellent biological properties and are expected to be an ideal choice for plant zinc fertilizer. Tea is one of the top three beverages in the world, and improving the quality of tea is a priority in its research field. In this study, different concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg·L−1) of ZnO-NPs were sprayed on tea leaves to investigate their effects on volatile aroma substances and biochemical aspects of tea leaves. The results revealed that various concentrations of ZnO-NPs had different effects on physiological indexes. The concentration of 150 mg·L−1 of ZnO-NPs enhanced chlorophyll content, while the 100 mg·L−1 concentration of ZnO-NPs promoted the accumulation of soluble proteins and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including a decrease in the content of malondialdehyde. In addition, the ZnO-NPs spray reduced the content of tea polyphenols. A total of 27 volatiles were identified under six treatments, with benzene being the common compound with an average content of 45.97%. Ethanolamine and cis-3-hexenyl acetate were the other two major compounds. It was concluded that the presence of ZnO-NPs improved the antioxidant system of teas, increased soluble protein content and provided better reactive oxygen species protection for plants, especially in the case of ZnO-NPs at 100 mg·L−1. We highlighted that ZnO-NPs application was a favorable way to improve tea trees growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cultivation and Breeding of Tea Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 8881 KiB  
Review
Advances in Purple Tea Research: Chemical Compositions, Anthocyanin Synthesis and Regulation, Processing, and Health Benefits
by Meihong Yan, Xiangxiang Huang, Nianci Xie, Tiyue Zhao, Mingzhi Zhu, Juan Li and Kunbo Wang
Horticulturae 2024, 10(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10010050 - 04 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1084
Abstract
Purple tea, renowned for its anthocyanin content and distinctive purple hue, has gained prominence. The anthocyanin content in purple tea can exceed three times that of traditional green-leaf tea. Purple tea harbors various anthocyanins, implicating intricate pathways of biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation. Concurrently, [...] Read more.
Purple tea, renowned for its anthocyanin content and distinctive purple hue, has gained prominence. The anthocyanin content in purple tea can exceed three times that of traditional green-leaf tea. Purple tea harbors various anthocyanins, implicating intricate pathways of biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation. Concurrently, owing to its distinctive chemical composition, the processing of purple tea may be constrained, potentially influencing the sensory attributes and flavor profile of the tea. The richness of anthocyanins in purple tea has yielded potential health benefits, including antioxidative and anti-cancer properties, rendering purple tea a sought-after commodity in the tea market. However, current research on purple tea remains incomplete, including indistinct networks of anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms, incomplete chemical characterization, and a need for comprehensive investigations into its biological activities. The limited research foundation has greatly reduced the popularity and consumption of purple tea. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent advancements in the biosynthesis and regulation of anthocyanins, as well as the chemical compositions, processing, and health benefits of purple tea. This review will provide the groundwork for future efforts in the selection and innovation of purple tea germplasm, purple tea processing, and the expansion of the market for purple tea consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cultivation and Breeding of Tea Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop