Advances in Developmental Biology and Cultivation Techniques of Tea Plants

Dear Colleagues,

The tea plant is an extraordinary perennial evergreen crop that is cultivated all over the world. The bud leaves are collected for tea and food production, and contain several active health-promoting ingredients. Tea is a type of non-alcoholic beverage and has enormous economic value, with the growth and development of tea plants being influenced by the cultivar, management level and cultivation environment. The management techniques employed include pruning, picking, fertilization, as well as disease and pest control, etc. Many environmental stresses affect the yield and quality of tea. New agri-input and management models, such as carbon-neutral tea production and mechanical picking, are adopted to achieve higher efficiency and more environmentally friendly tea production.

Plant developmental biology studies the molecular genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and morphogenesis, which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy. The aim of this Special Issue is to reveal the regulatory mechanisms implicated in the development of the tea plant using a multidisciplinary approach that includes physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, genomics, biochemistry, proteomics, metabonomics, and evolutionary biology, etc. In order to achieve the above objectives, many studies still need to be performed.

The areas of particular emphasis in this Special Issue include transcriptional control mechanisms, embryonic patterning, cell–cell interactions, growth factors and signal transduction, and regulatory hierarchies in developing tea plants. We sincerely welcome the submission of original research articles, reviews, and perspectives related to the following topics: fertilization techniques and soil management; exogenous application of hormones or plant growth regulators; molecular mechanisms of tea plants in response to stresses; new propagation or cultivation technologies; the genetic regularities and regulatory mechanisms of tea yield and quality; the screening and functional validation of elite genes; the effects of ecological factors, including ozone and carbon dioxide, on the growth and development of tea plants; the development of tea leaves, lateral buds and lateral branches; the development of floral bud and flower; and flowering control.

Dr. Liping Zhang
Dr. Min Li
Prof. Dr. Xin Li
Prof. Dr. Jianyu Fu
Guest Editors

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• tea plants
• cultivation
• development
• environment
• field management