EVALUATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF TEA (Camellia sinensis) GENOTYPES FOR THE QUALITY AND YIELDS

Abstract

An extensive knowledge on morphological traits and biochemical properties is a prerequisite in utilizing the existing tea germplasm for its improvement incurring grower acceptance and market profitability. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the five clones of tea genotypes (SH/D/11/333, H/B/6/4, TV-23, SH/D/11/13 and H/ B/2/3) based on their morphological and biochemical responses in the environment of Sylhet, Bangladesh to identify superior clone. The experiment was laid out in a Latin Square Design (LSD) and Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications and collected data were analyzed by using SPSS. The findings demonstrated that the greater amounts of theaflavins (TF), thearubigins (TR), a ratio of TF and TR, high polymerized substances, caffeine content and the highest amount of liquor colour index were observed in the superior quality of tea genotypesTV-23 and H/B/2/3. Meanwhile, another test clone SH/D/333 showed better performance in morphological traits along with yield attributes. In overall, the test clone H/B/2/3 and standard clone TV-23 can be considered for quality tea production while, SH/D/11/333 can be used for commercial plantations and future utilization to shape up the Bangladesh tea industry sustainably.