Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Tea Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Lahijan, Iran
2
Department of Horticultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht
3
Department of Horticultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
Tea is a perennial, evergreen and dicotyledonous plant. An increase in demand for consumption causes an increase in the desire to produce. Considering the limited areas of tea cultivation in Iran, it is very important to pay attention to increasing the production per unit area, which requires the recognition and use of superior genotypes. In this study, the biochemical traits of some genotypes attributed to Darjeeling tea were evaluated and compared with some selected domestic genotypes. The biochemical properties of caffeine, chlorophyll a, b and total, polyphenol, total ash, soluble and insoluble ash and water extract were compared and investigated. Based on the results of these tests, the biochemical traits of the samples, all the traits were significantly different from each other at the level of 1%, which indicated the existence of diversity among the investigated genotypes. The maximum, minimum, and average values of the examined indicators are respectively for caffeine (2.03, 0.56, 1.190), chlorophyll a, (3.11, 0.60, 1.656), chlorophyll b (0.62, 0.25, 0.419), total chlorophyll (3.59, 0.94, 2.075), total polyphenol (16.78, 8.33, 12.011), total ash (6.57, 2.04, 4.933), soluble ash (3.21, 0.91, 2.323), insoluble ash (3.89, 0.67, 2.608) and water extract (42.86, 30.26, 36.533). The present study provides useful guidelines on the use of biochemical parameters of the studied leaves in characterizing the germplasm of Iranian tea, and these traits can be used in planning breeding projects and making decisions to select suitable parents in crossbreeding to increase tea yield and increase phytochemical traits.
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