Research Progress on Characteristic Shoot Phenotype of Tea Germplasms

Being the origin of tea plants, China is abundant in a vast variety of germplasms. To strictly protect and appropriately explore the rich resource is of paramount importance for the preservation of natural inheritance as well as for future developments in improving and breeding new tea cultivars. And market diversification on tea products is crucial for nurturing a healthy and sustainable industry. In evolution, over time tea plants invariably go through morphological and physiological alterations in order to adapt to the ever-changing external conditions imposed by environmental and man-made elements. As a result, the process ushers in new variations and traits of tea plants. An important cash crop with its leaves, tea cultivars are evaluated for commercial values according to readily visually identifiable phenotypic characteristics for selection and categorization. This article selectively reviews the studies relating to the germplasm collection and cultivation, physiological and biochemical traits, as well as molecular mechanisms of tea germplasms with characteristic shoot phenotype, including albino, purple, and other specialty tea cultivars for their ornamental purposes. This review would provide reference for further relevant studies.