Regional Trial Results on New Tea Cultivar ‘Minhui 1’

A new clonal oolong tea cultivar, ‘Minhui 1’ was selected from the natural hybrid progeny of ‘Jinmudan’ to participate in the 2016-2021 regional trials held in Fu’an, Songxi, and Fuzhou in Fujian that represented different geographic and climatic conditions across the province. The survival rate, phenological period, fresh leaf yield, tea processing, and stress resistance of the new breed were thoroughly evaluated against Huangdan tea as a reference. As expected, it demonstrated in the trial a high survival rate with an early-maturing bud sprouting phenology and higher annual average fresh leaf yield than the reference. The oolong tea made from the leaves plucked from ‘Minhui 1’ was rich in floral and fruity aroma with a creamy, mellow, refreshing, and smooth taste. Overall, the brewed tea had an exquisite sensory quality. Comparable to ‘Huangdan’, the cultivar was highly resistant to drought, low temperature as well as anthracnose diseases and infestation by green leafhoppers. As an early-maturing clonal oolong tea of highly aromatic, superb quality, high yield, and strong resistance, it was deemed suitable for cultivation in the ecological environments similar to Fu'an, Songxi, and Fuzhou providing another robust variety for the tea industry in Fujian.