Current situation of new Variety Breeding and Promotion for Tea Industry in Fujian

This article reviews the status of collecting, protecting and applying existing resource of tea germplasms, breeding new varieties and formulating objectives, compiling information on tea origins and suitability for processing, promoting business and new products, as well as searching for means to improve farmers' income for the tea industry in Fujian. The resource on germplasms for breeding is abundant in the province. There are more than 7,000 varieties collected and well preserved for studies and applications. The objectives set forth by the industry and government on tea breeding have undergone changes over the years, from early budding to high yield to excelled quality. To date, there have been 45 cultivars successfully bred locally. Among them, 35.6% were deemed suitable for making oolong, black or green teas, and 26.7% for white tea. This allowed a flexibility for tea processing and fresh leaves utilization. Each new cultivar was bred individually based on the conditions of cultivation, process technology and market demand. As a result, the plantation acreage and production of teas had rapidly increased in the past, supported by the optimized operations and marketing for the industry. Prospects in the areas of germplasm collection, breeding diversification and specialization, unique cultivar promotion, and processing technology development on teas are discussed.