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Genetic diversity analysis of domestic albino tea germplasm resources based on the tea plant liquid phase functional chip

MEI Piao1,**,LIU Ding-Ding1,**,YE Yuan-Yuan1,ZHANG Chen-Yu1,DING Shi-Qi1,LI Ya-Qi2,WANG Pei-Xin1,MEI Ju-Fen2,*,MA Chun-Lei1,*   

  1. 1 Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science / National Key Laboratory for Tea Plant Germplasm Innovation and Resource Utilization, Hangzhou 310008, Zhejiang, China; 2 Wuxi Tea Breeding Research Co., Ltd. / Tea Tree Germplasm Resource Nursery of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi 214000, Jiangsu, China
  • Received:2025-03-31 Revised:2025-06-01 Accepted:2025-06-01 Published:2025-06-11
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LZ24C160003), the Taihu Light Science and Technology Research Program of Wuxi (N20231002), the Zhejiang Science and Technology Major Program on Agricultural New Variety Breeding-Tea Plant (2021C02067-6), and the Fundamental Research Fund for Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (1610212022009). 

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Abstract:

In this study, a self-developed high-density liquid-phase functional chip for tea plants was employed to genotype the major albino tea germplasms in China. Based on genetic similarity analyses, 61 core accessions were selected for genetic diversity assessment. Phylogenetic tree construction and population structure analysis revealed that these albino tea resources could be classified into three main groups, with their distribution closely associated with geographical origins and breeding histories. Principal Component Analysis further indicated that most albino tea accessions in China originate from Zhejiang province. Compared with the rich genetic resources of conventional tea germplasms in China, albino tea plants exhibit relatively limited genetic diversity, underscoring the need and potential for genetic improvement through breeding. Additionally, the quality components of 30 representative albino tea accessions were analyzed. Caffeine content ranged from 2.26% to 4.17%, with an average of 3.51%; total amino acid content varied from 1.85% to 7.54%, with a mean of 4.33%; and total catechin content ranged from 8.63% to 16.68%, averaging 13.28%. Compared to conventional green tea cultivars, most albino tea accessions exhibited higher amino acid levels and lower alkaloid and catechin contents, making them promising raw materials for the production of high-quality green tea. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genetic structure and diversity of major albino tea germplasms in China and demonstrates the effectiveness of the liquid-phase functional chip in tea germplasm and cultivar identification. These findings lay a theoretical foundation for the innovative utilization and genetic improvement of albino tea resources.

Key words: albino tea cultivars, liquid chip, genotyping, genetic diversity, biochemical components

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