Abstract:

This study investigated 30 wild tea tree germplasm resources in Xiangwo mountain of Yunfu from the primary agronomic characteristics, quality components, and suitability status. The aim of this study was to explore and utilize the wild tea tree germplasm resources in Xiangwo mountain, and lay the groundwork for breeding and improvement of local new tea tree cultivars. Results indicated that the coefficient of variation (CV) of the 17 key biochemical indicators of Xiangwo tea resources ranged from 9.01% to 36.94%, suggesting a high diversity of tea tree resources. The theobromine exhibited the highest CV, while water extract showed the lowest. Among the five physical and chemical indicators, soluble sugar demonstrated the highest CV at 20.28%, whereas water extract had the lowest CV (9.01%). The phenol-to-amino acid ratio varied from 5.25 to 6.92, with a CV of 13.69. Sensory evaluation showed that black teas produced from Yunnan Daye and Shuixian group in spring had dark, tight shapes with abundant trichomes, fresh and relatively high aroma, thick and lingering sweet tastes, with an average score of 92.11. On the other hand, part of green teas produced in summer using the same tea materials had tight, yellow-green appearance with more trichome, bright yellow-green color of the tea soup, high chestnut aroma, and thick, robust taste with a sweet and fresh note, scoring an average of 88.78. The quality of black teas produced from CXY14, CXY15, and CXY17 in Yunnan large leaf group surpasses that of other individual tea plants. Similarly, the green teas made from CXX4 in Xinxing small leaves and CXY12 in Yunnan large leaves were better than other tea plant resources. Particularly, CXY4 represents a versatile tea tree resource suitable for producing both black and green teas. These tea resources have the potential to evolve into superior tea varieties in the Xinxing region.

Key words: Xinxing of Yunfu, Xiangwo mountain, wild tea resources, coefficient of variation, agronomic traits, quality evaluation