MICROPROPAGATION OF AN ELITE DARJEELING TEA CLONE

Shoot cultures of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntz var. T-78, an elite Darjeeling tea clone, were established from cotyledonary nodes and shoot tips of germinated seedlings as well as from nodal explants of field grown plants. Shoot multiplication rate ranged from 4x in nodal explants to 35x in cotyledonary nodes after 18 weeks of culture. Rooting was achieved in 80-90% micro-shoots by either placing them on an inductive medium for 10 d and then transferring shoots to hormone-free medium, or by treating micro-shoots with a chronic dose of IBA (500 mg/l) for 30-40 min. Rooted plants were established in soil under glasshouse condition at 60% frequency after hardening phase of 4-6 weeks. The regenerated plants show a constant chromosome number of 2n = 30 and are morphologically true to type. This procedure can be applied for conservation and utilisation of an elite clone of Darjeeling tea.