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Horticulturae
Volume 11
Issue 6
10.3390/horticulturae11060624
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Response of Shoot Growth to Ecological Factors Highlights a Synergistic Relationship Between Yield and Catechin Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.)

by
Ping Xiang
1,2,3,
Qiufang Zhu
4,
Marat Tukhvatshin
4,
Bosi Cheng
4,
Meng Tan
4,
Jianghong Liu
4,
Jiaxin Huang
4,
Yunfei Hu
4,
Yutao Shi
4,
Liangyu Wu
4 and
Jinke Lin
4,*
1
College of Life and Environmental Science, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, China
2
Agricultural Products Processing and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Hunan Higher Education, Changde 415000, China
3
College of Synthetic Biology Industry, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde 415000, China
4
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2025, 11(6), 624; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060624
Submission received: 26 April 2025 / Revised: 25 May 2025 / Accepted: 28 May 2025 / Published: 2 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses of Horticultural Plants)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Ecological factors directly influence the growth and metabolism of tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.), and unfavorable environmental conditions cause abiotic stress to them. Abiotic stress causes damage to reliable, high-quality, and safe tea production, yet the optimal ecological conditions for enhancing both yield and quality remain unclear. To investigate the response patterns of shoot growth to ecological factors and its relationship with catechin accumulation, this study conducted the cultivation of tea plants with a precise modulation of both individual and combined ecological parameters. Under 30 °C and 90% air humidity, specific combinations of light intensity and substrate relative humidity (“250 µmol·m⁻2·s⁻1 + 65%” or “350 µmol·m⁻2·s⁻1 + 70%”) significantly enhanced growth and yield. A significant correlation between shoot growth and catechin accumulation was observed, and mathematical models further revealed a synergistic response between shoot growth capacity and total catechin content to ecological factors. Furthermore, co-expression analysis indicated that catechin biosynthesis-related genes exhibited coordinated expression with key growth-related genes, including CsTCP, CsErf, and CsXth. In conclusion, these findings identify optimal ecological conditions to mitigate abiotic stress and reveal a synergistic relationship between catechin biosynthesis and shoot growth, providing an ecological basis for balancing yield and quality in tea production.
Keywords: tea; shoot growth; yield; catechins; EGCG; ecological factors; temperature; humidity; light intensity tea; shoot growth; yield; catechins; EGCG; ecological factors; temperature; humidity; light intensity

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Xiang, P.; Zhu, Q.; Tukhvatshin, M.; Cheng, B.; Tan, M.; Liu, J.; Huang, J.; Hu, Y.; Shi, Y.; Wu, L.; et al. Response of Shoot Growth to Ecological Factors Highlights a Synergistic Relationship Between Yield and Catechin Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.). Horticulturae 2025, 11, 624. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060624

AMA Style

Xiang P, Zhu Q, Tukhvatshin M, Cheng B, Tan M, Liu J, Huang J, Hu Y, Shi Y, Wu L, et al. Response of Shoot Growth to Ecological Factors Highlights a Synergistic Relationship Between Yield and Catechin Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.). Horticulturae. 2025; 11(6):624. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060624

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xiang, Ping, Qiufang Zhu, Marat Tukhvatshin, Bosi Cheng, Meng Tan, Jianghong Liu, Jiaxin Huang, Yunfei Hu, Yutao Shi, Liangyu Wu, and et al. 2025. "Response of Shoot Growth to Ecological Factors Highlights a Synergistic Relationship Between Yield and Catechin Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.)" Horticulturae 11, no. 6: 624. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060624

APA Style

Xiang, P., Zhu, Q., Tukhvatshin, M., Cheng, B., Tan, M., Liu, J., Huang, J., Hu, Y., Shi, Y., Wu, L., & Lin, J. (2025). Response of Shoot Growth to Ecological Factors Highlights a Synergistic Relationship Between Yield and Catechin Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.). Horticulturae, 11(6), 624. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060624

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