Anther Culture in Tea Improvement (original) (raw)

The important economic species in the genus Camellia is C. sinensis, which is a high priority crop in Sri Lanka and is cultivated commercially for its tender leaves. Therefore, breeding methods in tea should be directed towards leaf improvement. Improvement of tea depends on the presence of adequate genetic variability. Anther culture plays an important role in crop improvement programs to overcome barriers experienced in conventional breeding methods. Thus this technique enhances plant breeding and speeds up the release of superior cultivars within a short time in large quantities. Several workers have attempted to produce haploids that could be used for future improvement of woody plants, i.e. tea, rubber etc. In this paper, the work carried out by various workers in relation to tea improvement and potential of in vitro anther culture technique are discussed.