Micrografting : A Technique to Shorten the Hardening Time of Micropropagated Shoots of Tea (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze)

摘要

A micrografting technique was developed for tea where in vitro raised shoots were grafted on 6 months old tea seedling. The survival rate was found to be as high as 98%. Moreover, the growth of grafted plants was much higher than ungrafted in vitro raised plants of the same cultivar, so that the grafted plants were ready to transfer to the field within 6 months. Using this technique, 3000 micrografted plants were trnsferred to the field. Experiment are underway to evaluate the field performance of micro grafted plants.