Full Length Research Paper

Development of specific RAPD markers for identifying albino tea cultivars ‘Qiannianxue’ and ‘Xiaoxueya’

Wang, K. R.^1,2, Du, Y. Y.^1,3, Shao, S. H.^1,3, Lin, C.^1,3, Ye Q.^1,3, Lu, J. L.^1,3 and Liang, Y. R.^1,3*

¹Zhejiang University Tea Research Institute, Hangzhou 310029, China.

²Ningbo Extension Station of Forestry and Speciality Technology, Ningbo 315012, China.

³The Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture of China, Hangzhou 310029, China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: yrliang@zju.edu.cn.

Accepted 30 December, 2009

   Abstract

 Albino tea cultivars grow white leaves at low temperature which are valuable materials for processing green tea, but they develop green leaves in summer and autumn seasons. It is difficult to discriminate albino tea cuttings from the normal tea cuttings by leaf colour and plant morphological characteristics. Specific RAPD markers for identifying albino tea cultivars ‘Qiannianxue’ and ‘Xiaoxueya’ were developed in the present paper and they can be used in the authentication of the two albino tea cultivars. An amplified fragment (about 1500 bp) from Primer (S 12 (Sangon Biological Engineering Technology and Services Co., Ltd.) was identified in the albino teas and not from the widely cultivated cultivar; Fudingdabai.

Key words: Camellia sinensis, albino tea, RAPD maker, cultivar authentication.