Evaluation of the morphological diversity of some tea genotypes in the North of Iran using statistical methods

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

2 Tea Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Lahijan, Iran

10.22092/rhsj.2026.372501.1142

Abstract

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) from Theaceae,the Theaceae family, is one of the basic and strategic products in the north of Iran and the cheapest drink after water. Due to that many of these plants are degrading because of various causes, and to protect their germplasm, it is necessary to know the genetic information of this plant. In this study, using 20 morphological characters, the genetic diversity of 25 tea samples under cultivation in the Iran Tea Research Center germplasm was investigated. Eigen values of the first 4 PCs were greater than one, indicating that those 4 PCs significantly contributed to the variation existing in the genotypes studied. Furthermore, the first 4 PCs accounted for approximately 99.85% of the total variation. According to the results, the range of dissimilarity was between 0.03 until 0.61. Maximum similarity was observed between the two selected and seedling samples. The average of dissimilarity was calculated to be 0.22. In cluster analyses of studied samples at 032 level of similarity, samples were divided into two main groups and six subgroups by using the Gower distance coefficient and the neighbor joining/ final branch method. Science morphological properties are influenced by the environment, repetition of studies, and the use of molecular markers can help increase the accuracy of studies. This study described and estimated the extent of phenotypic variation present among the samples of tea attributed to Darjeeling tea from Iranian tea germplasm. According to our results, it was confirmed that morphological analyses in tea were exploited to determine genetic diversity and relationships successfully. Characterization by using morphological descriptors based on 20 characters revealed significant diversity in the traits of the leaf. The results of this study also open a door to tackle the long-standing problem of tea classification and identification in Iran.

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Research in Horticultural Sciences
Volume 5, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 74-86

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