Comparative Analysis of Seed Biological Characteristics and Endophytic Bacterial Diversity among Different Individual Plants of Ancient Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis) in Tongzi, Guizhou

LU Li; SHI Yin; WANG Yanxia; HUANG Xiaozhen

doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2025.06.011

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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6) : 943-956. DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2025.06.011

Comparative Analysis of Seed Biological Characteristics and Endophytic Bacterial Diversity among Different Individual Plants of Ancient Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis) in Tongzi, Guizhou

LU Li, SHI Yin, WANG Yanxia, HUANG Xiaozhen^*

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Abstract

The seeds of ancient tea plants represent valuable natural genetic resources and gene pools, playing a crucial role in enriching tea plant genetic resources and maintaining genetic diversity. To investigate their characteristics, this study utilized seeds from 8 ancient tea plants (designated TZ-1 to TZ-8) and a locally cultivated tea plant (TZ-9) in Tongzi County, Guizhou Province, China. We systematically compared their biological properties, including morphology, 100-grain weight, water absorption rate, bulk density, germination rate, and tea saponin content. Additionally, we analyzed the endophytic bacterial diversity using high-throughput sequencing. The results reveal significant variations in the biological properties among the ancient tea seeds. Specifically, TZ-3 exhibited the highest 100-grain weight (269.52 g), while TZ-1 had the smallest values in these traits. The cultivated variety TZ-9 has the highest relative water absorption rate (32%) and germination rate (85%). Among the ancient tea plants, TZ-6 had the highest germination rate (76%), and TZ-2 had the lowest (11.67%). The tea saponin content varied from 21.00% to 49.91% among the ancient tea plants, with TZ-3 and TZ-4 exceeding 40%. The analysis of endophytic bacteria detects a total of 1 141 OTUs, covering 26 bacterial phyla. Among them, the richness of the TZ-3 community was the highest (OTU=185), and TZ-2 was the lowest (OTU=46). PCoA/NMDS analysis shows that the community structures of TZ-2, TZ-3, and TZ-8 were significantly separated, and this separation was independent of the ecological type (ancient/cultivated plants). Correlation analysis revealed that the abundance of genera such as Planctomycetota and Firmicutes was positively correlated with seed diameter, 100-grain weight, and tea saponin content (P<0.05), while Desulfobacterota and Bacteroidota were negatively correlated with water absorption rate. This study initially elucidated the association between the biological characteristics of ancient tea seeds and their endophytic bacterial communities, offering a theoretical foundation for the conservation and innovative utilization of tea germplasm resources.

Key words

ancient tea plants / biological characteristics / endophytic bacteria / high-throughput sequencing / tea seeds

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LU Li, SHI Yin, WANG Yanxia, HUANG Xiaozhen. Comparative Analysis of Seed Biological Characteristics and Endophytic Bacterial Diversity among Different Individual Plants of Ancient Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis) in Tongzi, Guizhou[J]. Journal of Tea Science. 2025, 45(6): 943-956 https://doi.org/10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2025.06.011

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