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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1532880

Identifying meteorological factors influencing catechin biosynthesis and optimizing cultivation conditions of tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

Provisionally accepted
Marat Tukhvatshin Marat Tukhvatshin 1Qiliang Peng Qiliang Peng 1*Xuan Zhao Xuan Zhao 1*Jianghong Liu Jianghong Liu 1*Ping Xiang Ping Xiang 2*Jinke Lin Jinke Lin 1*
  • 1 Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde, Hunan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Catechins, the most important bioactive components in tea plants (Camellia sinensis), are influenced by growth environment. To identify and optimize the key meteorological factors affecting catechin accumulation, we investigated the relationship between meteorological factors and tea plant catechin biosynthesis across three growing seasons at ten locations. Rainfall, average temperature, and effective accumulated temperature (EAT) were identified as key drivers, regulating catechin accumulation via the responsive expression of key structural genes CsCHS1, CsANR, and CsSCPL. Optimal meteorological conditions for enhancing total esterified catechins (TEC) and total nonesterified catechins (TNEC) were determined using LINGO software, although the optimal conditions for these two groups were contrasting. Hot and rainy environments promote the biosynthesis of EGCG, ECG, and TEC through CsPAL and CsSCPL, while reduced rainfall and EAT promote the accumulation of C, EGC, and TNEC. This study reveals the differential effects of meteorological factors on catechin accumulation and obtain optimal meteorological conditions for promoting catechin accumulation. These results provide guidance for improving catechin accumulation and tea cultivation management. phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthetic pathways (Lin et al., 2017;Gong et al., 2020;Xiang et al., 2021a;Xiang et al., 2021b). Key enzymes such as chalcone synthase (CsCHS1), flavanone 3hydroxylase (CsF3H), and leucoanthocyanidin reductase (CsLAR) have been identified as critical regulators of catechin production (Gong et al., 2020;Xiang et al., 2021a;Xiang et al., 2021b). However, while the genetic regulation of these enzymes is relatively well understood, the role of environmental factors in modulating their activity remains underexplored. Recent studies suggest that climatic conditions can significantly affect catechin profiles by altering gene expression and enzyme activity (

    Keywords: Tea, Camellia sinensis, Meteorological factors, catechins, EGCG

    Received: 22 Nov 2024; Accepted: 27 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Tukhvatshin, Peng, Zhao, Liu, Xiang and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Qiliang Peng, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
    Xuan Zhao, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
    Jianghong Liu, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
    Ping Xiang, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde, 415000, Hunan, China
    Jinke Lin, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.