Journal of Tea Science Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 38-46 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/jtsr 38 Research Insight Open Access Genetic Basis of Stress Tolerance in Tea: A Research Insight ChuchuLiu 1 , Zonghui Liu 2 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang Colloge of Zhejiang AandF University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China 2 Tropical Medicinal Plant Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: chuchu.liu@jicat.org Journal of Tea Science Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2025.15.0005 Received: 08 Jan, 2025 Accepted: 10 Feb., 2025 Published: 28 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Liu and Liu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Liu C.C., and Liu Z.H., 2025, Genetic basis of stress tolerance in tea: a research insight, Journal of Tea Science Research, 15(1): 38-46 (doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2025.15.0005) Abstract Tea (Camellia sinensis) as an economic crop is generally challenged with heterogenous abiotic stresses (drought, high temperature, low temperature, salinity) and biotic stresses (pathogens and pests) that negatively affect its yield and quality. In the recent several years, multi-omics technologies like genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics have more and more clarified the genetic basis and regulatory mechanism of stress tolerance in tea plants. These studies highlight processes such as perception of stress signals, control of transcription factors, hormonal crosstalk, and functional characterization of the key resistance-related genes. The study summarizes molecular and genetic advances in tea response to major stresses, outlines genetic resources and regulatory circuits to stress tolerance, and considers opportunities for using emerging technologies such as multi-omics integration and genome editing in tea improvement. It also illustrates current challenges and limitations, including genome complexity, interaction between multiple stress factors, and laboratory-test-field divergence. This study provides a systematic idea on tea plant stress resistance genetic mechanisms and can be employed as theoretical foundation and scientific basis for breeding stress-tolerant varieties and sustainable development of the tea industry in the future. Keywords Tea plant; Stress resistance; Genetic basis; Multi-omics; Molecular breeding 1 Introduction Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the world's second most popular non-alcoholic beverage after water. It is cultivated in more than 60 countries in the tropics and subtropics, supporting the livelihoods of more than a million smallholder growers and providing foreign exchange earnings for numerous Asian and African economies. Other than its financial worth, tea is valued for its cultural worth and variety of health-promoting bioactive chemicals, including catechins, theaflavins, and amino acids, making it a functional food. That tea is a farm business commodity and a product with a relationship to health offers evidence of its global significance in farming, business, and human wellness (Wang et al., 2025). Tea is a perennial crop that is subjected to a range of abiotic and biotic stresses during its long life cycle. Abiotic stress by way of drought, cold, and salinity tends to cause injury to the growth of tea and reduces yield and leaf quality. Drought and temperature stress are particularly relevant under climate change scenarios, leading to impaired photosynthesis, oxidative stress, and reduced biomass accumulation. Similarly, low temperature limits tea geographic extent and directly affects winter survival overwintering and spring bud flush. Soil salinity, though less well-researched, indicates future hardship in certain tea-producing areas by way of soil deterioration and irrigation control. In addition to abiotic stresses, tea plants are also vulnerable to biotic stresses such as fungal diseases (Exobasidium vexans, Colletotrichum spp.), bacterial blights, and insect pests such as tea geometrid (Ectropis obliqua) and tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii), which collectively threaten sustainable production (Wang et al., 2022). Not only does stress reduce tea yields but also quality of leaves, which is immediately translated into flavor, aroma, and the health-contributing constituents of finished tea products. As global demand for quality tea is on the rise, stress-resistant cultivars are now indispensable in order to gain yield stability as well as consistency of quality under changing environmental conditions. Understanding of the genetic basis of stress tolerance will
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==