| Abstract: | The effect of gibberellins on tea leaf chemical composition and quality was investigated. The results showed that application of gibberellins was beneficial to green tea quality. Content of amino acids increased by 9·8% and that of vitamin C by 17·8% and tea catechins index increased by 12·9%. The content of tea polyphenols and ratio of tea polyphenols to amino acids decreased by 9·9% and 11·5%, respectively. Differences of all the indicators were statistically significant (P<0·05). Quality scores of the treated leaf increased significantly (P<0·05). It was also revealed that tea plant response to gibberellins was dependent not only on genetics, but also on shoot development stage. |
