Zhenong 12

Ministry of Agriculture and Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. 1990. Collection on the improved tea varieties in China. p.90-91.

GSCT45 (Zhenong 12)，  New clonal variety. Small arbor type. Medium-leaf size. Medium sprouting.

          It was selected individually from the progenies of natural hybridization between the Fuding Dabaicha variety and Yunnan Daye variety in 1963~1980 by Zhejiang Agricultural University. Now it has been popularized in the part of the tea area of Zhejiang province. It was also introduced to the limited area of Anhui, Shanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces.

          Plant high. Branches thick with average branching density. Semi-opened in sha-pe. Leaves incline upwards slightly. Length 8,7~9.8 cm, width 3 .5~3.9 cm. Oblo-ng in shape The surface of leaves protruding and glossy. The sprouting period in spring season appears in the third ten days of March. The peak period of one bud and three leaves stage appears in the middle of April. With long vegetative growing period. There still be the pluckable shoots on the tea bush during the Shuangjiang season in Hangzhou. With average sprouting density and vigorous sprouting ability. Shoots stout, green in color with profuse fine hairs. The weight of 100 one bud and three leaves shoots averaged 68 g. The peak period of flowering stage appears in the first ten days to middle of November. With abundant amounts of flowers and low bearing percentage. High resistance to drought and weak cold-hardiness.

          High-yielding. According to the comparative varietial experiment carried out in the period of 1974~1979，the yield per unit area is 41.9多 higher than that of Fu-dian Dabaicha variety.

          According to the analysis conducted by the Zhejiang Agricultural University, the contents of caffeine in the one bud and two leaves shoots averaged 3.02%, amino acids 3.81%, tea polyphenols 24.61% and total catechins 159.88 mg/g. Suitable for the manufacture of black: tea and green tea. The broken black tea prepared with GSCT44 variety as the raw material is characterized by its rich and fragrant aroma as well as bright reddish infused leaf, and is comparable with the standard of exported black tea manufactured by large-leaf variety. The green tea prepared with this variety is characterized by its green leaf with profuse fine hairs, fragrant and lasting aroma, strong and refreshing taste as well as green and clean liquor. Suitable for the manufacture of high grade ‘Maofong’ tea.

          Suitable to popularize in the tea region in the south-of-Yanzhe river for the manufacture of black tea and green tea.

          It is recommended to select the lands faced to south as well as protect from wind and with deep soil layer as the tea garden. For the purpose of increasing the cold-hardiness, it is necessary to raise the seedlings with polythene sleeve method and to mulch during the seedling stage Earthing up as well as increasing the amounts of organic fertilizer are important also. Lower the height of pruning and carry out the segmental format pruning in the 2~3 years after planting or combined with the method of branching-benching, so as to promote the expansion of bush canopy.

农业部农业司，中国农业科学院茶叶研究所. 1990. 《中国茶树优良品种集》90-91页。华茶45号，浙农12。

杨亚军，梁月荣. 2014. 《中国无性系茶树品种志》35页: 浙农12

【产地与分布】由浙江大学茶叶研究所（原浙江农业大学茶学系）于1963~1980年从福鼎大白茶与云南大叶种自然杂交后代中采用单株育种法育成。浙江茶区有栽培。安徽、陕西、广西、贵州、湖南、江西、江苏等省区有引种。1987年通过全国农作物品种审定委员会认定，编号GS13045-1987。

【形态特征】 植株高大，树姿半开张，分枝密度中等。叶片呈稍上斜状着生，椭圆形，叶色绿，富光泽，叶面隆起，叶身平，叶缘微波，叶尖渐尖，叶齿浅密，叶质较软。花冠直径3.6~4.3cm,花瓣9~11瓣，子房茸毛多，花柱3裂。

【特性】 春季萌发中等，2012年在杭州观测，一芽一叶盛期在3月底4月初。芽叶生育力強，持嫩性强，緑色，肥壮，茸毛特多，一芽三叶百芽重68.0g。2010年在杭州取样，春茶一芽二叶干样约含茶多酚14.6%、氨基酸4.6%、咖啡碱2.3%、水浸出物45.6%。产量高，每667㎡可产干茶150kg。适制红茶、绿茶，品质优良。制红碎茶香味浓厚；制緑茶，绿翠多毫，香高持久,滋味浓鲜。抗寒性较弱，抗旱性强。扦插繁殖力较强。

【适栽地区】宜于冬季绝对气温—9℃以上的红、绿茶区推广，如广东、广西、福建、赣南、湘南、浙南等茶区。

【栽培要点】宜选择土层深厚、背风向阳地块，按常规茶园规格种植。栽后第2~3年进行分段定型修剪或采用弯枝法扩展树冠。