Tea Research Center (TRC)
The History
North of Iran including two provinces of Guilan and western Mazandaran is the main cultivation area of tea with more than 28000 ha. Production of tea plays a critical role in the economic income of more than 50000 peasant families. Based on 2019 official statistics, the overall production of tea green leaves was 126753 tones which led to producing useable dry tea of 28519 tones.
Tea Research Center (TRC) was established under the title of Technical Office of Tea in 1984 as a sub-division of the Tea Organization of Iran. The office was established to contribute to research affairs and innovative projects to increase quantity and quality of produced tea, the extension on breeding and cultural techniques and allocating loans with a long-term refund to develop rain irrigation systems and tea gardens. Over 35 years have passed upon the establishment of this center with different titles; but in short after the establishment of the Horticultural Sciences Research Institute (HSRI), its name was changed to Tea Research Center which is one of the affiliated centers of HSRI.
Currently, 10 academic staff and 8 researchers are working in three research groups including Genetic and Plant Breeding of Tea, Technology and Management of Tea Production, Technology and Post-harvest Physiology of Tea. Headquarter of TRC encompasses subsections such as the group of human resources and support, financial affairs, budget and statistics, legal affairs, security and general affairs.
Research Infrastructure
Research Stations:
There are three research stations including;
1. Shahid Eftekhari (Fashalam, Shaft, Guilan province)
2. Kashef (Ezbaram, Siahkal, Guilan province)
3. Shahid Chamran (Nashtaroud, Tonekabon, Mazandaran province)
4 research areas comprises of;
1. Shohada Rezvanshahr (Sekam, Rezvanshahr, Guilan province)
2. Fajr (Lahijan, Guilan province),
3. Shahid Mohandes Motahhari (Khalesar, Langroud, Guilan province)
4. Shohada Ramsar (Talarsar, Ramsar, Mazandaran province).
Laboratories:
1. Genetic and Breeding Lab.
2. Tissue Culture Lab.
3. Soil, Plant and Water Analysis Lab.
4. Plant Protection Lab.
5. Irrigation Lab.
6. Chemistry Lab.
7. Organoleptic Laboratory and Miniature Tea Processing Lab.
Genotype Collections:
All of the genotypes are keeping in four research stations, consisted of Nashtaroud, Lahijan, Siahkal and Shaft with area of about 12,000 m2.
Main Research Activities
General titles of the main research projects intended for the TRC are included:
1. Appling different molecular and traditional breeding method (Selection, Hybridization and Mutation);
2. Releasing new cultivars in order to achieve high yield and quality and tolerance to biotic and a biotic stresses;
3. Investigation, identification and conservation of Tea germplasm;
4. Monitoring of soil fertility and fertilizer recommendation for tea genotypes;
5. Development of integrated management strategies to control major tea diseases and pests
with a special preference to biological control;
6. Assessing of microwave application in green tea processing;
7. Tea processing and quality assessment of new clones;
8. Development of technologies to enhance made-tea quality and the keeping quality of made tea;
9. Development of standards for tea;
10. Assessing to suitable protocols for black and green tea processing.
Achievements
1. Achievement to three promising clones (100, 444 & 451);
2. Selecting 70 genotypes using selected clonal breeding and collecting 20 imported cultivars;
3. Achievement to three propagation methods including modified traditional cutting, tissue culture and hydroponic technique;
4. Achieve the functional food production of tea;
5. Improve the quality of black tea by changing the tea manufacturing method;
6. Food Color Production from Tea;
7. Preparation of soil fertility maps of Iranian tea gardens;
8. Preparation of distribution map for tea root lesion nematode in tea cultivation areas;
9. Introduction of some bio-control approaches against tea root lesion nematode (using plant traps, etc.);
10. Determination of life cycle, hibernate stages and the main environmental factors on population dynamic of tea root lesion nematode;
11. Optimization of water and manure consumption in rain -fed and irrigated gardens;
12. Bio-control approaches against tea mealy bug using Cryptolaemus montrouzieri;
13. Achievement on tissue culture protocol of Iranian tea;
14. Determination of the best irrigation programming and management in the gardens equipped with irrigation system;
15. Use of tea seed saponin against important tea pests;
16. Preliminary experiments in clone selection framework to obtain promising clones in Fouman, Shaft and Lahijan tea plantations.
International Scientific Cooperation
International cooperation in the specialized field with:
· ISTS: International Society of Tea Sciences.
· JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency.
· ISHS: International Society for Horticultural Science.
Cooperation in conducting of three confirmed research projects in MOU between “Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO) - Iran” and “Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YASS) - China”
1. Investigation of adaptation, growth properties and main quality components of tea varieties imported from Yunnan Province, China.
2. Feasibility study of conventional tea- making methods in Yunnan Province of China on Iranian tea green leaves.
3. Study of methods used in Yunnan province to mitigation climate changes in tea plantations of Iran.
