Tea trees planted at the Kanaya Tea Research Station were exposed to spring frost and cold weather on March 30, 2010. In this study, we assessed the frost sensitivity of these tea cultivars. This sensitivity was linked to the time of the bud break. The early bud break cultivars had more severe frost damage than those in the late bud break cultivars. However, ‘Sayamakaori’ had minimal frostdamage as compared to the other cultivars at the same bud break stage. These results indicate that spring frost sensitivity may differ among cultivars at the same bud break stage. It is necessary to develop a novel frost injury-resistance assay for tea cultivars and to develop cultivars that can overcome frost injury.
