Abstract
This study investigated the cultivar differences in new shoot growth, hardening of leaves and component of first crop of five tea cultivars. ‘Tsuyuhikari’ had more opened leaves per day than the other four cultivars. The hardening of new leaves, the rate of increase in the yield per unit area and decrease in total nitrogen content in the new shoot differed with the cultivar. The hardening degree of the middle or lower leaf at the 4-5th leaf stage of ‘Tsuyuhikari’ and ‘Kousyun’ was lower and that of ‘Yamanoibuki’ and ‘Okuhikari’ was higher than that of ‘Yabukita’. The total nitrogen content in the new shoot of ‘Tsuyuhikari’ was higher at the optimum plucking time and decreased at a lower rate than that of ‘Yabukita’.
