Review on Morphological and Molecular Characterization for Tea (<em>Camellia sinensis</em> [L.] O. Kuntze var. <em>sinensis</em>) Breeding

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the world’s second most consuming beverage and one of the major exporting plantation crops in Sri Lanka. Tea yield is highly influenced by weather conditions, shoot density, shoot weight and genetic factors which inherited by tea plants. Development of vegetative propagated cultivars has led to a genetic bottleneck condition in tea plantation. Therefore, it is important to understand the genetic variability through proper characterization for a successful breeding program. Morphological characterization is a cost-effective method and molecular characterization based on molecular markers such as RAPD and ISSR give more reliable data and it is a perfect method for the conservation of genetic resources. The genetic diversity of tea can be conserved ex-situ and in-situ in the fields and gene banks These approaches will reduce the time taken for conventional breeding of tea and aid in development of superior cultivars.