Effect of season on transcriptional and biochemical profiles of altered‐ploidy genotypes of tea plant <i>Camellia sinensis</i> (L.) Kuntze

Abstract Tea quality is highly affected by seasonal changes which involve a complex interplay of environmental factors. Understanding how the seasonal factors affect metabolic pathways of altered‐ploidy genotypes can provide insights into optimizing cultivation and processing practices to ensure consistent and high‐quality tea production. In this study, we investigated the response of three genotypes of tea in four seasons (May, June, July, August). We used the HPLC and RNAseq approaches with InterPro and STRING tools for construction of DEGs‐networks to reveal protein interactions. The results showed, that the seasonal factor more strongly affected catechins, caffeine and L‐theanine levels than the genotype factor. Strong enrichment of phenylpropanoid pathway and stress responsive pathways was observed in August as compared to May. Among three genotypes, triploid #619 was less affected by season as compared to both aneuploid #582 and diploid cv. Kolkhida. According to GO and KEGG, the greater enrichment of the signalling pathways, amino acid and flavonol biosynthesis were observed in #619 and #582 as compared to cv. Kolkhida which showed greater enrichment of the abiotic stress response pathway. Future research should focus on validating these findings through functional studies and exploring the broader ecological implications of these adaptive responses in tea cultivation systems.