Tea Plant Propagation for Nursery Production

Commodities

• Additional Plants: other

Practices

• Crop Production: greenhouses, nurseries, varieties and cultivars
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, participatory research, technical assistance, workshop
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
• Sustainable Communities: employment opportunities, new business opportunities

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an emerging specialty crop in
the United States, however, the limited availability of tea plant
material and limited knowledge and skill for tea plant
propagation are major barriers for tea production in Washington
and the United States overall. Tea propagation guides did not
work well in Washington, but through preliminary experiments at
Washington State University (WSU NWREC), we have identified
techniques that work well in our region. This research project
will evaluate the rooting and plant growth of 14 different tea
varieties during propagation in western Washington. The
experimental design will be a randomized complete split plot with
14 main plot treatments, 2 subplot treatments, and 3
replications. We will provide hands-on training on tea cutting
propagation methods to our grower partner at the grower’s farm in
the first year and to all growers and nursery propagators at WSU
NWREC in the second year of the project. We will develop guides
for propagating and planting tea in western Washington. At the
end of this project, tea plants will be available for WA nursery
growers to collect cuttings upon request. We will post all tea
plant propagation and establishment information developed by this
project on our website https://vegetables.wsu.edu/tea/.
We will share project results with stakeholders in meetings,
field days, and conferences. This research study will develop
appropriate techniques for tea plant propagation so that
nurseries can sell tea plants locally and nationally and be a
part of the emerging tea industry in the United States.

Research objective:

1. Conduct varietal trials of tea plants for propagation

Educational objectives:

1. Provide hands-on training on tea cutting propagation method
   to growers
2. Write an extension guide on tea propagation for Western
   Washington nursery grower and a guide on garden/field planting
   for customers
3. Present research results at conferences