One gene could make tea tastier — and tough enough to grow where winters bite

Tea lovers, take note: scientists at Anhui Agricultural University in China have found a single gene, CsBBX19, that helps decide both how a tea leaf tastes and how well the plant survives the cold. The gene responds to light and balances two families of compounds — catechins and theanine — that give tea its flavour, while also switching on a pathway that protects the plant from low temperatures. Published in New Phytologist, the work hands breeders one clear target for teas that taste better and can be grown in more, colder places. 'The study identifies a valuable target for high-quality and high-resistance tea plant breeding,' says corresponding author Enhua Xia.

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