clonal cultivar
'asexual line'; clonal cultivar
Definition#
A tea cultivar that is a clone: a plant selected from a good population and multiplied by cuttings (扦插) or layering (压条), so the bushes are alike. A Hunan Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives page (2023-08-29) defines 无性系品种 as selected by agricultural scientists from a single plant of a good 群体种 and propagated by cutting or layering, with relatively uniform traits, and says that the proportion of clonal improved varieties reached 60.94 % in China at the end of 2017 (figure attributed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs). Chinese breeding papers use 无性系茶树品种 for named clones (English keywords: 'clonal tea tree varieties'). The term describes propagation, not breeding by genetic modification.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | clonal cultivar cultivar propagated vegetatively from one selected plant translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid GMO / genetically modified clonal propagation is cuttings or layering, not genetic engineering |
| Deutsch | Klonsorte durch Stecklinge vegetativ vermehrte Sorte translation |
Also acceptable
|
| Русский | клональный сорт сорт, размноженный черенками от одного растения translation |
Also acceptable
|
| 简体字 | 无性系 | |
| 繁體字 | 無性系 | Regional usage
|
| 日本語 | 無性系（クローン品種） 挿し木などで増やした同一遺伝子の品種 translation |
Also acceptable
|
Common confusions#
- A clone is uniform; a seed-grown 群体种 is not. Neither word says anything about taste quality.
- Not genetic modification.