From Dec. 18th to 24th, at the invitation of Sri Lanka Tea Research Institute and Tautomer Science & Technology LTD, Zhejiang University ‘Biotechnology and Tea Resource Comprehensive Utilization’ Research Team (BTR team)–Liang Yuerong, Lu Jianliang, Zheng Xinqiang and Ye Jianhui, together with Professor Cheng Hao from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tea Research Institute, visited Sri Lanka to investigate the germplasm resources of tea tree in the Central and Southern Sri Lanka as well as tea industry.

Kindly accompanied by Professor Mewan from Sri Lanka Tea Research Institute, BTR team visited the major tea production area such as kandy, Dimbula, Ruhuna and Sabaragamuwa to investigate the distributions of tea varieties in the middle country and the low country of Sri Lanka as well as the development status of tea industry. BTR team went to Laksakanda and Ahinsa organic tea gardens and Hidellena tea gardens, investigating local tea cultivars, cultivation and management techniques, tea processing and quality traceability system, and also visited Avissawella and Kalutara tea processing manufactories. Besides, BTR team visited Horticultural Crops Research and Development Institute of Agricultural Department and Peradeniya University. BTR team evaluated the sensory of Sri Lanka organic tea, traditional loose leaf and CTC broken black tea, and both sides did scientific exchange on genetics and breeding of tea tree and tea product quality control. This scientific investigation activity greatly promoted the scientific and technological communions between China and Sri Lanka.