TV1 to TV31: The Clones That Built Modern Assam

Almost no Assam garden grows tea from seed anymore. Since 1949, Tocklai's breeding station has released a numbered line of clones, TV1 to TV31, and they now cover most of the valley. Here is what a clone is, why the industry switched, and what got lost along the way.

TS 397 and the Middle Path: A Seed Cross Between Two Clones

Not every Assam bush is a clone or a seedling. A third category, the biclonal seed variety, crosses two proven clones on purpose and plants the resulting seed. Here is how it works and why Tocklai still makes it.