Abstract: The effects of different day and night temperature and photoperiod treatments on the growth and propagation of tea cutting were investigated by measuring the growth index of tea cutting. The results showed that with the increase of daylight temperature, the length of new shoots and the number of new leaves increased. At 28 ℃, the formation rate of callus, the rate of root formation, the number of roots and the diameter of stem increased significantly. The survival rate of tea seedlings was the highest at 25 ℃. With the increase of night temperature from 15 ℃ to 25 ℃, the length of shoot, the number of new leaves and stem diameter increased. At 20 ℃ night temperature, callus formation rate, rooting rate and root number were better than other treatments. The root rating and root number were increased with the increase of light time. Under 16 h light condition, the shoot length, the number of new leaves and stem diameter increased better than other treatments. Taking the indexes of root system and shoot growth of tea plant into consideration, the day temperature between 25 ℃ and 28 ℃, the night temperature at 20 ℃ were the proper temperature for tea cutting. Increasing the illumination time was beneficial to the root and shoot growth of cuttings.

Key words: tea, cutting, temperature, photoperiod