TV1 (Tocklai Vegetative 1)
From Tocklai Tea Research Institute, propagated as rooted clonal cuttings, not grown from seed. The most widely planted Assam clone for over half a century — good liquor quality at a yield most seedling-origin tea cannot match.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Tea
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- First pluck 2–3 years after planting (clonal cutting)
- Expected yield
- 2,000–2,500 kg made tea/ha/year at full maturity
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 1949 · Tocklai Tea Research Institute (now Tea Research Association), Jorhat, Assam — one of the first three standardised vegetatively-propagated clones (TV1, TV2, TV3)
About this variety
TV1 (Tocklai Vegetative 1) was released in 1949 by the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat — one of the first three clones (TV1, TV2, TV3) that standardised vegetative (clonal) propagation in Assam tea for the first time. It became, and remains, the most widely planted clone in Assam for consistent CTC-grade quality, and more than seven decades later it is still used as one of the baseline "control" clones that newer Tocklai releases are measured against — a report on the newer clones TTRI-1 and TTRI-2 described their yield as roughly a third higher than the mean of control clones including TV1. A multi-cultivar study of tea grown across north-east India also found TV1 among the highest performers for total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS assays) during the monsoon flush.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
First pluck 2–3 years after planting (clonal cutting)
Expected yield
2,000–2,500 kg made tea/ha/year at full maturity
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The benchmark Assam clone for CTC quality for over 70 years — still the most widely planted clone in the state
- Used as a baseline "control" clone in Tocklai's own newer-clone trials, a sign of how consistently it performs
- Ranked among the highest of several cultivars tested for total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity during the monsoon flush, in an academic multi-cultivar study
Things to consider
- Public sourcing for TV1 is thinner than for many newer releases — no fetchable primary gives an exact blister blight tolerance rating or pruning-cycle detail beyond what this record already states
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Assam
- West Bengal
Frequently asked questions
Why is a clone released in 1949 still being used as a "control" in new variety trials?
Because TV1's yield and quality performance has stayed reliable and well-documented for over 70 years, it gives trial researchers a stable, well-understood baseline to measure a brand-new clone's improvement against — a report on Tocklai's newer TTRI-1 and TTRI-2 clones described their yield as roughly a third higher than the mean of control clones that included TV1.
Can TV1 be grown from seed instead of a clonal cutting?
No — TV1 is a clone, propagated only as a rooted vegetative cutting from a mother bush, which is why its yield and quality are so consistent from plant to plant. Older seed-origin jats like Betjan are grown from seed instead, but are slower to first pluck and generally lower-yielding.
Sourced from: Tocklai institute develops 2 tea clones — Assam Tribune, Impact of the Season on Total Polyphenol and Antioxidant Properties of Tea Cultivars of Industrial Importance in Northeast India — PMC. editorial policy.