Hybridization between high-yielding assamica and high-quality sinensis tea types results in wide genetic variation that provides opportunities for early selection of elite tea genotypes. This study evaluated 24 F₁ hybrid progenies derived from eight cross combinations (sinensis × assamica) to assess shoot regeneration, branching, canopy development, and plant architecture under heavy and medium pruning during six months of observation. Several progenies derived from the Suka Ati-40 parental line showed more vigorous vegetative growth than the other hybrid combinations. According to the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptors, most hybrid progenies displayed upward or outward leaf orientation, together with shrub growth habit and spreading canopy architecture. Shoot number had a positive correlation with canopy diameter and the number of primary branches, whereas shoot length showed a positive correlation with canopy diameter. These results provide useful morphological criteria for identifying tea genotypes associated with a desirable canopy ideotype and support early clonal selection in tea breeding programs.

Keywords: Tea (C. sinensis L.), hybrid progenies, pruning, canopy ideotype, morphological traits, early clonal selection

Key findings: Tea (C. sinensis L.) hybrid progenies derived from crosses between sinensis and assamica showed wide variation in shoot regeneration and canopy development after pruning, providing useful morphological traits for early clonal selection.