Jeevan Dananjaya Kottawa-Arachchi- Doctor of Philosophy
- Senior Research Officer at Tea Research Institute Sri Lanka
Jeevan Dananjaya Kottawa-Arachchi
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Senior Research Officer at Tea Research Institute Sri Lanka
Genetics, Plant Breeding, Agricultural Biotechnology and Biodiversity conservation
About
84
Publications
55,347
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Introduction
I am currently working at the Plant Breeding Division, Tea Research Institute Sri Lanka. I am doing research in Genetics, Plant Breeding, Food Science and Agricultural Biotechnology. My current project is 'Molecular diversity analysis and biochemical profiling of Sri Lankan and Indian tea (Camellia sinensis) genotypes.'
Current institution
Additional affiliations
August 2008 - July 2022
Friends of Horton Plains, Sri Lanka
Position
- Secretary
Description
- Conduct biodiversity assessment in tea plantation ecosystem in Central hills, Sri Lanka
November 2011 - present
Position
- Research Officer
Description
- Co-investigator of Metabolite profiling of Sri Lankan Tea germplasm
Education
January 2019 - June 2022
CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University Palampur
Field of study
- Genetics and Plant Breeding
September 2013 - October 2013
Kothari Agricultural Management Center, Coonoor, India
Field of study
- Tea Plantation Management
November 2007 - January 2012
Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Field of study
- Agricultural Biology
Publications
Publications (84)
Tea leaves are rich in diverse bioactive compounds. The tea accession TRI 2043 is unique due to its pigmented leaves caused by anthocyanins, clonal origin, resistance to blister blight disease, and high pubescence density. Because of its peculiarity, TRI 2043 is used to produce high-quality silver tip tea, a premium type of tea that commands high p...
Despite tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is one of the top non-alcoholic beverages consumed around the world; its genetic and phenotypic diversity is less understood compared to other plantation crops. The study’s aims were to undertake phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Sri Lankan and Indian tea germplasm and to identify diverse ac...
Selection of tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] cultivars with wide adaptability over diverse environments is an important criteria to get prior information to recommend the cultivar for a particular region. A study was carried out to identify the most adaptable and stable tea genotypes for recommendation in the Up-country tea growing region in...
The quality of made tea is largely dependent on the key metabolites viz. caffeine and flavan-3-ols. The aim of the present study was to quantify flavan-3-ols and caffeine of Sri Lankan exotic tea germplam. Fresh leaf flavan-3-ols; catechin (+C), epicatechin (EC), epicatechingallate (ECg), epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechingallate (EGCg), c...
Tea leaves are rich in diverse metabolites with medicinal importance. The quality of made tea is largely depended on the qualitative and quantitative attributes of key metabolites. The aim of the present study was to quantify flavan-3-ols and caffeine of exotic tea germplam and explore the medicinal properties. Fresh leaf flavan-3-ols; catechin, ep...
Study presents the variation in free amino acids (FAAs) and total AAs in rice at different milling degrees. Two rice cultivars; Pachchaperumal and Bg 406 were subjected to three (4%, 7%, 12%) degrees of milling, and the variations in AA composition of milled rice and resulting bran were studied. Milling caused significant ( p < .05) reduction (5.7%...
Background and Objective: The necessity of assessing responses of tea cultivars to variable nitrogen (N) application has been emphasized to ensure the selection of suitable cultivars with improved N utilization. This study was conducted in the central highlands
of Sri Lanka to determine the effects of N rates (0, 120, 240 and 360 kg N/ha/year) on y...
Avifaunal diversity in eight different habitats of Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur was studied in order to find factors affecting the occurrence of bird species. Bird populations were sampled in different agro-ecosystems such as farm fields (experimental and organic), wetland, abandoned tea plantation, administration area, playgr...
Abstract
Hybridization of tea is important in obtaining genetic variation and breeding new cultivars.
Successful hybridization programme depends on the viability of pollen and the growth of pollen
tubes. In vitro pollen germination assay is conducted to evaluate vigour of pollen grains based on the
ability to germinate in an artficial nutrient medi...
Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) is a species of evergreen tree and it is one of the most popular nonalcoholic natural beverages, worldwide. Tea production is vulnerable to the effects of predicted climate change and breeding for superior genotypes that have better stress tolerance. Transcription factor genes have been successfully used to devel...
Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze], the second most consumed beverage in the world, is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds. The characteristic properties of tea depend on the biochemical compounds present in tea leaf. Hybridization of tea aims at developing new cultivars with more favorable levels of biochemicals for commercial exploitation...
The tea plant [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverage crops worldwide. Tea germplasm is the most valuable and fundamental resource for breeding high yielding, climate resilient, and quality tea cultivars. Therefore, efforts were made to characterize the existing genetic diversity of Sri Lankan tea using...
Parboiling imparts significant changes to nutritional composition of rice. The study presents the variations in amino acid (AA) composition of rice observed during parboiling process, observed in selected Sri Lankan rice cultivars. Upon parboiling, the change in levels of free and protein bound amino acids inconsistently varied across the rice cult...
Investigation made on the variation in amino acid compositions among selected traditional and newly improved rice varieties cultivated in Sri Lanka is presented. The free amino acid (FAA) composition including gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and protein bound total amino acids (TAAs) of eleven traditional and seven improved rice cultivars grown at...
This study investigated the amino acid composition of eight local and three imported rice varieties frequently consumed by consumers in the capital of Sri Lanka. Investigation included twenty free amino acids (FAAs) analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) and sixteen protein bound amino acids analysed using
high perf...
Together with Western Ghats, Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hot spot amongst the 35 regions known worldwide. Considering the Sri Lankan orchids, 70.6% of the orchid species, including 84% of the endemics, are categorised as threatened. The distribution of the family Orchidaceae is mostly correlated with the distribution pattern of the main bioclimatic...
Adaptable to any routine laboratory, the study presents the validation results of a simple, accurate and reliable method developed for the analysis of total amino acids (TAAs) in rice using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (RP-HPLC-DAD). Exhibiting excellent selectivity with resolution (Rs) ≥ 2 for sevente...
The Daffodil Orchid, Ipsea speciosa, is a rare endemic terrestrial orchid species found in the highland grasslands of Sri Lanka. Due to the restricted distribution range, this species is considered as an endangered taxon. This study aimed to assess the present state of I. speciosa populations outside of protected areas. During field investigations...
The necessity of thorough understanding of variations in responses of new cultivars to
fertilizer application rates has been emphasized in order to ensure the selection of most
suitable cultivars by breeding programmes. This study was conducted in up country region
of Sri Lanka with the aim to determine the effects of different nitrogen rates (0, 1...
The study presents the variation in free amino acids (FAAs) and total amino acid; (TAAs) in
rice upon different degrees of milling. With the use of 0.2 g of the sample, amino acid levels
in two rice cultivars resulting from three degrees of milling (DOM) (4%, 7%, well milled) and
the resulting bran collected, each in three replicates were studied....
Tea Research Institute has released new TRI 5000 series cultivars suitable for up country tea growing region of Sri Lanka. After vigorous evaluations for 27 years, release of four cultivars viz TRI 5001, 5002, 5003 and 5004 provides growers with diversified options for their fields. New tea cultivars recorded around 10-15% yield increase compared t...
Tea Research Institute has released new TRI 5000 series cultivars suitable for up country tea growing region of Sri Lanka. After vigorous evaluations for 27 years, release of four cultivars viz. TRI 5001, TRI 5002, TRI 5003 and TRI 5004 provides growers with diversified options for their fields. New tea cultivars recorded around 10-15% yield increa...
Tea germplasm accessions are the most valuable material for tea breeding. However its utilization in the past was limited due to lack of available information. Recently generated information on genetic structure and metabolite profiles of the germplasm were used in selecting parents for hybridization programmes from 2012 to 2016. The main focus of...
Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world. The biochemical components of tea leave include polyphenols (catechins and flavonoides), alkaloids (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, etc.), volatile compounds, polysaccharides, amino acids, lipids and vitamins show a variety of bioactivities. Prolong cross-pollination...
Tea is produced from the plant species Camellia sinensis. Blister blight is a major leaf disease caused by the fungus Exobasidiumvexans in tea resulting in significant yield losses, debilitation and death of tea bushes.Copper and systemic fungicides are currently used to control the disease resulting in high costs and potential residues in tea. In...
Sri Lanka has four species of wild cats; the Leopard (Pantherapardus), the Fishing Cat (Prionailurusviverrinus), the Jungle Cat (Felischaus) and the Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurusrubiginous). All of them are considered nationally threatened, while the Leopard is considered a globally threatened species. The Sri Lankan leopard (Pantheraparduskotiya...
Tea germplasm accessions are the most valuable material for tea breeding. However its utilization in the past was limited due to lack of available information. Recently generated information on genetic structure and metabolite profiles of the germplasm were used in selecting parents for hybridization programmes from 2012 to 2016. The main focus of...
The sustainability and profitability of the tea industry depend primarily on the availability of planting materials of good cultivars. It is important to develop planting material incorporating high yield, quality and other desirable traits under different environmental conditions.
S.mauritianum, is an introduced species that spreads in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. This ongoing study aims to identify phenology of flowering and fruiting to develop strategies for management of the species. This study identified that flowering and fruiting phenological patterns in S. mauritianum significantly correlate with the local seas...
The climate change impacts are felt by all facets and sectors of ecosystems, covering flora, fauna and
environment. Sri Lanka is considered as a vulnerable, small island country that is under serious threat from
climate change impacts. The most profound impacts of climate change in Sri Lanka will be on agriculture and
food security, water and coast...
Investigations have been carried out to develop new tea cultivars that are resilient or better suited to drought stress conditions anticipating climate change scenarios. The parameters such as photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, relative water content and leaf total soluble sugar content which can be used to identify drou...
The role of tea germplasm in crop improvement, though well recognized, yet lacks sufficient information depriving its optimum use. About 600 accessions are conserved as tea germplasm in Sri Lanka and only 4% have been frequently utilized in breeding. Floral morphological characters are useful descriptors for preliminary characterization of genetic...
Hybridization is the main method of obtaining genetic variation and breeding of new cultivars. Two parents selected for their desired characteristics were crossed to create genetic variation. One hundred and eighteen putative hybrids were generated by crossing two diverse parents, TRI 2043 which is characterized with high pubescence density, pigmen...
Wetland ecosystems are among the most productive ecosystems that support many kinds of life. They are valuable in terms of hydrology, plant and animal survival, and biodiversity. National Wetland Directory of Sri Lanka describes 62 important wetlands, with their status. The central highland complex of Sri Lanka is a unique ecosystem and the most im...
Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is well known for its biochemical constituents that define the product quality and confer pest and disease resistance. Seven major metabolites – epicate-chin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECg), epigallocatechin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), caffeine, theobromine, and gallic acid – of 87 beverage type and six non-be...
Identification of germplasm accessions for inclusion in the breeding programme is vital to widen the genetic base of the cultivated gene pool aiming at genetic enhancement and increased crop productivity. The present study was attempted to characterize 35 Sri Lankan tea germplasm based on yield related traits; 100g of harvest; 2 leaves and a bud, 3...
Characterization of germplasm is an important initial step towards proper utilization of genetic resources in plant breeding. As compared to vegetative traits, reproductive morphology, especially pistil traits are considered as reliable criteria in taxonomical studies of higher plants. The objective of the present study was to characterize exotic t...
The recent selection programs were carried out by the Plant Breeding Division in collaboration with other research divisions as well as estates. After systematic screening of selected land races in evaluation trials, tolerant varieties for Blister blight leaf disease and Shot - hole borer can be identified. With the success of present approach, it...
Hybridization is the main method for creating genetic variation and breeding new cultivars in tea (Camellia sinensis) which is vegetatively propagated. To add variations to existing tea germ plasm, 118 putative hybrids of tea were generated from crossing two diverse parents, TRI2043 which is characterized with high pubescence density, pigmented lea...
Flavonol glycosides in tea leaves have been quantified as aglycones, quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol. Occurrence of the said compounds was reported in fruits and vegetable for a long time in association with the antioxidant potential. However, data on flavonols in tea were scanty and, hence, this study aims to envisage the flavonol content in...
Two major types of tea, ―green tea‖ and ―black tea‖ are produced from the young shoots of Camellia sinensis L. employing different processing methods. Sri Lanka traditionally produces black tea and the existing cultivars are more suitable for black tea production. However, due to the increased demand for green tea in certain countries, it could be...
This experiment was conducted under protected nursery conditions at the Mid Country Station, TRI at Hantana between June and November, 2015 to determine the effect of growth promoting substances on rooting ability of selected slow rooting tea cultivars in 5000 series. Four cultivars of 5000 series, (Accession number; 84, 89, 168, 210), one fast roo...
A biodiversity survey was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective
of assessing the significance of a tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining vertebrates diversity.
Seven different habitats (home garden, vegetable land, small scale reservoir, Eucalyptus forest,
marshy land, tea field and secondary forest) were surveyed. The monitoring...
Chemical analysis of the Sri Lankan tea (
Camellia sinensis
, L.) germplasm would immensely contribute to the success of the tea breeding programme. However, the polyphenols, particularly catechins (flavan-3-ols), are readily prone to oxidation in the conventional method of sample preparation. Therefore, optimization of the present sample preparati...
Chemical substances of low molecular weight such as alkaloids and flavonols have been used as important chemotaxonomic markers. The tea plant contains the alkaloids, caffeine and theobromine, and the flavonols, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the resemblance of the accessions in tea germpalsm into t...
During the present survey, 11 species of amphibians and 10 species of reptiles were recorded (Appendix 1). Interestingly, a critically endangered species Pseudophilautus microtympanum and six endangered amphibian species were recorded. Duttaphrynus melanostictus was the most common amphibian species observed and was the only one found in all six ha...
A survey on birds was conducted at St. Coombs Tea Estate, Talawakelle, Sri Lanka with the objective of assessing the avifaunal diversity of a given tea plantation ecosystem. Bird populations were sampled in man-made habitats such as home garden, wetland, tea plantation, Eucalyptus plantation and small scale reservoir. Hundred-and-twenty counts were...
A survey on birds was conducted at St. Coombs Tea Estate, Talawakelle, Sri Lanka with the objective of assessing the avifaunal diversity of a given tea plantation ecosystem. Bird populations were sampled in man-made habitats such as home garden, wetland, tea plantation, Eucalyptus plantation and small scale reservoir. Hundred-and-twenty counts were...
Tea yield is a complex quantitative character governed by various factors and the knowledge on the association of yield with yield related traits is essential in selection for high yielding cultivars. In this study, eleven tea cultivars were used to determine correlation between yield and yield related traits i.e. shoot density, active and banji sh...
A survey on herpetofauna was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective of assessing the significance of a given tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining herpetofaunal diversity. Herpetofaunal communities of different habitats (seasonal stream, home gardens, small reservoir, secondary forest, small pond in tea field and marshy land) were...
A survey on dragonfly and butterfly was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective of assessing the significance of a given tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining dragonfly and butterfly diversity. Odonate and butterfly communities of selected different habitats (seasonal stream, home gardens, small reservoir, Eucalyptus plantation, tea...
Tea yield is a complex quantitative character governed by various factors and the knowledge on the association of yield with yield related traits is essential in selection for high yielding cultivars. In this study, eleven tea cultivars were used to determine correlation between yield and yield related traits ie. shoot density, active and banji sho...
Although the role of tea germplasm in crop improvement is well recognized, lack of sufficient information on genetic structure of the germplasm collection deprives its optimum use. As compared to vegetative traits, reproductive morphology, especially pistil traits are considered as reliable criteria in taxonomical studies of higher plants. The obje...
Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is the second most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the world, which represents a major source of dietary flavonols. Flavonols have recently received much attention due to their impact on sensory quality of tea and health promoting properties. This is the first systematic study carried out to profile flavonols in Sri Lan...
Biochemical composition of tea leaf (Camellia L. spp.) is dependent on climatic conditions and the genetic makeup of the plant. Many attempts have been focused to identify various biochemical compounds responsible for quality. Although, currently about 500 germplasm accessions are being maintained in the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka, these a...
Tea is the second most popular and economically important beverage in the world. The chemical constituents of tea flush (Camellia sinensis, L.) play a major role in defining the quality of the final product. However, limited work has been documented on the quantitative analysis of the variation of a broad range of metabolites in tea cultivars. The...
Biochemical composition of tea leaf (Camellia L. spp.) is dependent on climatic conditions and the genetic makeup of the plant. Many attempts have been focused to identify various biochemical compounds responsible for quality. Although, currently about 500 germplasm accessions are being maintained in the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka, these a...
Thirty five tea germplasm accessions selected to represent the germpalsm collection of Sri Lanka was used for biochemical characterization based on the biochemical compounds present in the fresh tea leaf. Rate of fermentation, crude fibre content, total polyphenols, total catechins, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and total carotenoids were analysed....
Thirty five tea germplasm accessions selected to represent the germpalsm collection of Sri Lanka was used for biochemical characterization based on the biochemical compounds present in the fresh tea leaf. Rate of fermentation, crude fibre content, total polyphenols, total catechins, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and total carotenoids were analysed....
A biodiversity survey was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective of assessing the significance of a given tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining vertebrates and invertebrates diversity. Seven different habitats (home garden, seasonal stream, small scale reservoir, Eucalyptus forest, wetland, tea field and secondary forest) identifie...
Twenty two accessions from tea (Camellia sinensis) germplasm representing high, moderate and low quality of made tea were used for black tea production in wet and dry seasons. Total polyphenol content, total free amino acid content, total liquor colour and brightness were analysed by spectrophotometric methods and correlated with organoleptic param...
Abstract
Seeds obtained from bi- and poly-clonal seed gardens with different parental combinations of known VP cultivars were used to establish seedling plantations and their performances were evaluated in comparison to standard VP cultivars in on-station trials representing four regions for over two pruning cycles. Yield and tolerance to biotic an...
Seeds obtained from bi- and poly-clonal seed gardens with different parental combinations of known VP cultivars were used to establish seedling plantations and their performances were evaluated in comparison to standard VP cultivars in on-station trials representing four regions for over two pruning cycles. Yield and tolerance to biotic and abiotic...
At the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka conservation aspects on tea germplasm in ex-situ gene bank as living collection was initiated in 1986. Currently, over 600 accessions are being maintained in field gene bank and efforts have been taken to characterize, evaluate and utilize them in the tea breeding program. This paper highlights the signifi...
A comprehensive knowledge on reproductive traits is a prerequisite in utilizing the existing tea germplasm effectively for
crop improvement to develop superior planting material for grower acceptance and market profitability. The Sri Lankan tea
germplasm was characterized based on reproductive traits viz. floral morphology, pollen biology, stigma r...
A survey on birds was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective of assessing the significance of a given tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining avifaunal diversity. Seven different habitats were identified in the ecosystem namely home garden, seasonal stream, small scale reservoir, Eucalyptus forest, wetland, tea field and secondary fo...
Variable responses to dry weather induced abiotic stress conditions were studied in a unique tea breeding stock derived from diverse parental material. Broad sense heritability of the response traits was estimated under stress conditions. stress susceptibility index (SSI) and yield advantage of the breeding stock were determined based on highly her...
Comprehensive knowledge in reproductive traits is a prerequisite in utilizing the existing germplasm effectively for crop improvement. A representative sample of germplasm accessions were used to study floral morphology, pollen biology and stigma receptivity in tea. The results revealed a wide qualitative and quantitative variability in floral morp...
Most of the tea genotypes developed by the Tea Research Institute (TRI), Sri Lanka have been evaluated for their biotic and abiotic stresses. However, systematic characterization of Sri Lankan tea germplasm has not been done to assess their morphological diversity and to find morphological markers useful in characterization of tea germplasm. Theref...
Questions
Questions (6)
I use amino acids data to analyze of several rice cultivars growing in two locations. Can somebody explain me the difference of Principal component analysis and Discriminant analysis? Both methods generate plots/graphs but little different each other. Which is the best methods to describe diversity, location specificity etc. of rice cultivars?
I am conducting an experiment to quantification of total anthocyanin in Tea (Camellia sinensis) using spectrophotometric method. I took absorbance at 520nm and 700nm with two buffers (pH=1 and pH=4.5) as formula mentioned in Journal of AOAC International vol. 88:5 1269-1278 (Lee et al, 2005) in determination of total Anthocyanin.
According to formula Absorbance (A)= (A520nm – A700nm)at pH 1.0 - (A520nm – A700nm)at pH 4.5
Literature suggested to take absorbance within 20-50 min of preparation. But absorbance is increasing continuously with the time (even less than 20min) at both 520 nm & 700nm only in pH=4.5 buffer. As a result of higher absorbance values, final value become negative (difference between Abs at pH=1 and pH=4.5). Please anybody explain this incident or suggest any other spectrophotometric method for quantification of Anthocyanin in Tea.
I am doing a research regarding amphibian population in tea estates. I found range of pH is 6.1 - 4.2 an range of EC 5-20 in water sources where tadpoles are living.
I am characterizing tea (Camellia sinensis L.) germplasm in Sri Lanka with morphological and biochemical data using IPGRI descriptors. Therefore, I want to know if I can use the same IPGRI descriptors or other specific descriptors for DUS testing in Tea.
