Lychee, genus Lychee, family Sapindaceae, evergreen fruit tree, large tree. Also known as Litchi. Scientific name Litchi chinensis Sonn. In addition to the above species, there are new varieties of wild litchi from Yunnan, China (L. chinensis Sonn. var. spontaneus Pei Var nov.) and wild litchi from the Philippines (L. philippinensis Radl), but none are cultivated.
Origin and Distribution
Litchi is native to southern China, with wild litchi forests preserved on Hainan Island to this day, and wild litchi found in Guangxi and southern Yunnan. Cultivation history has been more than 2000 years, as early as nine years after King Hui-Wang of Qin (316 BC) has been documented, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty Yuan Ding years (116 BC ~ 111 years ago), has been transplanted from the two regions of the litchi records. 3 centuries, Cangwu, Guangxi, there has been a large area of cultivation, and introduced into the Sichuan Province, the 11th century in Fujian has been a rich production of lychee, the 18th century, after the Taiwan is cultivated lychee. At present, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangxi and other provinces (autonomous regions) cultivated the most, Hainan, Sichuan, followed by Yunnan, Guizhou, southern Zhejiang also has a small amount of cultivation. About the Song Dynasty (before the 12th century) has been introduced to India, the 17th century into Myanmar. Later tropical and subtropical countries have introduced. At present, in addition to China, there are more cultivated India, Thailand, South Africa, Australia and the United States, Florida and Hawaii. In addition, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Madagascar and other countries are also cultivated.
Characteristics and properties
The plant is about 8 to 10 meters tall. The main trunk is thick, branched and slightly curved. The crown is hemispherical. Root group is huge, grafted seedlings main root deep, absorption roots are mainly distributed in the soil layer above 60 cm, horizontal root distribution can be up to 1 to 2 times the width of the crown; fibrous roots and fungi *** raw and constitute the inner mycorrhiza, which is conducive to the root group of mineral nutrient absorption. Lychee's branches are denser, grafted seedlings with a single upright stem, pressed seedlings with many branches and a large angle of extraction. Leaves are even-numbered pinnately compound, leaflets 2 to 4 pairs, opposite or alternate, leaf blade entire leathery, short-petiolate, leaf surface dark green, leaf surface light green, lanceolate, long elliptic or obovate, apex acuminate or mucronate, lateral veins are not obvious. Flowers in compound racemose panicles, consisting of 3 florets forming a spikelet, several spikelets forming a lateral spikelet, and then several lateral spikes inserted on the rachis to form an inflorescence, each inflorescence has hundreds to more than 3,000 florets, the florets are yellowish-white, most of the petals are degenerate, the sepals are in the form of a small cup, the stamens are velvet, and the filaments have nectar glands at the base. There are female, male, bisexual and metamorphic flowers, the first two play a large role in production, male flowers have fully developed stamens, pistils degenerate, long filaments, stamens 5 to 11. Female flowers have fully developed pistils, stamens degenerate, ovary is well developed, usually 2-located, stigma pinnately 2-lobed, secretes mucus at maturity, and bears fruit only through pollination. The fruit is round, ellipsoid, ovate, or heart-shaped, and the pericarp is bright red, light red, or waxy yellow at maturity. The pericarp has smooth or elevated fissures, and the size, convexity, concavity, sharpness and flatness of the fissures and their arrangement are the main features distinguishing the varieties. Fruit internal translucent such as congealed fat pulp, for aril, wrapped with a very thin layer of endocarp, pulp hiding 1 seed, seed brown, ellipsoid, smooth seed coat. Excellent varieties of nuclear small or degraded (see figure).
The appropriate temperature for the growth of litchi is the average annual temperature of 12 to 24 ℃, at 10 to 12 ℃, the branch tip growth is the most rapid, -2 ℃ is the litchi suffered from frost critical temperature. Flower bud differentiation needs to have 14 ℃ below to 0 ℃ above the low temperature, 18 ~ 24 ℃ flowering the most abundant. Litchi like light, adequate sunlight is conducive to bud differentiation, fruit development and improve quality; growth period requires more adequate water, flowering avoid prolonged cloudy and rainy. Strong adaptability to the soil, but with deep, loose, organic matter-rich slightly acidic sandy loam soil is best, the adaptive range of acidity and alkalinity to pH5 ~ 6 is appropriate.
Main varieties
According to the collation of China's main varieties of litchi more than 140, of which the most varieties of Guangdong, the production of good species are: ① sticky rice cake. Fruit skin bright red, thick, burnt core, soft and smooth flesh, thick sweet and juicy, fragrant, single fruit weight 25 grams, productive, high quality, seed degradation for the late maturity of the species, but not resistant to storage. ② cinnamon flavor. Flesh thick, most of the nucleus less, crisp, sweet and juicy flesh, with osmanthus flavor, quality, for the late maturity species. ③ Huaizhi. The most cultivated, soft and juicy flesh, large fruit, small fruit, large nuclei, small nuclei, early maturity, late maturity and other types of adaptability, single fruit weight of 22 grams, productive, stable yield. ④Black leaves. Flesh thick, soft and smooth flesh, juicy, for fresh food, canning, sun-dried three good species, adaptability, single fruit weight 20 grams, more productive and stable yield, medium maturity. ⑤ March Red. Early-maturing variety, single fruit weight 35 grams, sweet, slightly acidic, more stable yield, water and fertilizer resistance. ⑥ Fizi Xiaoxiao. Fruit large, thick flesh, fine core, juicy, sweet and fragrant, stable yield, water and fertilizer resistance. (7) emerging fragrant ly. Small fruits, seeds very fine, crisp flesh, strong flavor, excellent quality, late maturity. ⑧ Zengcheng hanging green. Flesh dense, crisp flesh, sweet, with a special flavor, quality, but the majority of large nuclei, late-maturing varieties. 9 big made. Fruit large, smooth, sweet, slightly acidic, juicy, larger nuclei, single-fruit weight of 22 grams, more stable yield, adaptability, cold hardiness. In addition, there are water East, Baila, sugar poppies, rhinoceros horn son, Shangshu Huai, sweet rock, snow Huai Zi and other good species. Guangxi varieties are roughly the same as Guangdong, another Lingshan Xiangli, mainly produced in Guangxi Lingshan County, a single fruit weight of 21 grams, crisp flesh, sweet flavor with aroma, most of the caramelized nuclei, productive, adaptable, for the medium-late maturity varieties. Fujian varieties are: Lanzhu, thick flesh, soft and smooth flesh, sweet and juicy, more productive, adaptable, for the late species; Chen Zi, thick flesh, soft and smooth flesh, juicy, sweet and slightly acidic flavor, with flavor, productive, late maturity. Taiwan's main varieties are black leaf, red Li. Sichuan varieties to thallium Ly the best quality, thick and juicy meat, sweet and fragrant flavor, late maturity; nanmu leaf, tender meat, slightly brittle, juicy, sweet, slightly acidic, late maturity. South of Zhejiang introduced to Yuan Hong better, slightly cold hardy. Litchi varieties can be roughly divided into 3 types, namely, pericarp sheet peaks spiky type, pericarp sheet peaks hairy protruding type, pericarp sheet peaks smooth type. These 3 different types can be used as the main basis for variety classification. In addition, for the fruit morphology, inflorescence, leaves, tree type and maturity, etc., is also an important feature to identify varieties.
Cultivation technology points
Litchi propagation seedlings are mainly grafting and high pressure strips of two kinds. Grafting method commonly used joint, embedded, patch budding and cutting, usually in the spring, the survival rate is high. High-pressure strip can be carried out throughout the year, but in the spring from March to April is the best, it is appropriate to choose a strong moisturizing force of the rooting substrate attached to the pressure strip circle mouth, and then wrapped in film, rooting 2 to 3 times after the cut off from the mother, false planting or planting. Flat litchi garden water level should not be higher than 0.7 meters, and build drainage ditches, cultivate soil mound planting; hilly litchi garden need to build terraces to prevent soil erosion. Dryland planting holes should be 1 meter deep and wide, buried in layers of green manure, weeds or rotting compost for base fertilizer. Seedlings should be transplanted with a mud ball, cultivate the soil and light pressure to prevent root injury. Plant spacing is generally 5 to 6 × 6 to 8 meters, configure about 10% of the pollinator tree, spring planting or fall planting can be. After planting, it should be drenched with water to prevent drought. The first time the new shoots are old enough to apply a thin fertilizer, and then every new shoot, fertilizer 1 to 2 times. Young trees should be selected early to retain 3 to 5 evenly distributed strong branches as the main branch, in order to cultivate into a hemispherical crown. Young trees can be used to plant short-term crops such as vegetables, beans, etc., which is conducive to garden soil improvement, but also to increase the recent income. Lychee, such as the winter warm and rainy, spring cold and rainy, often less flowers or flowers less fruit or even no fruit, must be cultivated through the fruit mother branch, control the flowering period to change the impact of adverse natural conditions. Usually use ring cutting, root breaking or spraying B9, ethylene glycol, in order to inhibit the sprouting of winter end, promote flower bud differentiation; but avoid in the old tree weak tree. In the early stage of flower spike formation, the appropriate amount of short cut flower spike, promote the development of side spikes to delay the flowering period, increase the chance of pollination. Flower spikes can be thinned to improve flower quality and promote early flowering. Litchi heterozygous, we should pay attention to the flowering of bees or artificial pollination. In case of rain during the flowering period, as far as possible to shake off the male flowers to facilitate the growth of young fruits. Litchi fruit trees 3 times a year fertilizer. Pre-flowering fertilizer, the requirements of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and weight; young fruit period to protect fruit strong fruit fertilizer, to increase the potash; fruit picking to promote the top of the fertilizer should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus and potassium with. Extra-root fertilizer in the fruit growth process spraying, can play a role in fruit preservation and fruit growth, available 0.4 ~ 0.5% urea; pre-added magnesium sulfate (0.2%), late-added potassium dihydrogen phosphate (0.2 ~ 0.3%), sprayed once every 5 to 7 days. Winter clearing of the garden should be sprinkled with lime in the garden, and cultivated with pond mud, river mud and compost. Coastal production areas used to apply salt brine fish residue, are dug in the early winter under the application. Garden plowing, before fruit picking is shallow plowing 10 to 15 cm, after the winter solstice can be deep plowing 15 to 20 cm, in order to facilitate the sprouting of new roots. Lychee pruning can be in January after picking fruit, mainly cut off the long branches, pests and diseases, too dense branches in order to facilitate the growth of the fall. To late December and then prune again. The top of the tree should be retained denser branch tips, in order to light can penetrate into the canopy is appropriate. In case of drought during the fruiting season, irrigation should be carried out to ensure a good harvest and strong fall tips. Pests and diseases mainly include lychee stink bugs, lines fine moth, small gray butterfly, proposed small yellow leaf roller moth, brown banded long leaf roller moth, black spotted brown leaf roller moth, lychee proposed wood-boring moth, acacia proposed wood-boring moth, longan proposed wood-boring moth, stellar asparagus, tortoise-backed asparagus, camphor cui geometrids, tea yellow thrips, yellow-breasted thrips, lychee reticulated thrips, lychee golden tortoise, one-horned rhinoceros, lychee gall mite, lychee frosty mildew, white moth wax moth, anthracnose, lychee sour rot disease, Cuscuta, litchi ulcer disease, lichen, etc., for litchi trees, tips, flowers, leaves, fruits, etc., it is appropriate to use integrated prevention and control, and pay attention to post-harvest clearing and winter clearing of the garden.
Litchi fruit is intolerant of storage at room temperature, it is appropriate to use plastic film bags immediately after harvesting small package seal, placed in 2 ~ 4 ℃ under low temperature conditions, can be stored 20 ~ 30 days.
Economic value
Lychee is a famous specialty of southern China, whether fresh fruit, dried fruit, canned, juice, wine, domestic and foreign trade are renowned, high demand, high economic value, rich in nutrients. Guangdong litchi per 100 ml of fresh juice containing vitamin C13.2 ~ 71.7 mg, soluble solids 12.9 ~ 21%. In addition to the fruit for fresh food and processed products, folk commonly used as a medicinal tonic. Shells, kernels and roots can be used in medicine, shells can also be extracted tannins, seeds containing 37% starch, can be brewed vinegar, flowers as an important source of nectar, solid wood, for construction and high-level furniture timber, comprehensive utilization of a wide range. China's rich resources of litchi varieties, the masses have long-term cultivation experience, suitable for the development of litchi in the southern subtropical region there is still a vast hilly and mountainous area is not fully utilized, the development of litchi production is of great significance to the national economy.
Bibliography Wu Renshan: "Litchi", Guangxi People's Publishing House, 1980.
"Litchi genealogy"
Ancient Chinese lychee monograph. There are as many as 10 surviving "Litchi Genealogy", of which the "Litchi Genealogy" written by Cai Xiang (1012-1067) is the world's earliest surviving lychee monograph in China. Cai Xiang, word Jun Mo, Fujian Putyang (now Putian) people, the Northern Song Dynasty scholar, has twice served as governor of Fuzhou, during his term of office concern for agricultural production. At that time, Fujian was already a famous production area for lychee, especially Fuzhou, which produced the most lychee. The author had a feeling that although the lychee in Fujian was high in quality, but it was very rare and undocumented, and he wrote Litchi Genealogy in the fourth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1059). The book is divided into 7 articles. The first 6 describes the cultivation of litchi throughout Fujian, as well as cultivation techniques, processing, transportation and marketing; the seventh described the cultivation of litchi varieties in Fujian at that time **** 32, the length of the book accounted for about half of the book. Some of the lychee varieties (such as Chen Zi, etc.) are still cultivated today. After Cai Xiang, Xu 256220, Song Jue, Cao Fan, Deng Qingjian and other writers in the Ming Dynasty wrote the "Litchi Genealogy" and Wu Zai'ao wrote the "Litchi", etc., are monographs on litchi cultivation in Fujian. In the Qing Dynasty, specializing in the cultivation of litchi in Fujian, Lin Sihuan's "litchi words" and Chen Dingguo's "Litchi spectrum"; and Chen Ding "litchi spectrum" and Wu Yingkui "Litchi spectrum of Lingnan," the former described the litchi varieties in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces (autonomous regions), the latter is a monograph on the cultivation of lychee in Guangdong.
Litchi germplasm resources
Has a certain genetic material, in the litchi production and breeding on the utilization of plants of value. The genus Litchi (Litchi) has 2 species. One species is native to the Philippines; Litchi (L. chinen-sis Sonn.), which is cultivated as a fruit tree, is native to China. Wild lychee is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi's 100,000 mountains, Yunkai mountains south to Hainan Province, Guangdong's Lianjiang, Huazhou, Maoming, Dianbai, Xuwen and Guangxi's Qinzhou, Hepu and other counties (cities) also have sporadic distribution.
Lychee has been cultivated in China for more than 2000 years. The main use of solid propagation or high branch pressure propagation. Live litchi cultivation area is very wide. Under the influence of different ecological conditions for a long time, a lot of variations have been produced. since 1960, China after many surveys, collection, in the 80's in the Guangdong Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences Fruit Tree Research Institute established the national litchi germplasm resources 256220, preservation of more than 80 litchi varieties. The production provinces have organized a number of varieties (lines) and good single plants suitable for local cultivation.
Classification of cultivated litchi
Based on the morphology of the pericarp glans can be divided into three types, seven varieties of groups.
Types of pericarp cleavage slice peaks and spines
1) Gui flavor variety group. There are gui flavor, big clove, small Han, crystal ball, Lai, Lai, Li Zai, fragrant Lai, jade unicorn, four two fruit, hook back, chicken mouth Lai fruit and other varieties. ②Faizixiao varieties group. There are toffee smile, big make, electric white, ash, fine nucleus Ly, Fan Guzi, Chen Zi, thallium Ly and other varieties. ③ into the Bong varieties group. There are Jinfeng, big meat, small clove, June snow, cloth bag, four seasons Ly, red Ly, Lingshan Xiang Ly, gold steel hammer, rose dew, crisp meat, Gaozhou Jinfeng, yellow clove, rhinoceros horn sub, goose egg Ly, scale thallium, sugar, oodles of flowers and shells, volcano Ly, honeybee sugar Ly, JiuLiXiang, FuYu, green robes, ZhangLuLi, fine lotus bag, gray fruit, white sugar Ly, green skin, yellow mud fruit, chicken egg fruit, TangTao, green sugar Ly, and so on.
The type of pericarp cracked slice peak hairy protrusion
①March red variety group. March red, April Lychee, red peony and other varieties. The black-leafed varieties group. There are black leaf, water car, sugar poppy, yellow leaf, Song Jiaxiang, green shell, hanging green, goose egg yellow and other varieties.
The pericarp cracked slice peak smooth type ① sticky rice cake variety group. There are glutinous rice cake, small golden bell, Long Li, Shangshu Huai, sweet rock, snow Huai Zi, Ya Niang shoes, purple Niang Xi, four seasons Li, sugar sugar Li, white wax, water Li and other varieties. ② Huaizhi variety group. There are Huaizhi, July incense, Guangyuan red, wind-blown Liu, General Ly, Baisa Ly, carmine red, Jiangkou Ly and other varieties.
Variety characteristics
Different varieties of genetic characteristics and adaptability to external environmental conditions. ① Early maturity varieties have March red. Strong humidity resistance, more productive and stable yield. Flower bud differentiation is not too strict on the requirements of low temperature. In the more southern areas can also be economically cultivated. White sugar poppy, intolerant of storage: Shuidong; plant dwarf, humidity tolerance, but easy to disease; large made, barren, moisture tolerance. Tree vigorous, productive and stable. ② Varieties with excellent quality are toffee, black leaf. Glutinous rice cake is drought-resistant; Huaizhi is drought-resistant and resistant to storage. Gui flavor is more resistant to storage, cold and heat resistance are weaker.
More than 20 countries in the world have introduced Chinese litchi. Among them to Thailand, India and Australia planted more. After domestication and breeding, India selected the heat wind 1 and heat wind 2 late-maturing varieties; Australia selected a better yield and stability of the pink Guiwei; Thailand selected the early maturity of the phoenix flower (i.e., Dazao) and other varieties.