‘Floridian’ litchi yield is increased by 2,4,5-TP spray

Abstract

Summary‘Floridian’ is the second most important cultivar of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) in Israel. It appears to be either related to or identical with the Floridian ‘Brewster’ and the Chinese ‘Chen Zi’ Its productivity tends to be medium to poor. Like ‘Mauritius’, the leading litchi cultivar in Israel, it undergoes massive fruitlet drop that can be reduced by spraying with 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxypropionic acid (2,4,5-TP). Preliminary studies showed that ‘Flordian’ respond better to 2,4,5-TP treatment applied at an earlier stage of fruitlet development (1 g) than ‘Mauritius’ (2 g stage). A pronounced and significant yield increase of 40% or more was obtained in large-scale commercial trials. As a bonus, the percentage of desirable fruit with shrivelled seeds also increased significantly, from 12–14% to 27–29%. A routine spraying of mixed ‘Flordian’ and ‘Mauritius’ plots with 100 ppm 2,4,5-TP is recommended, when the early-flowering ‘Mauritius’ and the late-flowering ‘Floridian’ have fruitlets weighing about 2 and 1 g, respectively. Spraying with 2,4,5-TP is expected to increase the yield of yet other litchi cultivars. However, optimum conditions for each cultivar need to be determined.