The effect of temperature on growth and dry matter production of lychee seedlings

Abstract

In lychee ( Litchi chinensis Sonn.), high day/night temperatures ( 30 25 , 25 20 , 20 15 ° C compared to 15 10 ° C ) increased stem extension, node and leaf production and plant dry weight in seedling selections of 6 cultivars (‘Bengal’, ‘Haak Yip’, ‘Kwai May’, ‘Gee Kee’, ‘Tai So’ and ‘Wai Chee’). The mean daily base temperature for shoot growth (node production) was estimated by linear correlation to be 11.0°C for the seedlings. High temperatures also increased the proportion of leaf and decreased the proportion of root in the total dry weight. There was a strong effect of cultivar on all aspects of growth, but the responses to temperature were similar. This experiment shows that temperatures in many tropical and warm sub-tropical areas where lychees are grown are too high to induce satisfactory vegetative dormancy prior to floral initiation. The assessment of lychee seedlings for low vigour in a heated glasshouse appears to be a useful technique for the initial screening of adapted genotypes (which flower and fruit under warm conditions) prior to field evaluation.