- C M Menzel
- Maroochy Horticultural Research Station, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, P O Box 5083, Sunshine Coast Mail Centre, Nambour, Queensland 4560, Australia
- 1992
Northern Vietnam is part of the original area of distribution of lychee. Current production is 6 000 tonnes from 1 500 hectares of bearing trees and is expected to rise to 42 000 tonnes from 10 000 hectares in the year 2000. Expansion of lychee is most likely in areas radiating from Hanoi in lowland and upland areas up to an elevation of 150 m (lat 20-22°N), where winters are cool and dry enough to provide the necessary growth check for good flowering.
While evaporation is not high in most areas (1 000 mm/year), lack of irrigation will have a major effect_ on production. Other constraints to production include limited range of cultivars, inadequate nutrition (especially nitrogen) and lack of sprays, spray application and technology for integrated pest management of erinose mite (Enophyes litchi), lychee stink bug (Tessaratoma papillosa) and lychee moth (Acrocerops crameralla).
It is proposed to export 60 per cent of the crop to Singapore and Hong Kong. However, Vietnam will need to adopt postharvest and marketing technologies being developed in Australia Thailand Israel and South Africa, if it is to compete successfully in world lychee trade.