- R B Cronje1 and P G Mostert2
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1Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Private Bag Xl 1208, Nelspruit 1200,
2Mostert Consulting Services, PO Box 3799, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa - 2007
The aim of this research is to establish a management program, which is based on foliar applications of fertilisers and/or plant growth regulators, as well as horticultural techniques like pruning and girdling to promote sustainable litchi production based on increased fruit retention and size. Five management programs were developed and are compared with one another according to their effects on yield and fruit size.
The 2005/06 season yielded the first results for the management program. Four out of the five treatments gave higher yields and income, compared to the control.
In the 2006/07 season the same treatments were applied with minor adjustments regarding the application time of Maxim®, a synthetic auxin. Similar trends in yield and fruit size were obtained as in the first season. Applying Maxim® after the second fruit drop, as compared to the 2 g stage, proved to be more beneficial.
Starch analysis reflected the same trends as were found previously by other authors. The phenological growth pattern was similar to the 2005/06 season. However, flowering started later and was more extended than in the previous season.