EFFECT OF DIFFERENT POLLEN PARENTS ON FRUIT RETENTION AND FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS IN ‘WAI CHEE’ LITCHI

The effect of self- and cross-pollination on fruit retention and fruit character-istics in ‘Wai Chee’ litchi was investigated.
Enclosed flower panicles were hand-pollinated with male 2 (M2) pollen from ‘Fay Zee Siu’, ‘HLH Mauritius’, ‘McLean’s Red’ and ‘Wai Chee’ flowers.
The number of fruitlets retained per panicle was determined throughout the fruit development period from fruit set to harvest on a daily basis.
At harvest, the surviving fruit was measured to determine the effect of pollen parent on different fruit characteristics.
Initial fruit set in ‘Wai Chee’ was lower in all cross-pollinating treatments compared to the self-pollinating treatment.
However, final fruit retention was higher with all cross-pollinators compared to self-pollination, with ‘Fay Zee Siu’ and ‘McLean’s Red’ showing significant increases in retention of 48 and 30% respectively.
Fruit size, fruit- and flesh mass in ‘Wai Chee’ tended to be increased with cross-pollination, but these increases were not significant.
No clear effect of pollen donor could be found on seed- and rind mass of fruit, with only slight variation among the different treatments.
Results indicated that the inclusion of cross-pollinators in litchi orchards may have beneficial effects on production.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Plant Physiology from Cell to Fruit Production System

I.J. Froneman, Z. Bijzet , A.D. Sippel, J.P. Bower

Litchi chinensis Sonn., pollination

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.932.6