Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
(a)
12
Total
10
8
Aril
6
4
Skin
2
Seed
0
0
20
40
Days from full bloom
60
80
100
(b)
10
Total
8
6
Aril
4
Seed
2
Pericarp
0
0
20
40
Days from full bloom
60
80
100
120
Fig. 9.8.
The fruit growth pattern of (a) litchi cultivar 'Groff' fruit (after Paull
et al.
,
1984) and (b) longan cultivar 'Dong bi' fruit (after Ke, 1990).
of immature litchi fruit is due to high organic acids. The increase in Brix/acid
ratio as fruits mature is due to the decrease in organic acids and increase in
sugars (Paull
et al.
, 1984), contributing signifi cantly to the litchi fl avour. Peel
anthocyanins increase and chlorophyll decreases during this same late growth
phase. Cultivar dif erences do not allow peel colour to be an accurate measure
of maturity. Late-season cultivars show a longer initial growth phase than the
early and mid-season cultivars.
The size and shape of the litchi fruit are characteristic for dif erent
cultivars. 'Chenzi' has fruit averaging 23 g; other cultivars' fruits can weigh
more than 30 g. The ratio of edible aril to seed is more important than large
fruit size. Most cultivars have medium to large seeds, occasionally producing
