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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Plant Genetic Resources and Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #218915
Title: Management of flowering and fruiting of 'Kaimana' lychee in Hawaii.

Author
item Matsumoto Brower, Tracie
item Zee, Francis
item NAGAO, MIKE - UNIV. OF HAWAII, CTAHR
item NISHINA, MELVIN - UNIV. OF HAWAII, CTAHR
item EASTON-SMITH, VIRGINIA - UNIV. OF HAWAII, CTAHR

Submitted to: Proceedings of the International Tropical Fruit Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2007
Publication Date: 9/30/2007
Citation: Matsumoto, T.K., F. Zee, M. Nagao, M. Nishina, V. Easton-Smith. 2007. Management of flowering and fruiting of ‘Kaimana’ lychee in Hawaii. 17th International Tropical Fruit Conference Proceedings (CD-ROM). Hilo, HI pp. 67-78.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: 'Kaimana' lychee was selected in Hawaii based upon its high fruit quality and capacity to flower under Hawaii's mild winter climate. In Hawaii, consistent lychee production is achieved through management practices that limit high nitrogen content and new vegetative flushes during the time of year when cooler temperatures induce flowering. To further refine this procedure, foliar fertilizer was used instead of ground applied granular fertilizer to 1)provide consistent levels of nutrients to the trees, 2)reduce reliance on fertilizer availability dependent upon rainfall and 3) limit the amount of residual fertilizer held in the soil. Preliminary experiments utilizing pruning and foliar fertilizer to synchronize and condition 'Kaimana' lychee trees were conducted at the USDA, ARS PBARC lychee orchard for two consecutive seasons (2005, 2006). The production of twenty-four 8-9 year old 'Kaimana' trees averaged about 100 lb. per tree per year for the two seasons. To further evaluate this method, this pruning and foliar management protocol was expanded to commercial 'Kaimana' fields located in Kona and Hamakua. The pruning and foliar fertilizer application successfully resulted in flowering and fruiting of lychee in Kona similar to the trees in the USDA, ARS PBARC lychee orchard. However, the pruned and foliar fertilized trees resulted in vigorous vegetative growth and reduced flowering and fruit production in the Hamakua orchard. The best treatments for this location were non-pruned control trees or non-pruned trees treated with foliar fertilizer only. These experiments are being repeated at the various locations for the next lychee season.