Flowering and fruiting of litchi under different agroecological conditions in Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

The litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) in Mexico, has had a  significant increase in plantations in the last two decades,  settled in warm regions in several cases, where there is  a very marked alternation of production. The objective  was to evaluate the flowering and fruiting of litchi, in  orchards with different agroecological conditions and  management, in the central and northern regions of  the state of Veracruz in the 2010 year. Six contrasting  orchards were selected, five with cv. Mauritius and one  with 'Brewster', and in each one maximum and minimum  temperature thermometers were placed. In order to follow  the sprout length, inflorescences, berthing of fruits and  harvested fruits, four sprout were marked per cardinal  point, in 10 trees per orchard. The floral and vegetative  sprouts were counted per m2 of tree top, in the middle  part of the tree. A physical-chemical analysis of the  soil was carried out in each orchard. In order to know  the management, a questionnaire was applied to the  producers. The altitude of the orchards was between 7  and 732 m, minimum temperatures ranged from 13.5 to  18.1 °C, which influenced the flowering response, where  the Tuxpan 71.63% and Yecuatla orchards stood out  with 66.28%. The fruiting and yield presented variation according to the cultivar, temperatures and management  practices; for ‘Mauritius’, the outstanding orchards were  Tuxpan with 7.4 t ha^-1 and Yecuatla with 3.6 t ha^-1. For  ‘Brewster’ the yield was 4.1 t ha^-1, in the Tolome orchard.