Spring Water Red-fleshed Honey Pomelo

Spring Water Red-fleshed Honey Pomelo

　　Spring Water Red-fleshed Honey Pomelo is a specialty of Dianjun District, Yichang City, Hubei Province. The Yichang Spring Water Honey Pomelo Professional Cooperative began cultivating this variety in 2007. Currently, the field performance of this variety in terms of tree vigor, stress resistance, early bearing, high and stable yields is comparable to that of the Boxi Honey Pomelo. It has good market prospects and is an excellent variety for increasing farmers' income and prosperity.

　　1. Variety Introduction and Value

　　The red-fleshed honey pomelo is a new variety that is currently very popular with consumers due to its early ripening. The flesh is light purple-red, with high yield and excellent quality. It gets its name from the light purple-red color of the fruit flesh (the outer rind is yellow-green, and both the sponge layer and the segment membranes are white). This fruit is rich in nutrients, containing significantly higher levels of lycopene and beta-carotene — 55 times and 45 times that of ordinary pomelos, respectively — giving it great health benefits. Regular consumption can enhance the body’s immunity, help lower blood sugar, and may even have anti-cancer properties. As a result, when first introduced to the market in Fujian, it was sold for over 40 RMB per kilogram, more than ten times the price of regular pomelos, reflecting its high economic value.

　　2. Biological Characteristics

　　Young trees are relatively upright, while mature trees are semi-spreading with a semi-round crown. New shoots are green and triangular with thorns on the internodes; one- to two-year-old branches are gray-green and round, while the main trunk and framework branches are gray-brown. The leaf tips are bluntly pointed with notches, the leaf margins are entire, the upper surface is dark green, smooth, and the underside is green. There are no large oil glands distributed on the leaves; the leaf wings are large and heart-shaped. The flowers are perfect, with thick white stamens, yellow anthers, and abundant pollen; the style is purplish-red with a large stigma. The initial flowering period is from late to early mid-March, the full bloom period is from late March to late April, and the final flowering period is mid-April. The self-pollination rate is high, generally exceeding 50%. The fruit development period lasts from the beginning of the month to early September, and the maturity period is 20–25 days earlier than that of the Boxi Honey Pomelo (making it available in both markets). The fruit is inversely round-oval, weighing between 1,200 and 2,350 grams per piece, averaging 1,680 grams; the peel is yellow-green, thin, averaging 0.7–0.9 cm in thickness. There are 13–17 segments with pink-colored rinds; the juice vesicles are red, the juice is abundant, the flavor is sweet and sour, and the quality is premium. In 2004, internal quality tests showed total sugar content of 8.76%, total acid of 0.74%, vitamin C at 37.85 mg/100g, soluble solids at 11.55%, juice content at 59%, and the juice vesicles were rich in lycopene and beta-carotene.

　　3. Yield Performance

　　Using high-grafting techniques, the trees begin to bear fruit within two years.

　　4. Suitable Regions for Introduction

　　This variety can be cultivated in any region suitable for growing citrus fruits.