Qinzhou Red Lychee

Qinzhou Red Lychee

　　Qinzhou Red Lychee is an excellent lychee variety recently developed by fruit tree researchers in Qinzhou City. It was selected as one of the top lychee clones in Guangxi in 1999 and is currently one of the better mid-season lychee varieties in the region. The fruits are large, belonging to the extra-large category, with the largest single fruit weighing 62.3 grams and an average weight of 44.7–47.4 grams. They are of high quality, with thick, crisp flesh that is dry-packed, aromatic without excessive juice, and relatively resistant to storage and transport. The soluble solids content ranges from 16.5–18.3%, with a small seed size, a seed rate of 36.15–48%, and an edible rate of 78.84–84.9%. The fruit matures in mid-to-late June. Currently, over 30,000 mu of Qinzhou Red Lychee are planted in Qinzhou City.

　　　Qinzhou Red Lychee is a newly selected, high-quality lychee variety from Qinzhou City, Guangxi. Over the years, it has been identified through on-site evaluations and genetic analysis by multiple fruit tree experts as a naturally hybridized seedling offspring of Heiye lychee and Xiang lychee. In February 2001, it was officially approved and named by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Crop Variety Approval Committee. It has since been introduced and cultivated in regions including Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, and Yunnan.

　　 　　The most outstanding advantages of Qinzhou Red Lychee are: first, its large fruit size, with an average weight of 44.7 grams and a maximum of 62 grams; second, its superior quality—thick, crisp, and juicy flesh that doesn’t easily leak juice, a sweet and refreshing taste, soluble solids content of 16.5%–18.1% with a unique aroma, making it top-grade in quality. The seeds are small, with a scorch-seed (焦核) rate of 36.15%, and a high edible rate of 78.89% of the fruit’s weight; third, its attractive appearance—the fruit is oval-shaped with bright red skin, smooth and neatly arranged fissure pieces, flat stem and shoulder areas, and a beautifully round tip, giving it a similar look to Heiye lychee and high commercial value; fourth, its early bearing, high and stable yields—it begins fruiting in the third year after planting, with an average yield of 12.5 kg per plant, and enters its peak production period in years 5–6, yielding over 40 kg per plant. According to surveys, a plant planted in 1984 yielded 98, 138, and 106 kg in 1994, 1995, and 1996 respectively. The average cluster weight is 585 grams, with a maximum of 667.9 grams.

　　 　　Qinzhou Red Lychee trees are vigorous, with a round-topped canopy, gray-brown bark that is smooth, and thick branches. Young trees grow vigorously with strong shoot growth, allowing the canopy to form easily. One-year-old mature branches are yellowish-brown with dense spots, and an average internode length of 5.9 cm. Most leaves are in sets of four, long-elliptical in shape and slightly inwardly curled. Flower spikes emerge from early February to late March, blooming from late March to early April, with fruit maturing in mid-to-late June. The fruit growth and development period lasts about 90 days.