Detailed Guide to the Key Cultivation and Management Points for Mature Loquat Trees

I. Rational Fertilization 1. Flower-promoting fertilizer. Apply in September before flower buds appear, to promote good flowering. Mainly use slow-release organic fertilizer: oil cake + human manure and urine + compound fertilizer. 2. Young fruit fertilizer. Apply in February to March after fruit thinning, to plump up the spring shoots and grow the young fruits. Apply quick-acting nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer + human manure and urine. 3. Fruit-swelling fertilizer. Apply in April to May to make the fruits expand rapidly. Apply quick-acting phosphorus and potassium fertilizer: phosphorus fertilizer + potassium fertilizer + human manure and urine. 4. Post-harvest fertilizer. Apply in May to June after harvest, as a base fertilizer, to promote summer shoots and flower bud differentiation. Apply quick-acting fertilizer and slow-release fertilizer: urea + phosphorus fertilizer + oil cake + compost. 5. Foliar topdressing. Spray the leaves several times with 0.3% multi-element compound fertilizer or urea solution.

II. Training and Pruning 1. For training, use the modified central leader system with tiers; pruning can be done throughout the year, with emphasis on summer pruning, to stimulate the sprouting of summer shoots. Complete within 10 days after harvest. 2. Apart from summer pruning, a single pruning should not be too heavy; even more attention should be paid to pruning declining trees. When pruning, keep strong fruiting mother branches; cut back thin and weak fruiting mother branches; remove upright large branches, water sprouts, diseased and pest-infested branches, and dead branches; thin out excessively dense branches, overlapping branches, and crossing branches. II. Flower and Fruit Protection 1. Promote flowering in July. Root cutting, water control, appropriate drought; flatten branches, twist shoots, girdling, ring barking. 2. In early July and early August, spray once each with 15% paclobutrazol at 1000 times or PBO hormone at 350 times. 3. When 2/3 of the flowers are open, spray 0.25% potassium dihydrogen phosphate + 0.2% urea solution. 4. At the flower-falling stage, spray 0.001% “920”. 5. Thin flowers in early November, leaving only 1—2 flower clusters per fruiting mother branch. 6. Thin fruits in March after the cold wave; for medium-fruited varieties leave 3—5 fruits per fruit cluster, and for large-fruited varieties leave 2—3 fruits. 7. The three-step fruit thinning: first shake, second bend, third thin. Thin out frost-damaged fruits, diseased and pest-infested fruits, deformed fruits, overly small fruits, and overly dense fruits. IV. Pest and Disease Control 1. In winter, whitewash the trunk with lime slurry and clean the orchard by burning diseased and pest-infested branches. 2. In winter, turn the soil to freeze some overwintering pests to death. 3. During new shoot growth, flowering, and fruiting periods, use thiophanate-methyl + deltamethrin + fenitrothion to control leaf spot disease, anthracnose + yellow tussock moth + pear fruit borer, peach fruit borer, etc. respectively. V. Drought Resistance and Moisture Drainage 1. Because it fears both drought and waterlogging, during winter drought and spring drought, cover, irrigate, and spray water to prevent sunscald and avoid dried flowers and shriveled fruits. 2. In the rainy season (starting in June), open deep ditches for drainage. VI. Crack Prevention and Freeze Protection 1. During the fruit color-turning period (green→light green), spray 0.14% ethephon once every 10—15 days to prevent fruit cracking, and advance ripening by 7 days. 2. Before severe cold arrives, bag the flower clusters on the outer canopy with paper bags, in order from top to bottom and from inside to outside, and remove the paper bags after the temperature rises. From December to January of the following year, spray 0.2% urea + 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.