Where is the origin of White Jade loquat? A guide to its flowering and fruiting periods and planting prospects

White Jade loquat bears large fruit, oval or tall and oblate in shape. The fruit of White Jade loquat weighs 33 g, and the largest can reach 36 g. The flesh is delicate, and when eaten it is fragrant and juicy. So, where is the origin of White Jade loquat? When are its flowering and fruiting periods? What are its planting prospects?

I. Where is the origin of White Jade loquat?

White Jade loquat originated in Baisha Village, Dongting Dongshan, Wu County, Jiangsu (now Wuzhong District, Suzhou City, the same below). In the early 20th century, it was selected by the village farmer Tang Yongshun from seedling-grown Zaohuang Baisha. In the late 1950s, when Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden conducted a survey in Dongshan, it was mistakenly called “Zaohuang”, and then in the early 1960s an excellent single plant was selected by the Horticulture Department of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with the code “635”. In the late 1970s, after years of observation and research by the Wu County Fruit Tree Research Institute, it was considered that this cultivar differed from Zaohuang Baisha in traits such as fruit shape and size, flesh thickness, seed number, size, shape and color, petal shape, leaf shape and drought resistance. Based on cultivated area, yield and cultivar characteristics, it was named White Jade loquat.

II. When are the flowering and fruiting periods of White Jade loquat?

The initial flowering period of White Jade loquat is from the end of October to early November, the full flowering period is mid-to-late November, the final flowering period is early January, and the fruit ripening period is from the end of May to early June.

III. What are the planting prospects of White Jade loquat?

White Jade loquat originated in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area. Its fruit is sweet, with thin skin and high water content. Nationwide, introduction and cultivation are relatively difficult, and total output is not high. Therefore, scarcity makes it precious. In large cities, white loquat can retail for 50 yuan to 70 yuan per jin, making it a mid-to-high-end premium fruit favored by urban white-collar workers. In the domestic market, because its fame is not high, the retail price of white loquat is only around 20 yuan.