How many years until Baila lychee bears fruit? Analysis of flowering and market timing characteristics
Baila lychee is a variety of lychee. This type of lychee was planted long ago, with a cultivation history of 200~300 years. It is now mainly produced in Gaozhou, Dianbai and other counties and cities in Maoming, and is also distributed in Zhanjiang and other areas. It flowers in early March and matures and goes on the market in early to mid-June. The yield is very high, and newly cultivated trees generally bear fruit after three years.
Branch and leaf characteristics: The crown is semicircular, a 200~300-year-old tree is 6~7 m tall, and the bark is yellowish brown. There are 3 pairs of leaflets, opposite or alternate, lanceolate, with a powdery white underside and a glossy upper surface, 10.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, with a blunt or shortly pointed apex.
Flower and fruit characteristics: The inflorescence is relatively large, and the flowers are densely clustered.
Fruit characteristics: The fruit is nearly heart-shaped or oval, medium-sized, with a longitudinal diameter of 3.6 cm and a transverse diameter of 3.5 cm, an average single-fruit weight of 24.1 g, an edible rate of about 72%, soluble solids of 18.6%, and an acid content of 0.12%. The flesh is tender, the quality is excellent, and the peel is bright red with a slight purple tinge, thin and soft, with raised tubercles, among which a few small tubercles are interspersed, the tubercle tips are mostly blunt, and only some tubercle tips are sharply pointed. The cracks are obvious, the texture is crisp, juicy, and pleasantly sweet.
Growth characteristics: This variety has relatively strong growth vigor and high yield, but is not stable enough in yield. Taking Maoming as an example, it flowers in early March; taking Zhanjiang as an example, the fruit matures from late May to early June. The phenomenon of alternate bearing is relatively obvious, that is, the fruiting rate is higher in an on-year and lower in an off-year.
