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Lychee, a
tropical and subtropical fruit and one of the imported items
that drained our dollar reserves in the past years, can now
be grown successfully in the country.
Bernardo O. Dizon, a noted pomologist of the UP Bliss
Economic Garden, Barangay San Vicente, University Avenue,
Diliman, Quezon City, recently revealed the breakthrough in
growing lychees using the technology abroad that suits the
local condition.
Besides technology, planting materials no longer pose a
problem since Dizon himself has achieved another
breakthrough in clonal propagation of lychee varieties from
Taiwan, Thailand and Florida, USA, including the seedless
variety.
Dizon said that very soon, it will no longer be a a
monopoly of Thailand and Taiwan since the Philippines can be
self-sufficient and be an exporter too, if only the
government will give full support in developing the fruit
industry here and order a ban or regulate fruit importation.
In planting lychees, Dizon cautioned the prospective
grower not to use grown from seeds as they produce 70
percent male (unproductive), or bear fruits after 10 to 15
years in the case of female plants.
Seedling from seeds should be used only as rootstock
for clonal propagation, Dizon said. He added that clone
seedling should have two or more rootstocks to make it
productive. HE said single rootstock lychees is biennial or
seldom bear fruits.
At the UP Bliss Economic Garden extension and
demonstration farm at KM 96.4 Tiaong, Quezon, marcotted
single rootstock lychees outgrow the local rambutan and
lanzones in terms of vegetative growth which need training
and pruning to make them bear fruits. |
