Loquat

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Botany

Common name:Japanese medlar, Japanese plum,

Chinese plum.Bot. Name:

Eriobotrya japonicaFamily:

RosaceaeSubfamily:

PomoideaeGenus :

EriobotryaAlso resembles to genus Mespilus, so fruit is called medlar.

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Origin and distribution

• Loquat is among the first fruits cultivated in Asia.

• Native to central eastern China

• For centuries only Chinese royalty was allowed to eat.

• The fruit was introduced from China to Japan 700 AD.

• The west learned of it from the botanist Kaempfer in

1690.

• It was planted in the National Gardens, Paris, in 1784.

• Plants were taken from Canton, China, to the Royal

Botanical Gardens at Kew, England, in 1787.

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Origin and distribution

• Sometimes called pipa (Chinese), and biwa(Japanese).

• Commercially grown in Australia , SouthAfrica, USA, Japan, China, India.. )

• As minor fruit crop In Pakistan.

• Lahore, Gujranwala, Jehlum, Rawalpindi, KalarKahar, Hazara, Mardan,, Choa Saiden Shah, Chhattar, Tret, Hasan Abdal, Wah, Hari Pur, Mardanand Takht Bhai.

• Available when other fruits are not abundantlypresent in makets.

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Areas of cultivation in Pakistan

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Plant DescriptionTree:

Moderate size tree, 20 to 30 ft height, rounded crown,short trunk, and woolly new twigs.

Foliage:• Leaves evergreen, whorled at the branch tips, elliptical-

lanceolate, 12.5-30 cm long and 7.5-10 cm wide

• Upper surface dark-green & glossy, whitish-or rusty-hairy beneath

• Thick, stiff, with conspicuous parallel, oblique veins,each terminating at the margin in a short, prickly point.

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Plant Description

Flower:Sweetly fragrant , borne in rusty-hairy, terminal panicles of30 to 100 blooms, are white, 5-petalled

Fruit:• Pome , clusters of 4 to 30, oval, rounded or pear-shaped,

2.5-5 cm long.• Smooth, yellow to orange, sometimes red-blushed skin.• White, yellow or orange, succulent pulp, sweet to sub-acid

or acid flavor.• Avg. fruit weight is 6.5 g.• 1 to 10 seeds, usually 3 to 5, dark-brown or light-brown,

angular -ellipsoid, about 1.5 cm long and 8 mm thick.

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Soil and climate

• Prefers upper elevations 1000 - 5000 ft.

• At lower elevations as an ornamental.

• Mild sub-tropical climate with 75-100 cm rainfall(ideal).

• Also adapted to Mediterranean climate.

• Deep, well drained, fertile light loamy soil, with aslightly acidic PH balance.

• Excessive lime, hard pan, gravel in sub soil is notgood.

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Soil and climate

• Temp. below 0 ⁰C is injurius.• Cool and foggy weather during ripening

decreases sweetness and flavor.• In summer hot, dry winds – small sized fruit, not

mature properly.• Well established trees can tolerate upto 12° F.• The killing temperature: flower bud is about 19° F,mature flower about 26° F.• Can grow in shade, as temporary plant.

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Cultural practices

• To produce large fruit with high quality.

• Flowers should be thinned to three bottom stalks (racemes).

• Only three to five fruits are left on each panicle, depending upon the variety.

• Cover fruit to protect it from fruit flies and to slow coloration.

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Pruning

• Immediately after harvesting.

• New branches replace those removed, resulting ina larger harvest next year.

• Pruning make harvest easier, keeping treessmaller.

• Cutting the branches just above a node - multiplebranches in its place creating a heavier harvest.

• If branches need to be completely removed, cutthem as close to their own base as possible.

• Small shoots at the tips of each branch can bepinched out to stop further extension.

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Fertilizer requirement

• Nitrogen based fertilizer three times a year,producing better fruit and more foliage.

• Chicken manure is an excellent organic sourceof nitrogen.

• 60 kg mixture of well rotten cow dung or FYM,bonemeal and woodash in the ratio of100:5:10 in Oct, with irrigation.

• Young trees should be applied half of the saidquantity, acc. To age of tree.

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Irrigation

• Although loquats is drought tolerant ,irrrigation help them to grow faster andproduce more fruit of a higher quality.

• Deep watering in warmer months (10-15 daysinterval) is needed as well as during coolermonths (every month) if rain is lacking, oraccording to weather conditions.

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Propagation

i. By seeds

ii. By air layering

iii. By inarching (grafting)

iv. Shield budding

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Propagation by seeds

• Seeds are only good for ornamental value, fruitsbearing is insignificant.

• Planted directly into soft potting soil. Delaymakes the germination of seeds poor.

• Once planted, watered from above daily toensure that the soil is kept constantly moist.

• Soon enough your seeds will sprout and slowlybegin growing.

• The seedlings can be re-potted or planted intothe ground once they have reached a height ofaround 15cm tall.

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Propagation by Air layering

• It is an easy method of propagation of loquat.

• Three month old shoot is ringed and thenlayered

• Ringed shoots should be treated with

NAA(3%)

IBA (2500 ppm)

for improving root formation.

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Inarching

• Simplest method of grafting.• Scion, from three months old branches.• Accomplished before new growth starts in the

spring ( Jan-Feb ).• Seedlings of commercial varieties are used as

root-stock.• Varieties to use are Advance, Champagne, Oliver,

Pineapple and Thales.• Root-stocks such as apple, pear and cydonia have

also been used.

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Shield budding

• Common method of veg. propagation

• Buds from well matured wood of the previousseason growth.

• Performed in Jan-Feb give encouragingsuccess (before new growth starts in thespring).

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Flowering

• Flowers at terminal end on new years shoots

• Flowering starts in July-Aug, continues upto Jan-Feb in the form of panicles.

• Panicle is conical or cylindrical in shape.

• Avg. 150-200 flowers / panicle.

Three flushes in loquat:

1) Flowers produced in first flush mostly shed.

2) Major crop, mostly from second flush.

3) Usually crop from third flowering is poor.

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Fruit development

• Thickening of the toral rim just above the carpel.• Rapid cell division & enlargement more or less uniformly.• The sepals grow & cover the distal portions of carpel.• Sepals base thickens and persists as a permanent structure;

petals, stamens and carpel dry up.• Hood enclosing distal portion of the carpels are exposed to

see.• The edible part is wholy toral in nature.• loquat have SSC >12%, moderate TA (0.3 to 0.6%)• In mature fruits, the toral cells are large, thin walled

and juicy

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Fruit thinning

• Flower buds produced at terminal end ofcurrent season growth and fruit bearing takesplace in clusters.

• To thin out few fruits for better developmentof each fruit is impractical.

• When overcrowding, clip out the ends ofbunches.

• Fruits thinned when less than 12cm indiameter.

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Harvesting and yield

• Harvest when fruit matures and turns golden pale ororange color.

• Loquats harvested in the fully ripe stage have the optimumquality.

• Harvested at the eating-ripe stage before becoming fullyripe.

• Usually, fruits in a cluster mature uniformly, so wholecluster may be cut, If not, then ripened fruits are harvestedby clipping.

• Fruit bearing starts from 4th year of planting• Yield increases with age of trees. Max at 15 years.• Avg. yield 25-30 kg /tree

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Storage

• Commercial storage: 0-5 °C with > 90% RH.

• Can be kept in good condition for 3 to 4 weeks at 0 °C and 2 weeks at 10 °C .

• In order to maintain quality and storage-life, loquat should be pre-cooled to < 5 °C within 20 h of harvest.

• A refrigerated shelf at 5 to 12 °C is good.

• Use of polyethylene bags retards weight loss and minimizes decreases in organic acids

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Physiological Disorders:

• Fruit are easily bruised and scratched

• Damaged areas usually turn brown or black

• Careful handling and packaging during andafter harvest are important.

• Also, internal browning and brown surfacespotting occur during long-term or high CO2

storage.

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Pests and DiseasesFruit fly ( Daucus dorsalis )

• Loquats is affected by fruit fly becoming a host tothe pests during April-May,

Symptoms

• Tiny holes in fruit, insect lay eggs under fruit skin

• Small maggots throughout the flesh.

• Control

• Affected fruits should be destroyed

• Spray 0.2% sevin , 15 days before harvesting

• Use of poison baits may also be effective

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Bark eating caterpillars

• Severe attack is noticed during Oct-Nov

• Insect attacks under the soil in roots

Control:

• By cleaning the holes with a spoke

• Inserting soaked cotton in 0.4 % solution ofNuvacron and then

• Plastering the holes with mud

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Colar rot

• This disease is caused by the fungus Diplodianatelensis

• Fungus attack the bark of the colar region whichturns brown, then cracks or sometime peels off

• The whole tree may be killed

Control

• By scrapping the infected portion, and paintingwith solution having Phytolan 225 g, lime 112 g in2.25 litres of water.

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Other Pests

• The tree is also susceptible to nematodes.

• Pest Management Program recommendations is highly advisable.

• Good sanitation should be practiced.

• Green scale (Coccus viridis) can also affect the plants.

• Loquat can be affected by fire blight (Erwiniaamylovora), and damaged wood should be removed and disposed off.

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Varieties

• There are over 900 loquat cultivars in many growing areas around the world.

• In Hawai‘i, common varieties are ‘Tanaka’, ‘Gold’, Nugget’, ‘Mammoth’, ‘Advance’, and ‘Wolf’.

• Varieties introduced in the 1990s from Japan include ‘Obusa’, ‘Fusahikari’, and ‘Mizuho’.

• These trees can be top-worked and grafted with newer varieties.

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Varieties

• Depending upon the time of fruit maturity:a) Early Season variety:

golden yellow, pale yellow, large roundb) Mid season variety:

fire ball, safeda, mammothc) Late season variety:

California advance, tanaka.A seedless variety, ‘Kibou’, was developed in 2003

in Chiba, Japan, but it has not yet been released to growers.

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Fruit difference

• Chinese var:Large, pyriform, deep orange color, has usual tendency of late ripening

• Japanes var:

Small, slender , light colored

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Health & Nutritional Benefits of Loquat

• Source of Vitamin A, visual and dental health of an individual.

• Extract from leaves is an important ingredient for lung ailments, used by Chinese since ancient times.

• Maintaining optimum health, as they are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

• Loquats are rich in fiber, suitable for those who wish to lose weight.

• The loquat leaf is said to alleviate coughing and nausea. It even dissolves phlegm and is an expectorant.

• Loquat paste helps in soothing the digestive and respiratory systems of a person.

• Loquat contains mallic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, vitamins A, B and C, and B17.

• Vitamin B17 is known as amygdaline, laetrile or the anti-cancer vitamin, as it helps prevent cancer.

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Nutritional value per 100 g of edible portion

• Moisture ........................................... 87 g

• Calories ............................................ 47–168

• Protein .............................................. 00.43–1.4 g

• Fat .................................................... 00.64–0.7 g

• Carbohydrates ................................. 11–43.3 g

• Fiber ................................................. 00.83–1.7g

• Ash ................................................... 00.48 g

• Calcium ............................................ 09–70 mg

• Iron ................................................... 0.14–1.4 mg

• Phosphorus ...................................... 11–126 mg

• Potassium ........................................ 185–1216 mg

• Vitamin A .......................................... 1122–2340 I.U.

• Ascorbic acid .................................... 00–3 mg

• Ranges vary greatly due to degree of ripeness of fruits tested.

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