Tag: sweet fruits

Wampee

Wampee (Clausena lansium)

Wampee is native to Southern China and Vietnam. It is an introduced crop in the Philippines and other South-East Asian countries. Breeding programs focus on the crop’s potential fro canning and pharmaceutical purposes.

Description
The ornamental-looking tree reaches 12 m in height with a trunk diameter of 40 cm. Branches are usually low. The tree does not shed off leaves during the year. The leaves are glossy dark green and spirally arranged. The fragrant flowers are white to yellow green and occur in clusters. The somewhat round fruits measure 2.5 cm wide and are produced in clusters. Fruits are thin-skinned and brownish-yellow, often one to two seeded but sometimes contain up to six small seeds. The fruit has jelly-like pulp which is sometimes sweet or sour.

Variety
There are eight cultivars grown in China. Two outstanding cultivars are ‘Chi-Hsin’ and ‘Yuan Chung’. In Florida, productive and sweet-fruited selections have been made.

Uses
The ripe fruit is eaten fresh or made into pies and jellies. The sour, green fruits is also processed into jelly.

The juice can be fermented with sugar and processed into wine.
As a folk medicine, the ripe fruit has a cooling effect on the stomach and is used to eliminate worms in humans. The dried green fruit and sliced roots are used as herbal medicine to remedy bronchitis. The concentrate derived from boiling the leaves in water is used to wash the hair to treat dandruff and minimize graying of hair.

Soil and Climatic requirements
The wampee requires a subtropical to tropical climate. It can survive short cold weather at -2 degrees Celsius but succumbs at -6 degrees Celsius. It thrives well in rich loam and well-drained soils.

Cultural Management
Propagation. The tree can be propagated through seeds, cuttings, marcotting, ang grafting.

Pruning. Prune occasionally to avoid overcrowding of the branches.
Pests and disease. No serious pests and diseases are known to affect production.

Harvesting and postharvest handling

Plants grown from seeds start bearing fruits, five to eight years from planting out in the field. Vegetatively propagated plants bear fruits earlier.
A mature tree produces up to 45 kgs of fruits per season.

Source: PROSEA leaflet no. 25
PCARRD
DA
UPLVB

Longan fruit

Longan – Dimorcarpus longan

Longan is known as the  “little brother of lychee”  It is noted not only for its nutritious and sweet fruit but also for its ornamental appeal.

Description

The longan tree grows up to 40 m tall. Its trunk reaches a diameter of 1 m , although some specieds are considered creeping shrubs.  The branches are cylindrical and sometimes have horny projection on the bark.

The leaves are densely hairy and occur in two to six pairs. The flower cluster is long and borne at the end of the shoot. It has small and yellow to brown flowers.

The fruits grows in lose clusters. It is round to egg-shaped, yellow to brown, and smooth or rough in texture. The edible pulp which encloses the seed is sweet, thin, and translucent white. The seed is round with a shiny blackish brown coating.

Uses

The fruit is eaten fresh and contains proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and fats. It can be canned and prepared in its own juice with little or no sugar. The dried flesh is prepared as a refreshing drink. The flesh can be macerated in alcohol to produce liquor.

The seeds that contain saponin can be used as shampoo. The seed, fruit flesh, leaves, and flowers have several medicinal uses.

Soil and climatic requirements

Longan thrives one rich sandy loam soil, rocky limestone, or in river banks. However, they grow satisfactorily in deep, fertile, and clay loam soils with a high water table.

This subtropical tree grows well in the tropics with a mean temperature of 15-22 degrees Celsius during flowering. Night temperatures, however, should not be warmer than 20-25 degrees Celsius. Areas with an annual rainfall of 1,500-2,000 m are preferred.

Cultural Management

Propagation.  Propagate longan by air layering and approach grafting. Use seedlings of the same cultivar as roostock. Air layers root in two to two and a half months during the rainy season. Nurse seedlings in the shade for 6-12 months after separation from the mother plant.

Planting. Plant the trees with a space ranging from 6 m x 6 m – 12 m x 12 m. For orchards, the trees may be spaced 10 m x 10 m in a square pattern.

Irrigation. Provide longan with ample moisture from flowering until shortly before harvesting. Apply mulch and supplement irrigation during this period.

Fertilization.  Apply fertilizer once the young trees have become established and have produce their first growth flush. For bearing trees, apply 0.4 kg of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) per tree per year, 40% at fuit set and 60% after fruiting. Avoid  application of fertilizer prior to flowering time. It is also a good idea to do regular light applications of poultry manure to the mulch.

Pruning. Prune young trees to limit the number of main branches. Cut off some of the unproductive twigs soon after harvest. Remove twigs that are least likely to fruit the following year.

Pest and diseases. The common pests that attack longan are the stink bugs, caterpillar, piercing months, and fruit flies. Control the damage of stink bugs with a parasite. Prevent the damage on fruits by bagging the panicles with plastic or paper bags.
An important disease that attack longan is rosette shoot or witches broom. To control this, cut the addected trees and burn them. Other important diseases include thread blight and powdery mildew.

Harvesting and Postharvest handling

Harvest only ripe fruits since harvested unripe fruits do not ripen anymore. Sample a few fruits for sweetness before harvesting the rest. Ripe fruits have a dark, smooth skin, and sweet flesh. Pick fruits twice at an interval of seven to ten days.
Cut the whole panicle with a knife or scissors and do not drop it. Sort the fruits and bunch them.
Pack longan fruits in bamboo baskets with stalks intact. Line baskets with longan leaves. If the fruits are for export, detach them from the panicles and pack them in corrugated boxes or plastic baskets. Store at 5 degrees Celsius for 40-45 days and at 10 degrees celcius for 20 days. Fumigate with sulfur dioxide (SO2) for long term storage.

Source: PROSEA Leaflet no. 26
PCARRD
UPLB
DA