Fruit production and quality evaluation of four litchi cultivars (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) grown in Mediterranean climate

Introduction - The agronomic and qualitative responses of the litchi fruit (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) grown in Mediterranean climate are not yet studied. In this study, yield components, physico-chemical and sensory traits of four commercial litchi cultivars were recorded over two productive seasons. Materials and methods - Fruits of the cvs Tai So, Wai Chee, Brewster and Kwai Mai were collected at commercial maturity stage and subjected to productive (yield, efficiency, number of fruits, crop load), analytical (fruit weight, transversal diameter, longitudinal diameter, moisture, total soluble solid content (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, seed weight, peel weight, percentage of flesh and fiber, ash, fat, protein contents, K, Na, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn contents, vitamin B-1, B-2, B-3 and C contents), and sensory evaluations. Results and discussion - Even if the climatic conditions prevailing in Sicily differ from those of most litchi-growing regions, the four observed cultivars generally showed yields and fruit qualitative characteristics in line with the affirmed cultivar harvested in many tropical areas. 'Tai So' in addition to its reasonable yielding, physicochemical traits, contents of protein and vitamin, had the highest sensory appeal. 'Kwai Mai' showed interesting percentage of flesh, TSS/TA and flesh mineral composition. 'Brewster' and 'Wai Chee' revealed interesting ground colour, vit. B-2 and vit. C contents. On the other hand, 'Brewster' and 'Tai So' presented alternate bearing causing to lose a market year. Conclusion - These results suggest the possibility to produce litchi in Mediterranean climate with promising yields and an elevated standard of fruit quality.