EVALUATION OF LOQUATS (ERIOBOTRYA JAPONICA (THUNB.) LINDL.) AT THE TROPICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER, HOMESTEAD

Loquat [Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ] is an ex cellent fruit tree for the home landscape and is one of the few fresh fruits available during late winter and early spring. The ripe fruit of thirteen cultivars, four numbered selections, and three seedling loquat were evaluated for fruit size, weight, num ber of seeds, and Brix. Observations on skin and flesh color were also noted. Mean fruit weight ranged from 5.6 g to 29.3 g with Sherry', Champagne', Judith', SES#1, and Seedling #2 having the largest and Tanaka' (Florida), Thales', FCN #3, Seedling #1, and'Juda' having the smallest fruit. Seediness var ied greatly among loquats and sampling date, and ranged from 1.0 seed per fruit to 6.4 seeds per fruit. 'Gold Nugget' consis tently had the seediest fruit in contrast to numerous other selec tions, e.g. SES#1, 'Advance', and 'Wolf which had only one to two seeds per fruit. Soluble solids content (°Brix) ranged from 9.8° to 23.5° with Thales', Tanaka' (Florida), 'Gold Nugget', FNC#3 and 'Advance' consistently having the sweetest fruit and 'Golitch', Seedling #3 and 'Sherry' having the least sweet fruit. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. N-01786. This project was partially funded by the Tropical Fruit Growers of South Florida and Tropical Fruit Advisory Council. The loquat is indigenous to the central-eastern regions of mainland China (Condit, 1915; Lin et al., 1999). Loquat trees are adapted to cool tropical (high elevation areas), subtropiProc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 112: 1999. 187 cal, and mild-temperate climates (Condit, 1915; Popenoe, 1927) and have been widely distributed throughout the world. Mature trees may withstand temperatures of 8°F to 10°F. However, flowers and fruit are killed by temperatures below 27°F (Campbell and Malo, 1980). Although trees grow well throughout the state, reliable fruit production occurs only in the central and southern areas of Florida. Loquat trees were apparently introduced into the United States before 1879 and to Florida prior to 1887 (Condit, 1915; Lin et al., 1999). Loquat season in Florida occurs during late winter and spring. Loquat trees are grown in the home land scape throughout Florida but have only limited potential as a commercial crop until environmentally safe and economic methods are developed to control the Caribbean fruit fly {Anastrepha suspensa). Despite this limitation, fruit fly infesta tion varies year to year and the fruit is appreciated by many Floridians. There have been many loquat cultivars and selections de veloped in China and Japan (Lin et al., 1999). Numerous cul tivars have been introduced and seedlings established and evaluated in Florida and California (Campbell, 1980; Camp bell, 1965; Condit, 1915; Krome, 1936; Popenoe, 1960). From Feb. through April 1999 we re-evaluated 13 previously de scribed cultivars and three numbered selections and evaluated four seedlings not previously evaluated. In addition, we report the °Brix and percentage of edible flesh of these loquats. Materials and Methods From February through April (1999) the ripe fruit of 13 cultivars, three numbered selections, and four seedling lo quat trees were evaluated at the Tropical Research and Edu cation Center, Homestead. The °Brix, number of seeds per fruit, and fruit weight were determined on five to 15 fruit per cultivar on 23 Feb. and 9 March 1999. °Brix was determined using a refractometer (Fisher Scientific, No. 12-946-26). Ob servations were recorded on fruiting season (February through April), i.e., early, mid, and late season. Fruit cluster density of the panicle was rated as to the spacing among fruit within a panicle, i.e., loose, intermediate, or tight. Fruit clus ters were not thinned. The number and size of mature fruit per panicle and fruit shape were recorded on 5 Feb. and 11 Feb. 1999. Observations were also made on fruit shape, and skin and flesh color. The percent edible flesh was calculated as total fruit weight minus the seed weight divided by total fruit weight times 100. Results and Discussion Loquat fruit cluster density varied among cultivars with most possessing an intermediate density (Table 1). The num ber of mature fruit per panicle varied from two to four for 'Wolf to 10 to 18 for 'Juda'. Fruit were either pear-shaped or rounded. The °Brix ranted from 9.8° to 23.5° with 'Thales', 'Tanaka' (Florida), FNC#3, 'Gold Nugget' and 'Advance' consistently having the sweetest fruit and 'Golitch', Seedling #3, and 'Sherry' having the least sweet fruit (Table 2). Loquat fruit weight varied greatly among cultivars and ranged from 5.6 g to 29.3 g. 'Sherry', 'Champagne', 'Judith', SES#1, and Seedling #2 had the largest and 'Tanaka' (Florida), 'Thales', FNC#3, Juda, and Seedling #1 had the smallest fruit (Table 2). 'Gold Nugget' consistently had the seediest fruit (3-6 seeds per fruit) whereas 'Advance', 'Oliver', Seedling #1, Seedling Table 1. Fruit cluster density, fruit shape, and range in number and fruit size of mature loquat fruit per panicle. Cultivar, selection or seedling Advance Champagne Emanuel FCN #3* Gold Nugget Golitch Juda Judith MOG20126 Oliver Seedling #1 Seedling #2 Seedling #3 SES#1" SES #2" Sherry Tanaka (Florida)w Thales Thursby Wolfe (SES #4) Fruit cluster density rating7 intermediate intermediate loose loose intermediate to tight loose loose intermediate intermediate intermediate loose intermediate intermediate intermediate intermediate intermediate tight loose tight intermediate no. of mature fruit per panicle 5-10 2-10 10-12 8-12 8-15 8-14 10-18 4-8 5-12 5-8 7-10 5-8 4-8 6-12 4-8 2-5 9-15 6-10 6-10 2-4 Range in fruit size within a panicle>