[Intensive Agriculture] New Rose-Scented Lychee Seen as Potential in Market

[Intensive Agriculture] New Rose-Scented Lychee Seen as Potential in Market (Chinese Version)

CNA – Focus Taiwan (2012/06/18), Youth Daily News (2012/06/16) & CNA (2012/06/15) Researchers in Taiwan after 21 years of hard work recently unveiled a rose-scented lychee which is seen as having great economic potential.

The new crop, cultivated by the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture, is different from other lychees as it can be stored in the refrigerator for an extensive period of time, prolonging its shelf life.

The rose-scented lychee was first developed in 1986 when Jer-way CHANG, Associate Researcher and Head of the Department of Horticulture at the Institute's Chiayi branch, crossed the No Mai Tsz and the Guiwei -- two other types of lychees.

What makes the lychees with a rose-like fragrance more attractive to buyers is that the flesh is delicate and chewy while the exterior layer is a glamorous red color, according to CHANG.

In addition to this, he said, the large size of the lychee (weighing an average of 25 grams each, with the largest ones heavier than 40 grams), the small size of the seed, the sweetness of the fruit and the easy-to-peel skin all contribute to the allure of the rose-scented lychee.

The economic benefits are high as the other lychees have a production period from around May to mid-July, but the rose-scented lychee, in comparison, has an extended production period from mid-July to August. Thus it can help farmers reap more income as they will be the only lychee on the market in that period, CHANG said.

In comparison to the other lychees on the market such as the Hak Ip (black leaf) -- which takes up 70 percent of the market, No Mai Tsz. Guiwei and Euphoria Longana, the rose-scented lychee has a longer storage period, said Director Hong-ren YANG of the Chiayi branch.

The normal lychee can only be stored for about seven to 14 days; the Guiwei lychee can be stored for a longer period of 20 days while the rose-scented lychee can be stored for a total of 30 days.


Further Information:
CNA – Focus Taiwan 2012/06/18
Youth Daily News 2012/06/16 (Chinese)
CNA 2012/06/15 (Chinese)

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National Science Council International Cooperation Sci-Tech Newsbrief
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