edaphic conditions of south Florida, requiring an acidic with considerable vigor. M. pajang had a low percentage of growing media, protection from cold and/or good quality success with veneer grafts. water. Initial investigations have centered on appropriate rootstocks and grafting techniques with target species. Propa- Horticultural Adaptations gation has been a challenge due to a lack of experience, and/ or written literature on a particular species. Various horticultural questions must be addressed to suc- Within the Garcinia species, only the mangosteen has a lit- cessfully manipulate these species into useful crops for south erature base by which to guide these efforts. Therefore, with G. Florida. The Garcinia species hold considerable promise as hombroniana, G. prainiana, and G. parvifolia there is little known ornamental/ trees for container and estate agriculture. about grafting techniques and less about appropriate root- G. hombroniana may be suitable for outdoor estate agriculture, stocks. Experimentation has been initiated for less than 1 year; and its tart, red fruit could serve as a marketable fruit crop; however, some observations have been made. Cleft, and mod- whereas, G. prainiana and G. parvifolia will require protection ified side-veneer grafts have been successful with all species, if from cold and an acid media. These two ornamental, preco- a portion of the are retained. These grafts require an el- cious and small-size trees have good quality fruit, and may evated relative humidity following grafting, which has been serve well as containerized fruit trees for south Florida. Arto- provided by covering with plastic bags for 1 to 2 months. Thus carpus odoratissimus could provide a saleable fruit for ethnic far, all three species have been successfully grafted onto root- markets in south Florida, but issues of tree size, cold sensitiv- stocks of the same species. G. xanthochymus, another Asian spe- ity and acid soils must be addressed. For the Mangifera species, cies with edible fruit has shown potential as a general rootstock we hope they can be grown outside, as a part of estate agricul- for these species. Grafts with G. hombroniana and G. prainiana tural systems. The M. odorata could provide a highly disease- have been successful and growth has been satisfactory. It is pre- tolerant fruit of excellent quality, while the M. griffithii and mature to draw any further conclusions. M. pajang could provide alternative fresh greens and fruit for With odoratissimus, grafting has proven difficult, pickles and achars. We must confirm the proper rootstocks although low percentages of successful grafts were achieved and management methods with these species. on both A. odoratissimus and A. sarawakensis rootstocks. A Literature Cited modified veneer, with leaves retained and covered with a plas- tic bag has been the best method. Side-veneer, patch and chip Martin, F. W. C. W. Campbell, and R. M. Ruberté. 1987. Perennial Edible buds have thus far been unsuccessful. of the Tropics: An Inventory. USDA-ARS. Agr. Handbook no. 642. Among the Mangifera sp., all species were grafted on M. in- Popenoe, W. 1920. Manual of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. The Macmill- an Company, New York. dica ‘Turpentine’ rootstock. A high degree of success was at- Tinggal, H. S. D. S. H. 1992. Darussalam Fruits in Colour. 147 pp. tained with veneer and cleft grafts of M. odorata and with Verheij, E. W. M. and R. E. Coronel (eds.). 1992. Resources of South- veneer grafts of M. griffithii. Trees of both species have grown East Asia. No. 2. Edible Fruits and Nuts. Prosea. Bogor, .

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 115:88-90. 2002. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING OF LYCHEE AND WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR FLORIDA GROWERS

A. RAY RAFIE1 AND CARLOS F. BALERDI whereas Florida produced only 1,500 t of lychees. Most of the University of Florida, IFAS lychees produced in Southeast Asia are consumed locally in Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service fresh or processed forms. Demand for fresh lychees in the U.S. 18710 SW 288th Street market is increasing due to Asian and Hispanic population growth. There is sufficient evidence to believe that demand for Homestead, FL 33030 lychees from Florida is increasing and that lychees remain a vi- able crop. The highly perishable nature of the fruit makes it dif- Additional index words. Litchi chinensis, ‘Chen Purple’, ‘Brewster’, ficult for the Asian lychee to withstand the long distance ‘Mauritius’, ‘Sweet Cliff’, cultivar, fruit flies shipment via sea freight to the North American market. Lychee is a host of fruit flies and is not allowed to enter the U.S. terri- Abstract. Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an exotic subtropi- tory from many countries that are considered fruit fly zones. In cal fruit crop and is considered economically important for recent years Mexican lychee acreage and volume have in- many of the Asian nations. China, India, and Mexico creased, resulting in more fruit being exported to the U.S., im- are considered the major players in the international com- pacting market prices. merce of lychees. In the year 2000, China produced 950,000 t Overview of the Lychee Industry in Florida This research was supported by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion, and approved for publication as Journal Series No. N-02268. Lychee, a subtropical fruit, is native to southern China 1Corresponding author. where it has been cultivated for thousands of years (Zee et al.,

88 Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 115: 2002.

1998) and is considered a very important crop both in terms fore, the fruit is still considered a specialty crop and is of economic and cultural value. The first introduction of ly- consumed mostly by Asian Americans who pay high prices for chee to Florida was in 1880 in Sanford, Florida, but it was not fresh, high-quality, lychees. until 1903, when an American missionary named Brewster brought the ‘Chen Purple’ cultivar (cv.) from China, that the International Availability of Lychee lychee made a significant contribution in the local market. In Florida ‘Chen Purple’ became known as ‘Brewster’. The China, India and Thailand are considered the largest ly- ‘Mauritius’ cv. was introduced by the University of Florida in chee producing countries in the world. In the year 2000, Chi- 1956 and both ‘Brewster’ and ‘Mauritius’ have been the most na produced 950,000 t of lychees in an area of 530,000 ha. In important lychee cvs. in Florida to date. In the 1940s, an or- the same year, India and Thailand produced 361,000 and chard containing 1000 trees produced fruits near Laurel in 85,000 t in areas of 49,000 and 22,000 ha, respectively. The Sarasota County, Florida. In 1952, in St. Petersburg, the Flor- major part of the production in both China and India is con- ida Lychee Growers Association was founded to promote the sumed locally (Ghosh, 2002). China mainly exports to Sin- production and marketing of this newly established crop gapore and . Indian lychees are mostly sold in Middle (Cobin, 1954). Prior to the freeze of 1958, approximately 130 Eastern markets. By far, Thailand is the leading country in ly- ha of lychee grew in Florida (Knight, 1988). chee exports. Thai fruit is sold in Asian, European, Middle The combination of freezes in 1958 and 1962 caused total Eastern and Canadian markets. The exact figures of exported destruction and elimination of the lychee industry in north- lychees from producing to consuming countries are hard to central Florida and as a result, southern Florida became the estimate. However, there are reports that in the year 2000, ideal place to produce lychees (Knight, 2001). When Hurri- China and Thailand exported 12,000 t of fresh lychees to Sin- cane Andrew hit Homestead, Florida, in 1992, there were gapore and Malaysia (Ghosh, 2001). During this same period, close to 60 ha of lychee planted in the area. Hurricane An- India exported 5,000 t of fresh lychee to the Middle East. Can- drew caused severe damage to all of the tropical and subtrop- ada imported 3,000 t of fresh lychee from Thailand, Madagas- ical fruit groves, however, lychee trees were able to recover car and South Africa. faster than other fruit trees. This motivated growers to plant In recent years, other countries have recognized the mar- more lychees in the Homestead area (Knight, 2001). By 2001, ket potential of lychees internationally and have planted large the estimated area planted with lychees in Florida was 330 ha areas with the idea of supplying the market when China, India with an estimated annual production of 1,500 t of fruit (Car- and Thailand are unable to do so, as lychees from these three los Balerdi, unpubl. data and Jonathan Crane, pers. comm., countries are only available from May to July. Australia’s ly- University of Florida, Tropical Research and Education Cen- chee production season is from November to February, while ter, Homestead, FL, respectively). After Hurricane Andrew, Israel produces from August to September. With the expan- most commercial lychee groves were replanted with cultivars sion of production in other continents, lychees currently are such as ‘Mauritius’ and ‘Sweet Cliff’. Lychees in South Florida available internationally eight months of the year (Fig. 1, Rin- are considered a small-scale industry as the majority of the dermann and Cruz, 2001). This availability is very important farms are between 0.5-2 ha, some are up to 5 ha and only a few for the expansion of the international market, however, ly- are 10 ha or larger in size (Carlos Balerdi, unpubl. data). Ly- chees are highly perishable with a shelf life of only 14-21 d. chees from Florida are mainly sold fresh to Oriental markets Therefore, fruit is transported to Europe and North America in the U.S. The fruits are available from late May to early July. only by air as sea transport of lychees for example from Thai- Although many efforts have been made to bring Florida ly- land to Canada, would take up to 30 d. This long distance chees into the mainstream American market, the erratic and shipping will considerably reduce the quality of the fruit. short duration of production and the highly perishable na- Mexico has planted large areas of lychees with the idea of ex- ture of the crop have made this process less successful. There- porting fruits to the United States and Europe. Recent esti-

, USA

Fig. 1. Monthly availability of lychee from different producing countries for international markets.

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 115: 2002. 89

mates of the volume and area of production of lychees in beneficial to the Asian producing countries as the airfreight Mexico are not available, however, it was reported that an cost remains high. area of 1,025 ha was planted up to 1996 and it is believed that Under the present situation with restrictions on offshore this figure has at least quadrupled by now (Rindermann and lychees entering the U.S., the Florida lychee growers have an Cruz, 2001). Unconfirmed estimates show that Mexico is an- excellent opportunity to target the Asian American popula- nually producing up to 7,000 t of fruit (various importers, tion as many producers already have done. Lychees are truly pers. comm.). During June and July, Mexican lychees are sold appreciated by the Asian population and according to the in the U.S., however the exact volume of sales is not available census of 1997, there are 9.5 million Asian Americans living as the fruit is considered a specialty crop. Mexican lychees are in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 1997). Promoting lychees in direct competition with Florida fruit. In recent years, ly- from Florida and making them available to this huge ethnic chee prices in the U.S. have fallen and many growers in Flor- population means a need for a larger volume of lychees than ida find it difficult to compete with Mexican growers as they what is currently being produced in Florida. Between June have the advantage of cheaper production costs and better and July, when lychees are available, if local growers and pack- growing conditions. One advantage of Florida lychees over ing houses would target just 20 percent of this population, the years has been superior quality. However, Mexican grow- which consumes an estimated 1 lb of fruit per person, 4,000 t ers have been able to improve the quality of their lychees in would be needed to satisfy the demand. That is almost four recent years (various importers, per. comm.). times more than the current volume produced. This is a good opportunity that requires considerable marketing initiatives The Future of the Lychee Industry in Florida by the Florida lychee industry.

Currently, there are restrictions on the import of lychees Literature Cited from Thailand, China and other producing countries to the United States. This is because the lychee is considered a host Cobin, M. 1954. The Lychee in Florida, Bulletin 546, University of Florida Ag- of fruit flies. In some countries, like Mexico, there are pro- riculture Experiment Stations, Gainesville, FL. Ghosh, S. P. 2001. World trade in litchi: past present and future. Proc. I Int. duction areas that are considered fruit fly free zones and, Symp. on Litchi and Longan, pp. 41-44. H. Huang and C. Menzel (eds.). therefore, the lychee from those areas can be exported to the Acta Hort. 558, ISHS 2001. U.S. Quarantines have prevented the U.S. market from being Knight, R. J., Jr. 1988. Miscellaneous tropical fruits grown and marketed in flooded with foreign lychees and have, therefore, enabled the Florida. Proc. Interamer. Soc. Trop. Hort. 32:34-41. local growers to sell their fresh lychees at a profitable price. Knight, R. J., Jr., 2001. The lychee history and current status in Florida. Proc. I Int. Symp. on Litchi and Longan, pp. 41-44. H. Huang and C. Menzel With the establishment of the first irradiation plant in Hawaii (eds.). Acta Hort. 558, ISHS 2001. the future of the lychee industry in Florida may change as it Rindermann, R. and M. A. Gomez-Cruz, 2001. El Litchi la Fruta Mas Fina del has been shown that the irradiation treatment would kill any Mundo. Mundi-Prensa Mexico, S.A. de C.V. fruit fly larvae inside the fruit and it is not harmful to the con- U.S. Census Bureau. 1997. http://eire.census.gov/popest/archives/state/. Zee, F. T. P., H. T. Chan, Jr., and Yen Chung-Ruey. 1998. Lychee, Longan, sumers. If this system is shown to be effective it would help and Pulasan. In Philip E. Shaw, Harvey T. Chan, Jr., and Steven those countries close to the U.S. market to send their lychees Nagy (eds.). Tropical and Subtropical fruits AGScience, Inc., Auburn- by sea. The irradiation treatment system may not be very dale, FL. pp. 290-335.

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 115:90--92. 2002. THE ‘KAMPONG’ AVOCADO

CARL W. CAMPBELL1 Abstract. The ‘Kampong’ avocado (Persea americana Mill.) University of Florida originated as an open-pollinated seedling in Coconut Grove, Tropical Research and Education Center Florida, in the early 1900’s. It was named for the estate of Dr. 18905 S.W. 280 Street David Fairchild, its place of origin. The ‘Kampong’ attracted the attention of local residents because of its consistent pro- Homestead, FL 33031 duction, good fruit quality, and very late maturity season. The and Horticulture Associate, Fairchild Tropical Garden fruit are ovoid to pyriform, weighing 550 g to 850 g. The skin is dark green and the pulp is bright yellow when ripe. This culti- RICHARD J. CAMPBELL var has the characteristic of a Guatemalan × West Indian hy- Fairchild Tropical Garden brid. The ‘Kampong’ has not been planted commercially in 11935 Old Cutler Road Florida or elsewhere, but is known as a good cultivar for home Miami, FL 33156 gardens.

Additional index words. cultivar, germplasm, Persea americana The ‘Kampong’ avocado (Persea americana Mill.) origina- ted in Coconut Grove, Florida in the early 1900s as an open- pollinated seedling of the ‘Cook’ cultivar at the Kampong, 1Corresponding author. the estate of Dr. David Fairchild, chief of the U.S. Dept. of Ag-

90 Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 115: 2002.