Publication
from Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide
version 4.0
by C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass and S. Anthony
Eriobotrya
japonica Lindl.
Local Names:
Amharic
(woshmella); Cantonese (luküh, lukwat, pi-pa); Chinese (luju, biba);
Creole (lokwat); English (loquat, Japan-plum, Japanese medlar, Japanese
loquat, green loquat, stinking toe); French (bibassier du Japon,
bibace, néflier du Japon); German (Loquate, japanische mispel,
Japanische Wollmispel); Hindi (lokat); Indonesian (papalaan, lokwat);
Italian (nespola Giapponese, nispolero); Japanese (bipa, biwa); Khmer
(tôn leap); Malay (paginggong, lokwat); Portuguese (ameixa do Japao);
Spanish (nespereira, níspero de Japón); Tamil (ilakotta, nokkotta);
Thai (lokhwot, pipae); Trade name (loquat); Vietnamese (s[ow]n tr[af]
nh[aaj]t b[ar]n, so’n trà nhat-ban,ti b[af] di[eej]p,ti baf diêp, nhót
tây
Family: Rosaceae
Botanic
Description
Eriobotrya
japonica is
an evergreen shrub or small tree 6-8 m high; bole usually rather short,
0.6-1 m long, surmounted by a dense, ovoid or globular crown; bark grey
and shallowly fissured, on young branches it is pale brown and hairy.
Leaves
are somewhat crowded towards the end of the stout, woolly branchlets,
large, alternate, subsessile, stiff, coriaceous, elliptic, lanceolate
to obovate, lanceolate in outline, 21-32 cm in length, with remotely
toothed to sharply dentate margins; dark, glossy, green above and
rusty-tomentose below; base green, obtuse or narrowed into a very
short, stout, woolly, stipulate petiole.
Flowers fragrant, 1.2
cm broad, borne in woolly panicles, 10-20 cm long; calyx composed of 5
small, imbricate, acute teeth; corolla has 5 oblong, ovate-clawed
petals, white in colour and delicate in texture; stamens 20; pistils 5,
joined towards the base.
Fruits borne in clusters, commonly
round, oval or pyriform, 2.5-8 cm in length, pale yellow to orange,
somewhat downy on the surface; skin about as thick as that of a peach,
but slightly tougher; flesh firm and fleshy in some varieties, melting
in others, the colour ranging from almost white to deep orange, juicy
and with subacid flavour; seeds 4-10, brownish, oblong, 1-2 cm long.
Many E. japonica
cultivars exist. Based on origin, 2 groups are distinguished: the
Chinese groups with large, pyriform, deep orange fruit, ripening
mid-season to late, which can be kept for 1-2 weeks, and the Japanese
group with small, slender, light-coloured fruit, maturing early and
having a shorter shelf life.
The generic name is derived from the
Greek words ‘erion’ (wool) and ‘botrys’ (cluster), from the woolly
appearance of the spiked inflorescence; the specific epithet means 'of
Japan'.
Biology
A hermaphroditic species, the self-incompatibility of E. japonica
is gametophytic. Cloned trees flower readily within 1-2 years, but
worthwhile fruit set takes a few more years. Honeybees are its pollen
vectors. After fertilization, the fruit develops very rapidly. Birds
and bats disperse the fruit.
Ecology
Originally from regions with a subtropical climate, E. japonica
requires a mild climate with rainfall evenly spread throughout the
year, without excessive heat, especially during fruit ripening. The
most favourable conditions for productivity and quality are to be found
near the sea. Once established, it is tolerant of drought and of slight
frost. Temperatures lower than -5 deg. C damage the flowers, and those
lower than -12 deg. C are fatal.
Biophysical
Limits
Altitude: 700-2400 m, Mean annual rainfall: 650-1000 mm
Soil
types: Will grow on a great variety of soils, from sands to heavy
clays; however, it prefers acid over alkaline soils. The best growth is
found in light, well-drained, deep, moist, alluvial soils (gritty
subsoil about 1.5 m deep)
Documented
Species Distribution
Native:
China, Japan
Exotic: Albania, Algeria,
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus,
Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, French Guiana, Germany,
Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya,
Laos, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico,
Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, South
Africa, Spain, Surinam, Taiwan, Province of China, Tanzania, Thailand,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of
America, Venezuela, Vietnam
The
map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does
neither suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological
zone within that country, nor that the species can not be planted in
other countries than those depicted. Since some tree species are
invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to your
planting site.
Products
Food:
The fruit has a thick,
tough peel surrounding the firm flesh, with a flavour reminiscent of a
peach. It is rich in pro- vitamin A, having a very high carotene
content. E. japonica
is
usually eaten fresh but may be stewed, served as a sauce, syrup or jam,
or made into an excellent jelly. The fruit composition is 84-89% water,
0.32-0.35 % protein, 0.3- 0.6% lipids, 9.89-12.79% sugar and starch,
0.3-0.37% cellulose, and 0.29-0.26% ash. The fruits are a good source
of acid and pectin. The seeds, which have an almond-like taste, are
used to flavour drinks and cakes.
Fodder:
Tender branches are used as fodder in India and in East Africa.
Apiculture:
Bees are easily attracted to the fragrant, white flowers. Honey is
amber coloured with an agreeable flavour.
Fuel:
The wood of E. japonica
has market value as firewood.
Timber:
E. japonica
has a medium-weight to heavy heartwood with a density of 655-950
kg/cubic m at 15% mc. The heartwood is pale purple-brown with darker
streaks, not clearly differentiated from the sapwood. The grain is
straight with an attractive silvery look, and the texture is fine and
even. The wood is occasionally slightly fragrant. The wood has very
little tendency to split or check, is hard, and takes a good polish. It
is suitable for poles and posts, carving and drawing materials such as
rulers, and is in demand for making stringed musical instruments.
Alcohol:
The fruit juice of E.
japonica can be used to prepare an alcoholic drink.
Poison:
The seeds are poisonous and should be removed before cooking the fruit.
The flowers are used as an insect repellent.
Medicine:
The fruits are considered a sedative and are used in allaying vomiting
and thirst. The tanniferous leaves are astringent and antidiarrhoetic,
and in China are used to treat wounds. The flowers are used as an
expectorant and, extracted in oil, in cosmetics.
Services
Shade or
shelter: The fairly dense crown and a compact trunk make E. japonica useful
for shade and as a windbreak.
Soil improver:
The large leaves of E.
japonica trees are suitable for mulch.
Ornamental:
Because of its ornamental appearance alone, E. japonica is
often planted in parks and gardens. It is also grown as an indoor pot
plant.
Boundary or
barrier or support: In the Kilimanjaro region of East
Africa, the tree is commonly grown on the borders of home compounds.
Tree
Management
E. japonica
is a productive and regular bearer. Barring crop failure resulting from
severe frosts at flowering time, the trees rarely fail to produce well
every year. Their tendency is to overbear, with the result that the
fruits are apt to be undersized. It has been profitable to thin the
crop, since the increased size of the fruits remaining on the tree more
than compensates for the fruits removed.
Planting spacing is
either 3.5 x 7 m or 6 x 6 m. For good productivity, manuring and
inter-planting with a nitrogen-fixing leguminous crop are recommended.
Manuring should be carried out every 2 years at the rate of 40-50
kg/tree, or 12- 40 t/ha. After planting out, the trees are pruned 60-75
m above the ground level to promote the growth of 3-5 branches.
They
are also pruned immediately after harvesting to limit the number of
fruits and even out production. Grafted trees, when available, remain
smaller but make stronger growth and produce fruit faster. Where
insolation is strong the fruit clusters are bagged to prevent sunburn.
On the other hand, the fruit is sour without sunshine, as occurs in
northern Tanzania.
Germplasm
Management
The
seed does not store well and should be sown when still fresh. Moist
storage is recommended; 92% germination following 6 months moist
storage at 5 deg. C; viability maintained for 8 days in moist storage
at 5 deg. C. Seed storage behaviour of E. japonica
has been provisionally classified as recalcitrant, since only moist
storage has been recommended. But this does not necessarily mean that
this species shows recalcitrant seed behaviour. There are about 600
seeds/kg.
Pests and
Diseases
The principle enemies of E.
japonica in California are pear-blight (Bacillus amylovorus)
and loquat scab (Fusicladium
dendriticum var. eriobotrye).
In Florida, the flowers are blighted by the anthracnose fungus (Colletotrichum gloesporioides).
In California, 4 insects usually attack the tree: the codling moth (Cydia pomonella),
the green apple aphis (Aphis
pomi), the San Jose scale (Aspidiotus perniciosus),
and the Florida wax scale (Ceroplastes
floridensis). In other countries, the fruit is sometimes
attacked by the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata)
and the Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera
tryoni). In India, the anar caterpillar (Virachola isocrates)
bores into the fruit.
Black spot (Spilorea
eriobotryae) may be serious in some locations. Fire blight
(Erwinia amylovora)
is one of the most serious diseases of the tree, causing branches to
die back. Scab (Spilocaea
eribotryae) spoils the fruit.
Further
Reading
Anon. 1986. The useful plants of India. Publications &
Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, India.
Bein E. 1996. Useful trees and shrubs in Eritrea. Regional Soil
Conservation Unit (RSCU), Nairobi, Kenya.
Bekele-Tesemma
A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia.
Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International
Development Authority (SIDA).
FAO. 1982. Fruit-bearing forest trees: technical notes.
FAO-Forestry-Paper. No. 34. 177 pp.
Goldstein M. et. al. 1984. The Macdonald guide to trees. Macdonald
& Co. Ltd.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a
compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4. IPGRI.
ICRAF.
1992. A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya: Notes on their
identification, propagation and management for use by farming and
pastoral communities. ICRAF.
Katende AB et al. 1995. Useful trees and shrubs for Uganda.
Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural
and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU),
Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Lanzara P. and Pizzetti M. 1978. Simon & Schuster's Guide to
Trees. New York: Simon and Schuster
Mbuya LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania:
Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural
and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU),
Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Nicholson B.E, Harrison S.G, Masefield G.B & Wallis M. 1969.
The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press.
Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi.
Perry LM. 1980. Medicinal plants of East and South East Asia :
attributed properties and uses. MIT Press. South East Asia.
Popenoe W. 1974. Manual of the tropical and subtropical fruits. The
Macmillann Company.
Randhawa GS and Singh RKN. 1970. The loquat in India. Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR). New Delhi.
Sosef
MSM, Hong LT, Prawirohatmodjo S. (eds.). 1998. PROSEA 5(3) Timber
trees: lesser known species. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Verheij
EWM, Coronel RE (eds.). 1991. Plant Resources of South East Asia No 2.
Edible fruits and nuts. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Williams R.O & OBE. 1949. The useful and ornamental plants in
Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar Protectorate
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