In mid-April, while most longan trees in Guangdong are still developing flower spikes, orchards in Shayuan Town, Dianbai District, Maoming City, are already filled with the fragrance of ripe fruit.
According to recent yield testing and evaluation, the off-season Chuliang longan grown locally has achieved an average yield of 900 kilograms per mu (about 0.0667 hectares). With a purchase price of 24 yuan per kilogram, the revenue per mu is expected to exceed 20,000 yuan for the first time.
This breakthrough comes after a decade of persistent research and development by agricultural technicians.
Maoming is China's largest longan production base. Traditionally, longan is harvested around July, a period when typhoons frequently hit southern China. Typhoons often cause extensive fruit drop and cracking, leading to heavy losses for local growers.
Driven by this challenge, some growers, guided by agricultural experts, began experimenting with off-season longan cultivation.
Since 2016, the Fruit Tree Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has been conducting off-season longan cultivation trials in Dianbai. Over the past decade, the research team has overcome a series of technical obstacles, including unstable flower induction using potassium chlorate, young fruit survival in low winter temperatures, fruit cracking during the expansion stage, and poor fruit coloring. This year marks the first large-scale harvest of off-season longan.
Off-season longan typically blooms between November and December, sets fruit from January to February, and ripens in April—well before lychees enter the market in large quantities in June. This seasonal gap creates a clear price advantage. In recent years, conventional Chuliang longan has had an opening purchase price of about 18 yuan per kilogram, while the off-season variety has maintained a stable price of around 24 yuan per kilogram, a 6-yuan premium, representing roughly a 30% increase in income for growers.
However, off-season cultivation also comes with higher costs. It requires more frequent flower thinning, irrigation, and pesticide application, significantly raising labor and management expenses. Severe cold during the fruiting period can still lead to fruit drop and cracking. In addition, yields vary widely among trees: some produce hundreds of kilograms per tree, while others yield only a few dozen, and many trees bear no fruit at all. Further research is needed to identify the exact causes.
Experts noted that the team will continue to refine technical protocols and reduce production costs, allowing more farmers to benefit from scientific and technological innovation.
Author & Photo: Deng Jianqing
