IMPORTANT WORLD CULTIVARS OF LOQUAT

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl., Rosaceae) is becoming an important world cultivar with increasing production. The fruit is extremely popular in China with production reaching 1,200,000 t in 2010. Spain remains the chief exporting country. Other significant producers include Turkey, India, Japan and Pakistan with small production in Chile, Guatemala, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco and Portugal. Although there have been more than 500 cultivars in China, most of which are open-pollinated seedling selections, only about 50 are now widely planted. All are conserved in the National Fruit Germplasm Repository in Fuzhou. The characteristics of major cultivars from China, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, Turkey and the United States will be described and illustrated.