Propagation of Lychee Plants in Nepal

In Nepal lychee plants are propagated by the following methods:

Seed

In the past 15-20 years lychee plants were produced from seed in the hills. This practice was common among the farmers who had no lychee plants for using other methods of propagation. It was also common that those seedlings were also sold for cash or exchanged between the farmers for other material. It is, therefore, in the hills where there is big variation in height, canopy, leaf size, fruit size, seed size and fruit shape. It was also observed that some plants were found superior in bearing capacity, fruit size, colour and shape.

Farmers reported that they know that lychee seed loses viability very soon after harvest. Hence, they sow the seed as quick as possible. Usually, farmers sow the seeds directly in situ rather than raising seedlings separately in a bed or in polypots. They reported that plants raised from this system have low mortality and establish well compared to the plants raised and transplanted from air-layering. With the available of plants raised from vegetative propagation, the raising and production of plants from seed has been gradually decreasing.

Air-layering

In the Terai from the very beginning of lychee cultivation and in recent years in the hills, the lychee plants are propagated commercially by air-layering. The air-layering is done from spring to early summer (mid-March to mid-May. Success rate is as high as 90 percent in spring to summer and decreases gradually when the air-layering practice is carried out too late.

Planting material producing agencies

In the early days from 1960 to 1980, the lychee plants used to be produced by the Government horticulture farms/stations located in different parts of the country. The method of propagation applied was air-layering. After one year of propagation, these plants would be distributed direct to the farmers and also to the farmers through district based agriculture extension offices. The following horticulture farms were responsible for the production of fruit plants including lychee:

Horticulture unit, Agriculture Station, Tarahara, Biratnagar Horticulture unit, Agriculture Station, Parwanipur, Birgunj Horticulture farm, Nawalpur, Sharlahi Horticulture farm, Yagyapuri farm, Chitwan Horticulture farm, Malepatan, Pokhara Horticulture unit, Agriculture Station, Khajura, Nepalgunj Horticulture farm, Dhunbesi, Dhading Horticulture farm Trisuli, Nuwakot Horticulture farm, Panchakhal, Kavre. The total numbers of plants produced annually by these station ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 plants. Today, only the horticulture farm at Nawalpur, Sharlahi produces lychee plants as other farms ceased to produce the plants due to the establishment of private nurseries which commercially produce planting material of all the fruit plants.

There are 81 registered private fruit nurseries, which produce various kinds of fruit plants and flowering plant saplings. However, only 7 private nurseries are involved in lychee sapling production.

In borders villages, lychee and other fruit plants are sometimes imported either by Indian nurserymen or middlemen during the season (June to August) and sold to Nepalese farmers.