Lychee is a tasty and popular fruit in Bangladesh. It is economically profitable and exportable, and farmers can earn good profits from it. It is rich in vitamin C, minerals and antioxidants, which are good for health.

First stage: 10 to 15 days before the buds (mukul) appear, spray the miticide sulphur at 2 g per litre of water, or an abamectin-group insecticide at 1.25 ml per litre of water.

Second stage: after the buds emerge but before the flowers open, spray an imidacloprid-group insecticide at 0.5 g per litre of water. A carbendazim plus mancozeb-group fungicide at 2 g per litre of water can be sprayed with it.

Third stage: to prevent fruit drop and fruit cracking, spray 4 CPA (Vegimax) or an approved dose once the fruit reaches the size of a pea.

Fourth stage: at the marble stage, as an advance preventive against the lychee fruit borer and anthracnose disease, spray a cypermethrin-group insecticide at 1 ml per litre of water. A mancozeb plus metalaxyl-group fungicide at 2 g per litre of water can be sprayed with it.

• On grafted plants, break off the buds until the tree is at least three years old. This helps growth and makes the tree fruit for longer.
• On fruit-bearing trees, stop irrigation from three months before the buds appear.
• Do not spray while the lychee buds are in bloom.
• Irrigate at least once at the end of flowering and once at the pea stage of the fruit, and give a second irrigation 15 days later.
• Keep the base of the tree clean and free of weeds.
• Always spray so that the leaves, buds and branches are thoroughly wet.
• After harvest, break off and burn branches attacked by lychee mites.
• If boron and zinc are deficient, mix 20 g of boron and 10 g of zinc fertiliser per tree into the soil at the base, along with other fertilisers, when the lychee stone hardens. Alternatively, soluble boron and chelated zinc can be sprayed.

May to June is the right time to pick lychee. Harvest only when the fruit is fully ripe on the tree, so that the taste and sweetness are good. Fresh lychee should be kept in a cool place, or cold storage can be used.

Lychee farming done the right way gives good yields and is economically profitable. By choosing improved varieties, caring for the trees and following proper disease control, farmers can earn more.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.