March in spring is supposed to be the time when lychee flowers bloom all over the mountains and the fragrance floats in the mountains and fields. However, in Nanxiao Town, Liangqing District, Nanning’s "Lychee Hometown", the sea of lychee flowers that used to be there is hard to find this year. Due to the combined effects of excessive fruit bearing and unfavorable weather last year, the flowering rate of high-quality lychee varieties such as local Guiwei has dropped sharply, and a large number of fruit trees have "no buds but no flowers". The long-awaited "lychee freedom" of the public may not be available this year.
The Guiwei variety only has tender red new leaves, and it is difficult to see clusters of flower spikes. (Photo provided by interviewee)
Recently, in Tuansupo, Tuancheng Village, Nanxiao Town, Liangqing District, Nanning City, grower Shi Juwu inspected his nearly 300 acres of lychee garden over and over again. Most of the branches only had tender red leaves and clusters of flower spikes that were hard to find, which made him anxious. "Lychee trees grow rapidly without blooming. The young leaves first turn red and then turn green. This year, the flowering rate of Guiwei lychees has been greatly reduced." Shi Juwu said that in his lychee garden of more than 100 acres of Guiwei varieties, the flowering volume this year is only 20% of last year; the initial flowers of Guiwei grew well in December last year, but then encountered a continuous drought, and a rainfall washed off a large number of flower buds, and the number of flowers dropped sharply. He also mentioned that the flowering situation of his own Guiwei varieties is relatively good. From Yawang Village to Lingshan County, Qinzhou City, the flowering of Guiwei varieties is even less.
Mo Xingyang, a farmer from Bailupo in Yawang Village, Nanxiao Town, is also facing the dilemma of reduced lychee production this year. There are very few lychees blooming in the more than 10 acres of his family's home. The number of lychees blooming in the whole village is only about 10% of last year. The situation in Nanxiao Town is basically the same. The situation of Chenghua in Xintang Town, Qinbei District, Qinzhou City, is slightly better, but still far worse than in previous years. "Currently there are only a few scattered flowers on the branches, and the probability of blooming again in the future is already very small. This year's litchi harvest is basically a foregone conclusion." Mo Xingyang said with a wry smile. The flowering conditions of lychees in many towns and villages in Lingshan County, Qinzhou City are almost the same as those in Nanxiao Town.
It is reported that the low flowering rate of lychees this time is not a local phenomenon, but a general dilemma affecting the two main producing areas of Guangxi and Guangdong. Fruit farmers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zengcheng and other places have successively issued warnings about production reductions, and some orchards are even facing the risk of no harvest. High-quality lychees such as Guiwei and Nuomici may face a market situation where it is "hard to find a single fruit".
Nanxiao Town is known as Nanning's "Lychee Hometown". The town's lychee planting area is about 20,000 acres. It is the town with the largest lychee planting area and the highest output in Nanning. The main varieties include 16 new and excellent varieties such as Guiwei, Heiye Li, Xiang Li, Feizixiao, etc. Among them, Gui Wei is the most popular in the market because of its sweet and crisp taste. In 2025, Nanxiao Town will usher in a bumper harvest of lychees, with a total output of nearly 4,000 tons, and fruit farmers will reap a full harvest of "sweetness".
Why is the lychee flowering rate generally low this year? According to industry insiders, there are three main reasons for this large-scale reduction in lychee production. First of all, lychees need a certain low temperature in late winter and early spring to promote the differentiation of flower buds. However, the winter of 2025 is a "warm winter" with an average temperature of more than 23°C, causing most of the new buds to grow into leaves instead of flower spikes. This is the core factor; secondly, last year, lychees ushered in a "super "Grand Year", the yield is extremely high, excessive consumption of tree nutrients, and the post-harvest recovery of tree vigor is slow, unable to provide sufficient support for this year's flowering; in addition, there has been less rain since last winter, and soil water shortage has seriously inhibited the germination of flower buds, further exacerbating the decline in yield.
Reprinted from | Nanning Media Center
