Lychee - Phytech

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Recommended Application in Lychee

BACKGROUND

The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world. The fresh fruit has a "delicate, whitish pulp" with a "perfume" flavor that is lost in canning, so the fruit is mostly eaten fresh.

An evergreen tree reaching 10–20 m tall, the lychee bears fleshy fruits that are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide. The outside of the fruit is covered by a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh. Lychees are eaten in many different dessert dishes, and are especially popular in China, throughout South-East Asia, along with South Asia and India.

The lychee is cultivated in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and northern India (in particular Bihar, which accounts for 75% of total Indian production.)[2][4] South Africa and the United States (Hawaii and Florida) also have commercial lychee production.

PYHTOMONITORING IN LYCHEE

Phytomonitoring can obtain a continuous of observations data directly from the plant by means of sensors. Comparison of data from the plant with climatic and soil conditions allow more timely and reasonably adjust the irrigation schedule, determine the norm and watering intervals.

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Recommended set-up for 5 hectars Plant sensors:
	Dendrometer Sensor - 1 The Dendrometer is a highly precise incremental LVDT-based sensor for monitoring micro-variations of trunk radius in micron range. Plant growth and water balance affect diurnal behavior of trunk radius. The growth rate depends on a vegetation stage and environmental conditions. The diurnal variations represent mostly fluctuations of water content in plants. Two radius-based indices are commonly used for evaluating plant water status: daily contraction amplitude and trend of daily maxima. The Dendrometer allows investigating effects of irrigation rate and other environmental factors on water balance and growth of plants. Range of measurement: 0-10 mm Resolution: 0.005 mm Suitable stem diameter range: above 5 cm
	Fruit Growth Sensors - 1 Two phenomena affect fruit diameter. These are growth and internal water content. The growth component is usually dominant. At the same time, in some cases, the fruit may loose water that is manifested in deceleration of growth rate or even shrinkage of the fruit. It may be a result of water stress, lack of light, or another limiting factor. Thus, the FI-type sensor allows investigating effect of irrigation rate and other environmental factors on both water balance and growth of fruits. Range of measurement: (7 - 30 mm, 30-100mm, 15-70mm) Resolution: 0.01mm Temperature stability: 0.005 mm/c° max. Suitable fruit diameter range: (7 - 30 mm, 30-100mm, 15-70mm)
Soil sensors:
	Tensiometer Sensor - 2 Measures water tension in the soil Pipes length: 30 cm, 60 cm, 90 cm Measurement range: 0 - 84 cBar Temperature range: 0-40 C
	Soil Moisture Sensor - 2 Monitors the volumetric water content (VWC) of the soil Comes with 5cm two prong design Measurement Range 0-70% moisture
	Environmental sensors:
	Phytech’s Weather station Including 6 sensors: 1. Wind Speed meter. 2. Wind Direction (optional: Leaf wetness) 3. Rain Meter. 4. Irradiation meter. 5. Air temperature. 6. Air humidity.