Product Name: Guifengzao Longan Sapling (Dimocarpus longan cv. Guifengzao)
Description:
Guifengzao Longan is a premium extra-early maturing longan variety selected by the Longan Research Team of Guangxi University's College of Agriculture. It was bred from a seedling variant discovered in a “Shixia × Chuliang” grafted longan orchard at Beiyao Farm, Longzhou County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi. Officially granted Plant Variety Rights by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on December 30, 2021 (Variety Rights No.: CNA20191002781), it has completed regional introduction trials across multiple production regions including Nanning, Daxin, Longzhou, and Qinzhou in Guangxi, as well as Maoming and Zhanjiang in Guangdong, demonstrating stable extra-early maturity and excellent adaptability.
A Longan That Owns the Early Season:
The defining feature of Guifengzao is its exceptional earliness. It matures in late July in Nanning, approximately 7–8 days earlier than the same-orchard “Shixia” variety, and 7–15 days earlier across different production regions and years. Compared to “Chuliang,” it matures 20–30 days earlier. This early-season advantage allows growers to capture premium market pricing at the very start of the longan season when high-quality fresh fruit supply is still limited.
Appearance & Flavor:
The fruit is round to slightly oblate, with a greenish-brown skin that is brighter than Shixia. The flesh is waxy white, thick, and crisp, with a “dry-pack” (干苞) nature – juice does not drip when the fruit is opened, making it ideal for transport and fresh consumption. The flavor is clean and sweet, and the fruit separates easily from its small, oblong seed. Average fruit weight is 11.12 grams – a medium-to-large fruit significantly larger than Shixia (8.43g) and comparable to Chuliang (12.25g). Soluble solids content reaches 21.5% (up to 25%), with an edible rate of 71.8% (up to 74.0%).
Key Commercial Advantages:
Extra-Early Maturity – Harvested in late June to late July, 7–15 days ahead of Shixia and 20–30 days ahead of Chuliang
Early Bearing & High Yield – Fruits in year 2, full production by year 3–4; 3-year-old trees yield 24.7–30.6 kg per tree (1,086.8 kg/mu); 6-year-old trees yield 50–60 kg per tree
Large Fruit Size – 11.12g average, significantly larger than Shixia
Superior Eating Quality – Dry-pack, crisp, sweet, and easy to eat with a small seed
High Sugar Content – 21.5% Brix (up to 25%)
Strong Adaptability – Stable performance across multiple production regions in Guangxi and Guangdong
Plant Variety Rights Protected – Officially certified and recognized variety
Growing Regions:
Guifengzao has demonstrated stable extra-early maturity and strong adaptability across Guangxi (Nanning, Daxin, Longzhou, Qinzhou) and Guangdong (Maoming, Zhanjiang). It is recommended for promotion in China's main longan production regions to help optimize variety structure and address the industry's challenges of concentrated harvest periods and low economic returns.
Cultivation Notes:
Training: Trunk height 50–70cm; develop 3–4 evenly distributed main branches; young trees require minimal heading and more branch bending; mature trees use short-cut and thinning pruning
Fruiting Mother Branch Management: Cultivate two batches of autumn shoots after harvest; final autumn shoot should emerge in late September to mid-October and mature by late November to early December
Flower Promotion: Spray 40% ethephon 8–12 mL + 15% paclobutrazol 15–18 g after final shoot maturation
Fertilization: Focus on flower-promoting, fruit-swelling, pre-harvest, and autumn shoot fertilizers; organic-based with supplementary nitrogen and potassium
Irrigation: Irrigate during 10–15 day drought periods in autumn; maintain consistent soil moisture during fruit development
Pest Management: Monitor for leaf rollers and inchworms during shoot emergence; long-legged leaf beetles and stink bugs during flowering; fruit borers after fruit set
Harvest Season:
Late June to late July – a premium extra-early longan variety that rewrites the start of the longan season. With its 7–15 day earliness over Shixia, early bearing and high yield, and large, high-quality fruit, Guifengzao offers growers a strategic advantage in capturing premium early-season market pricing. Ideal for fresh market sales, e-commerce logistics, and orchard variety renewal in China's longan production regions.