Pre- and postharvest management practices for litchi production in India

Abstract

Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is an important woody mycorrhizal fruit tree originated in China. In India, the agroclimatic conditions of foothills of the Himalayas in northern states like Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Punjab, and northeastern states such as Assam and Tripura provide immense scope for litchi cultivation. Various abiotic and biotic factors affect the litchi cultivation and production. Optimum temperature, humidity, soil nutrition, and climatic conditions are the deciding factors to support litchi cultivation, but insect and pest infestation severely affect the overall production of litchi. Insects are the major limiting factor affecting litchi production compared to the diseases. Various agricultural practices such as propagation methods and girdling also have an influence on the litchi plantation and overall productivity of this delicious fruit. The present chapter focuses on economically important pests and diseases and their control measures to reduce the infestation altogether with pre- and postharvest management practices to increase the productivity and shelf life of mature litchi fruits during storage as well as transportation process, respectively.