The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is home to the world's largest lychee gene bank, housing nearly 800 varieties and a rare scientific breakthrough -- the world's first lychee-longan hybrid.
Lychees are returning to markets this summer. But behind the popular seasonal fruit lies decades of agricultural research and breeding innovation. China has cultivated lychees for more than 2,000 years and has exported them overseas since the 17th century.
In one of the busiest commercial districts of Guangzhou, a five-hectare lychee orchard serves as a living archive of the fruit's past, and a testing ground for its future. Nearly 800 varieties are grown here. Some originate from different parts of China, while others have been reintroduced from regions as far away as Africa, South America and Australia.
"This comes from a variety we collected in Madagascar and naturally crossbred. We want to preserve biodiversity, while passing desirable traits to future generations," said Dr. Yan Qian, director of the Lychee Germplasm Resources and Breeding Research Office, the Fruit Tree Research Institute, the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
It can take more than 15 years from identifying a promising strain to developing a commercially viable variety.
One of the most promising breakthroughs is a cross-species hybrid between lychee and longan, producing fruit for the first time after 11 years of research and cultivation.
"The mother plant is lychee, and the father is longan. This kind of distant crossbreeding is extremely difficult because they are naturally incompatible. So we kind of “tricked” them by mixing pollen. There’s only one tree in the world, right here," she said. Another promising newcomer is also producing fruit for the first time - although mass cultivation is still a long way away.
"This one combines two traditional Guangdong varieties. The flesh is especially smooth and delicate, so we call it 'Ice Cream Lychee'. But it still needs regional testing and government approval. Large-scale cultivation is at least five or six years away," said Dr. Shi Fachao, the Fruit Tree Research Institute, the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Freshly picked lychees are quickly sent to the lab. Researchers aren't just studying the taste and appearance - they are also looking at the fruit's nutritional value.
"We discovered that lychee contains high levels of GABA, a functional amino acid, which may help improve sleep and mood. With more than 700 varieties to analyze, cutting research time in half helps us identify better candidates much faster," said Dr. Wen Yingjie, the Fruit Tree Research Institute, the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Digital tools are helping researchers sort through mountains of data - and speeding up the search for higher quality fruit.
"We used to measure traits by hand and visual observation. Now, sensors and big data can track growth, color changes and development in real time. Good varieties aren't just in demand in China. Overseas markets want them too. Disease-resistant varieties also help reduce pesticide use and meet EU food safety standards," said Huang Zhenrui, director and researcher, the Fruit Tree Research Institute, the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. China's lychee industry is valued at around 4.4 billion U.S. dollars and accounts for roughly 70 percent of global production.
Developing improved varieties could translate into higher incomes for farmers, longer shelf life for exporters, and more diverse options for consumers.
South China's Guangzhou boasts world's largest lychee gene bank, housing nearly 800 varieties
