Breeding report of a new early-maturing loquat cultivar Yingshuang

Abstract：Yingshuang is a new early maturing loquat cultivar derived from a cross between Ninghaibai and Jiajiao. The hybridization was carried out in December 2011 and hybrid seedlings were raised and transplanted into the field in 2012. The seedlings began to blossom in 2016 and bear fruit in 2017. After 3 years of continuous evaluation, Yingshuang was finally selected from 42 hybrids. The scions of this plant were collected and propagated for further field trials. The trees of this cultivar were open with round crown, vigorous growth, and high flowering rate of branches. The leaves were lanceolate and inclined upward. The leaf tip was gradually pointed, the leaf base was wedge-shaped, the leaf margin was curled outward, the serration was shallow, and the density was medium. The inflorescence was conical. The inflorescence branch axis was flat, with an average number of 10.3 branch axes. The inflorescence density was medium, with an average number of 97 flowers per panicle. The full-blooming period was from mid to late December, the second and third batches of flowers bloomed 20-30 days later than the cultivar of Ninghaibai. The fruit setting rate was high, with an average of 8.5 fruits per panicler. The fruit was nearly round, with semi-open of calyx pore. The surface of the fruit is orange, which was easy to peel. The average fruit weight was 34.8 g, the soluble solid content was 15.4%, the titratable acid content was 0.23% and the edible rate was 75.7%. The average number of seed was 4.6 per fruit, the average number of shrivelled seeds was 1.4 per fruit, and the average weight of seed per fruit was 5.7 g. The flesh was yellowish white, tender and juicy, with rich flavor, good slagging and, palatable taste. Yingshuang was an early ripening variety and the mature period of the fruits in open field in northern Zhejiang was mid to late May, 5-7 days earlier than that of Ninghaibai. Under the conditions of open cultivation, the average yield was 668.3 kg per 666.7 m² , and the resistance to freezing and fruit cracking was significantly better than that of the local cultivar Ninghaibai.