Loquat in Chiba Japan

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Yoshi Kume, left, and Keichiro Sekiyama examine new fruiting on a loquat tree at the Chiba Japan Agriculture research center. Kume san is with the Chiba government ag agent and instructor of farmers for fruit growing. Sekiyama san is a researcher at the ag experiment station.

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Brown bags on loquat are the same type I use in Kona.

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Other fruit bagging experiments being carried out on loquat (Biwa in Japanese) at the station include controlling the amount of UV light hitting the fruit and how it affects brix and flavor.

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In addition to bagging tests, leaf stripping tests are now underway at the station.

Common in Taiwan and China, leaf stripping is not practiced much in Japan.

Tests on loquat in Kona have shown and increase in fruit size when leaves are removed.

Growth is encourgaged horizontally so that fruit is produced at arms length to save on labor. Branches are sometimes tied down with black strapping so that many flowers on outer branches are no more than a yard above ground.

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Usually three fruit are bagged individually but some testing is done with 2 fruit and

The leaf stripping to measure the effect.

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Bags are numbered on tests of the patented seedless loquat that the government hopes to release net year.

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Production loquat of the obusa cultivar being grown in a greenhouse at the Hozumi Biwa Farm in Chiba Japan.

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Fruit is thinned to 2 or 3 per cluster.

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Waiting to be thinned.

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Hozumi Biwa Farm

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Center of production trees are thinned out to allow for light and air circulation.

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Trees are kept low to about 2 meters and kept pruned for air and light circulation.