Diospyros kaki is the fruit of the rose family plant Diospyros kaki. It has a good effect on treating joint pain and lower back pain. It has great value in both edible and medicinal aspects. Diospyros kaki is mainly distributed in high-altitude mountainous areas in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui in China. It has a short flowering period, so the reproduction and harvest time after the fruit is mature are extremely important, which determines the reproduction yield and fruit quality of Diospyros kaki.
【Morphological Characteristics】
Diospyros kaki is an upright or climbing shrub, 1-2m tall. It is reddish-brown or brown, with scattered thorns. The small branches are green with white powder. The leaves are alternate; the petiole is 4.5-7.5cm long, with hooked thorns; the stipule is ovate-lanceolate; the leaf blade is shield-shaped, ovate-round, 7.5-17cm long, 6.5-15cm wide, palmately 3-5 shallowly lobed, with larger middle lobes, cordate at the base, toothed at the edges, with stiff hairs on the upper surface, soft hairs on the lower surface, dense along the veins, and small thorns. The single flowers and leaves are opposite, white, with a diameter of about 5cm, 5 sepals, and white hairs on both sides; many stamens, with diamond-shaped or linear filaments, and yellow-brown anthers; many pistils, covered with soft hairs. The aggregate fruit is cylindrical, 3-4.5cm long, and orange-red. It flowers from April to May and bears fruit from June to July.
【Reproduction and Cultivation】
The natural reproduction of Diospyros kaki is mainly vegetative reproduction, including sucker seedlings and basal seedlings. Seedling development derived from seeds is rarely seen. Basal seedlings originate from the buried part of the second-year neck base. They begin to bud at the end of April and have vigorous growth in mid-May. One plant can produce up to 3 basal seedlings. The stem diameter of basal seedlings can reach 0.9-1.6cm. The rhizomes of Diospyros kaki are well developed and have strong ability to form sucker seedlings. The stem diameter of sucker seedlings is 1.0-2.0cm.
If Diospyros kaki is introduced in low-altitude areas between 11-50m above sea level, its nutrient growth is good, but the yield is significantly reduced and its ecological adaptability is weak. If it is introduced in areas above 800m above sea level, the nutrient growth of Diospyros kaki is good, the fruiting rate is higher than that of wild plants, and the phenological period is advanced.
【Harvest Time】
Diospyros kaki blooms in April-May, and the fruits mature from late June to early July. Vegetative reproduction is the main reproductive method. Diospyros kaki buds have main buds and auxiliary buds, and the main buds are mixed buds. The various parts of the flower are formed in November. After overwintering, it blooms from April to May the following year. Diospyros kaki is a summer fruiting type. The 2-year-old branches bloom and bear fruit in summer, fruiting only once a year. After the fruits mature at the end of June to early July, they quickly wither, while new seedlings grow rapidly. By the end of August of the same year, the new seedlings basically stop growing. When the fruits are ripe, they are solid and do not separate from the receptacle, which is slightly different from other species of hollow berries when the fruits are ripe and separate from the receptacle.
Based on the research on the reproduction and harvest time of Diospyros kaki, it can be concluded that Diospyros kaki has a weak ecological adaptability and is suitable for growing in high-altitude humid slopes, foothills, and valleys. Diospyros kaki bears fruit in summer, with one fruiting season per year and a short fruiting period, so the harvest time is extremely important.
