Litchi and Longan

Richard Litz is a professor emeritus in the Department of Horticultural Sciences of the University of Florida. From 1976 until his retirement in 2011, he was at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, where he developed and led a research programme that focused on biotechnology of tropical fruit crops, e.g., avocado, carambola, litchi, longan, mango and papaya. His laboratory hosted postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists from 16 countries in the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Africa and Asia. He has edited seven books about biotechnology of fruit crops and also about mango and has authored more than 150 refereed publications and book chapters. In retirement, Richard lives in a village on the coast of Maine.

• 1: Origin, history, production and processing, X Huang, South China Agricultural University, China, S Mitra, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India, S Subhadrabandhu, Katsetsart University, Thailand, R Ben-Arie, 2: Fruit Storage Laboratory, Israel, and R A Stern, Galilee Technology Center, Israel 3: Taxonomy, botany and plant development, S Subhadrabandhu and R A Stern 4: Propagation, S K Mitra, and P K Ray, Rajendra Agricultural University, India 5: Biotechnology, R E Litz, S Raharjo, K Matsumoto and Witjaksono, University of Florida, USA 6: Cultivars and plant improvement, C M Menzel, X Huang, and C Liu, South China Agricultural University, China 7: Flowering, T L Davenport, University of Florida, USA, and R A Stern 8: Fruit set, development and maturation, 9: Litchi, H Huang, South China Agricultural University, China 10: Longan, R A Stern 11: Fruit disorders, X Huang 12: Photosynthesis and productivity, C M Menzel 13: Plant water relations and irrigation, C M Menzel 14: Plant nutrition and fertilizing, C M Menzel 15: Pests, G K Waite 16: Diseases, L Coates, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Australia, E Zhou, South China Agricultural University, China, and C Sittigul, Chiang Mai University, Thailand 17: Harvesting and storage, D M Holcroft, Dole Fresh Vegetables, USA, H Lin, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China, and S Ketsa, Katsetsart University, Thailand