Philippine Panorama, Agri-Talk

     Of course, there are some people who don't mind paying such an exorbitant price. Some of them are gift-givers who want to impress their recipients.

     At any rate, here some updates on Longkong which could guide local growers. Dr. Pablito P. Pamplona of the University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, Cotabato, has been undertaking trips to observe fruit farms in Thailand and Malaysia where this fruit trees is grown commercially.

Dr. Pamplona reports that not all Longkong trees produce superior fruits. There are cultivars that are really superior in eating quality and there are those that are of poor quality.

     It is easy to spot the trees that are superior when they are already fruiting. They produce big clusters of fruits that are compact, each cluster weighing one to three kilos. The fruits are pear-shaped with very translucent flesh. On the other hand, the inferior Longkong produces clusters that are loose and which are not sweet. There are actually two type of interior Longkong in Thailand. One has watery fruits and is called "mae". The other type produces sour fruits almost like the local Jolo lanzones and is called "kalamae".

     The best Longkong, according to Dr. Pamplona, originated from the Sepo district of Narathiwat province in Southern Thailand. Fortunately, Dr. Pamplona has brought to the Philippines the right variety which he is now propagating in Mindanao. The variety he introduced is also now being propagated in big number in Luzon by Bernie Dizon who has just obtained a new propagation area in Candelaria, Quezon.

     Meanwhile, here are the latest recommendations of Dr. Pamplona on the growing of Longkong. Like the ordinary lanzones, Longkong thrives in lowland tropical climate from sea level to 600 meters above sea level. In Malaysia, he said, it is also grown at higher elevations but the trees have a longer juvenile period and the fruits tend to have more seeds that are also bigger. Ordinarily, Longkong fruits have one small seed each which is a very desirable trait as far as consumers are concerned.

     Dr. Pamplona stresses that Longkong requires partial shading even at mature stage, especially at low elevation. It has been observed, however, that Longkong grows well as solo crop in the high elevation of Perak, Malaysia and near the foot of Mt. Apo and Mt. Matumtum in Mindanao.

     He says that the most common intercrops used to provide shade are durian and rambutan in Thailand. In Malaysia, coconut is the usual shade crop. The latest trend, he adds, is the use of aromatic coconut (Pandan variety) for growing with Longkong. This is a wise choice because the aromatic coconut produces small fruits that are highly valued for their sweet water and meat. In the Philippines, there are already a few plantings of the aromatic coconut. One propagator is Ven Gallego of Davao City.

     Dr. Pamplona recommends the use of large planting materials in establishing a Longkong plantation. Shade plants such as coconut, durian, rambutan and others may be established ahead. Otherwise, if Longkong has to be established at the same time with the above crops, bananas should also be intercropped to provide the necessary shade.

     The ideal growing area for Longkong, Dr. Pamplona says, is one where there's an annual rainfall of 2,000 to 4,000 millimeter a year and with a dry period of at least two months. The dry period is needed to trigger flowering. After a dry spell, rain or irrigation will induce flowering.

     The recommended distance of planting is 6m x 6m for a population of 300 trees per hectare. However, if the plantation is intercropped with 50 durian trees, the Longkong population would be only 200 per hectare. The planting hole of large planting materials should be about 60 cm deep and 60 cm wide.