Domestication of Docynia indica in Vietnam

ABSTRACT Docynia indica is a tree indigenous to South and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam its fruits are used in the production of juice, tea, syrup, vinegar and wine. In 2012 commercial harvesting from about 3,000 ha of natural stands and planted orchards in the three main growing provinces in Northern Vietnam yielded 6,500 tonnes of fruit. Since then plantations have expanded rapidly, using unimproved local seed sources. From a biological perspective, domestication is straightforward. Seedlings are easily raised and grafting scion material from selected trees onto seedling rootstocks and by top working established trees results in excellent long-term graft retention. Grafted trees yielded heavy fruit crops within three years of planting. Evaluation of the fruit quality of eleven selected clones and eight unselected control trees by a panel of 19 experienced farmers and fruit traders revealed significant differences among individual clones and controls in perceived fruit quality score and estimated fruit selling price, but no overall advantage of the clones over the controls. Future selection and clonal testing should be led by farmers and fruit harvesters, and focus on trees known to yield the highest-value fruits. Development and strengthening of markets is a prerequisite for profitable expansion of D. indica growing.