SummaryExperiments were done in orchards near water canals, in the foothills and in a submontane area. The amount of fruit set in inflorescences open to insect visitors (0·71–11·25%) and in inflorescences caged against insects (0·26–0·105%) indicated that litchi is highly self-sterile, and that insect pollination is necessary for a fruit crop. Counts of insect visitors to the flowers showed that Apoidea (Apis spp. and Melipona spp.) comprised 98–99 % of the total. Most visits were made between 06.30 and 12.00 hr; other authors have reported that dehiscence in litchi flowers mostly occurs between 07.00 and 12.00 hr.
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Pandey et al. (1970) studied this question.