International Journal of Horticulture, 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 228-234 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 231 Differences were also recorded in aril colour, varying from grayish white and creamy white to dirty creamy white among the evaluated cultivars. Table 2 Seed morphological characteristics of seven litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cultivars evaluated in Sarlahi, Nepal Varieties Seed color Seed shape Seed size Aril color Shahi Dark chocolate Elliptic oblong Medium Grayish white China Light brown Oblong medium Creamy White Seedless Dirty chocolate Elliptic oval Small Creamy Early Large Red Light brown Elliptic oblong Medium Grayish Calcuttia Dark chocolate Elliptic oblong Large Dirty creamy white Muzaffarpur Dark chocolate Elliptic oblong Large Creamy Bombai Light brown Elliptic oblong Medium Creamy 3.3 Fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight Fruit length, fruit width, and fruit weight differed significantly among the evaluated cultivars (Table 3). Fruit length ranged from 3.25 to 3.64 cm. Early Large Red recorded the greatest fruit length (3.64 cm), which was statistically comparable with China (3.61 cm) and Muzaffarpur (3.60 cm), whereas Bombai produced the shortest fruits (3.25 cm). Fruit width varied significantly from 2.90 to 3.30 cm. China exhibited the highest fruit width (3.30 cm), followed by Bombai (3.17 cm) and Seedless (3.16 cm), while Shahi recorded the lowest value (2.90 cm). Fruit weight also differed significantly among cultivars, ranging from 18.85 to 23.10 g. Seedless produced the heaviest fruits (23.10 g), followed by China (21.96 g), whereas Shahi recorded the lowest fruit weight (18.85 g). Table 3 Fruit length, fruit width, and fruit weight of seven litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cultivars evaluated in Sarlahi, Nepal Varieties Fruit length (cm) Fruit width (cm) Fruit weight (g) Shahi 3.42ab 2.90c 18.85c China 3.61a 3.30a 21.96ab Seedless 3.44ab 3.16ab 23.10a Early Large Red 3.64a 3.02bc 19.85bc Calcuttia 3.44ab 3.09bc 20.73abc Muzaffarpur 3.60a 2.95c 19.20c Bombai 3.25b 3.17ab 19.71bc f-probability * ** * CV% 4.3 3.8 8.2 GrandMean 3.49 3.08 20.49 Note: *, **, *** represent significance at 5%, 1% and 0.1% respectively. Means followed by the same letter within a column are not significantly different according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at p≤0.05 3.4 Pericarp weight, aril weight, seed length, seed width and seed weight Pericarp weight, aril weight, seed length, seed width, seed weight, and total soluble solids (TSS) differed significantly among the evaluated cultivars (Table 4). Pericarp weight ranged from 1.38 to 3.58 g. Muzaffarpur recorded the highest pericarp weight (3.58 g), followed by Bombai (2.68 g), whereas Shahi exhibited the lowest value (1.38 g). Aril weight ranged from 10.72 to 15.14 g. Seedless produced the highest aril weight (15.14 g), followed by Calcuttia (13.24 g) and China (13.17 g), whereas Muzaffarpur recorded the lowest aril weight (10.72 g). Significant differences were also observed in seed dimensions. Muzaffarpur produced the longest seeds (2.79 cm), while Seedless recorded the shortest seed length (1.85 cm). Seed width ranged from 1.04 to 1.70 cm, with Bombai
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