Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree indigenous to China. Records show it has been cultivated in China for over 2000 years. From this beginning, loquat has spread to more than 30 countries around the world. Grown in various regions of Asia, the Mediterranean and across the Americas, loquats suit both temperate and subtropical areas, sharing the same environmental conditions as citrus. Loquat is an increasingly commercial crop in some Asian and European countries with a good amount of international trade. Recent research has focused on improving crop yields and quality. Over 100 different varieties have been developed to meet both growers' and consumers' demands. These developments have contributed to a better understanding of the crop environment, plant growth and physiology of tree and fruit development with implications for both breeding and cultivation. This book is to be the first to provide a comprehensive coverage of the history, physiology, culture and marketing of loquat throughout the world.Table of Contents: 1: Origin, History and Production. Yuanyuan Jiang, A.AytekinPolat and Shunquan Lin 2: Taxonomy, Botany and Plant Development. Shoukai Lin, Dahe Lin, and Jincheng Wu 3: Composition and Uses. Xianghui Yang, and Ze Peng 4: Breeding and Cultivar Development. Maria L Badenes , Qigao Guo, Guolu Liang, and Manuel Blasco 5: Biotechnology. Lifen Zhang, Shoukai Lin, Jingcheng Wu, Bisha Wu and Shunquan Lin 6: Physiology: flowering, fruit set and development and ripening. Carmina Reig, Vittorio Farina, Carlos Mesejo, Amparo Martínez-Fuentes and Manuel Agustí 7: Environmental Requirements. A. Aytekin Polat 8: Propagation. A. Aytekin Polat 9: Site Selection and Orchard Establishment. A. Aytekin Polat 10: Orchard Management. A. Aytekin Polat 11: Nutrition and Fertilization. Belén Martínez-Alcántara, Julia Morales, Francisco Legaz, Esteban Soler and Ana Quiñones 12: Water Requirements and Irrigation. Julián Cuevas and Juan José Hueso 13: Physiological Disorders. Vittorio Farina, Carmina Reig and Manuel Agustí 14: Pests. Hailan Lin and Jincheng Wu 15: Diseases. Shiwei Ma, Shunquan Lin, Josep Armengol and Elisa González-Dominguez 16: Postharvest Physiology and Storage. Sisir Mitra