ORANGE/CITRUS CULTIVATION(Full Guide)

INTRODUCTION

in this article, I’m going to tell you about ORANGE/CITRUS CULTIVATION. Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes

Scientific classification

• Kingdom:  Plantae
• Order:  Sapindales
• Family:  Rutaceae
• Genus:   Citrus

IMPORTANCE OF CITRUS

• It has antioxidants due to the high content of vitamin c.
• It has developed immunity in our body and many diseases.
• Orange juice is an ideal solution for fever.
• A citrus drink before meals will help increase appetite.
• Citrus fruits help reduce the risk of stomach cancer.
• Citrus fruits are low in calories.
• Citrus fruits help to fight cold.
• Support proper digestion.                     

RECOMMENDED VARIETIES

1.   LEMON  
   1.  The Commonly grown in – Eureka, Lisbon and Meyer
   1.  Lemon has a mild, less acidic flavour and smoother skin but does not bear summer crops
2.  ORANGE
   1.  Harvested from – late May through to November
   1.  Orange has many medicinal properties.
3.    MANDARIN
   •  Thin-skinned mandarin varieties are particularly susceptible to Mediterranean fruit fly and control of this pest is essential for a successful crop.
4. GRAPEFRUIT
5. TANGELOS
6. LIME
7. CUMQUAT
8. MULTI GRAFT & DWARF

SOIL & CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT

• Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia.
• the best area to grow citrus fruits are dry &  cool areas with higher elevation.
• The soil medium in the field should be sandy with good drainage.
• pH level of 5.5 to 7.0  and low salinity suitable.   

	UREA	TSP	MOP
BD	80g	100g	45g
TD1 (1YAP)	100g	120g	20g
TD2 (2YAP)	150g	150g	30g
TD3 (3YAP)	200g	180g	40g

• In addition to that apply Zinc, Magnesium and Boron.
• Apply this fertilizer once in 04 months from the first year.

FIELD ESTABLISHMENT & CULTURAL PRACTICES

FIELD PLANTING

• Spacing in dwarf citrus trees –  6 to 10 feet apart from

                                           other trees –  12 to 25 feet apart

• The length, width and depth is 75 cm*75cm* 75cm of the planting hole.
• Then it has to be exposed for 4 – 5 days.
• Then hole needs to be filled mixing organic manure & topsoil.

 IRRIGATION

• Water once a week during the dry season.
• By the time the trees are about two years old, flowering requires About a month of drying before the onset of the rainy season. Stop the watering at this time

PRUNING AND TRAINING

Pruning is one of the most important aspects of ORANGE/CITRUS CULTIVATION

Remove water suckers and died branches

PLANTING MATERIALS

1. By seeds
2. By budded seedlings
3. By grafted seedlings

METHODS OF PROPAGATION

1. Sexually propagation
2. Vegetative propagation
   • Budding – Downward T, Chip budding
   • Grafting – Wedge graft, Side graft
3. Rough lemon, Nas Narang, Philippine red lime, Wood apple can use as rootstock.
4. The use of wood apple as a rootstock is most effective in the dry zone.
5. Orange, Lime, Narang can use as scion.

PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT

PESTS

 

 DISEASES

     HARVESTING

Harvesting is another important aspect of ORANGE/CITRUS CULTIVATION. By not doing this properly the quality and value of the harvest may be reduced

• When the fruits turn yellow, can be harvested by using a secateurs.
•  In large scale cultivations, machine harvesting is done.

       POST HARVESTING

Read My another article about How to Grow Strawberries from Seeds at Home