ADA JAMIR (Citrus assamensis)

Synonym: Citrus pennivesiculata var.assamensis. Other name: Soh-sying Ada jamir is a minor citrus fruit occurring North East India. It is found in Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya and North Cachar area of Assam. One can even see it growing in home gardens there. It is a small to medium sized tree, 4.5 to 7.5 m tall and moderately branched and thorny. The rind of ada jamir fruits has a typical aromatic flavour somewhat similar to Eucalyptus. The fruits are highly valued locally for that. The juice is very sour. The fruit can be planted in gardens elsewhere due to the unique aroma of its rind.

KAGHZI LIME (Citrus aurantifolia)

Other names: Nimbu, khatta nimbu. Kaghzi lime is the most commonly used acid citrus fruit in India. It is believed to have been originated in India. The fruit is cut into two halves and it is squeezed on every item of food e.g. salads, fried snacks, mixed fruit chats, fried and tandoor (a clay oven used in India) made dishes of mutton, chicken and fish. Nimbu paani (nimbu=lime. Paani=water) is the simplest but one of most refreshing drinks served in India even during months. Nimbu pickle is rated one of the best pickles in India and there are scores of recipes for it. Lime squash, which the manufacturing companies claim to have made from kaghzi lime only. Kaghzi lime is grown all over India. The demand for the fruits is round the year and during lean season, these small fruits sell at quite good price. Description: Kaghzi lime is an armed, straggling shrub or tree 2-3 m in height, thorns upto 5 mm long; branches drooping, light green when young; leaves elliptic oval, crenate, obtuse, petiole winged; flowers small, glomerate, white or pink in lax axillary racemes.

Kaghzi lime fruits

Kaghzi limes being sold at Mandi, India

Fruits greenish yellow, round to oval, frequently papillate, rind very thin (1-3 mm), paper like, smooth, aromatic, oil glands conspicuous, pulp greenish yellow, acidic, juice sacs mall, slender pointed; seeds small, oval pointed. Cultivation: Kaghzi lime is mostly propagated by seed. But it can also be multiplied vegetatively from cuttings, air layering and by budding. While budding, rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri) seedlings are used as a rootstock.. There are no established varieties though variation in tree and fruit characteristics does exist. Many nurseries, however, sell named varieties and these plants are usually propagated by budding. There are some advantages in the budded plants. These remain relatively smaller in size, come into bearing earlier and are much less thorny. The trees are planted at 7x7 metres. The bearing starts from the third year in budded trees. They attain full size after six years. The trees have to be looked after like other commercially planted citrus fruit trees. Kaghzi lime is relative more susceptible to citrus canker. Therefore special measures have to be taken against this disease. Medicinal value: Kaghzi lime has been very much revered in Ayurveda for its useful effects on body. It is said to be an appetitiser, stomachic, anthelmintic; cures abdominal complaints; removes diseases due to tridosha, loss of appetite, constipation, fatigue; good in kapha and biliousness, abdominal pain, and foul breath; relieves vomiting and good for eyes. It is also believed to be powerfully refrigerant and antiseptic.

SADAPHAL (Citrus aurantium var. karna)

A sadaphal tree in bearing

Synonym: Citrus aurantium var. karma Other names: gambhru khatta, kharna khatta. Sadaphal is a native of India. It grows all over India upto an elevation of 1000 m. Sadaphal is a thorny spreading tree, 4.5-6 m in height; leaves ovate or ovate oblong, 6.5-9.5 cm long and 4.5-5.5 cm broad; margin serrulate, articulated, petioles prominently winged; flowers tinged with red or purple. Fruits variable, large ovate oblong, broadly mamillate, occasionally almost obtuse, 9-12 cm long, 8-11 cm in diameter, orange coloured, rind rough and irregular, thick, brittle, sweet, strongly adhering, core open at maturity, vesicles orange coloured, very juicy, sour, melting; seeds many, cotyledons white, moderately polyembryonic. Some botanists believe sadaphal to be natural hybrid between sour orange and lemon. This is widely used as a rootstock for mandarin orange in many parts of India. Sadaphal is grown in home as well as gardens.

A sadaphal fruit on tree

Sadaphal fruits

Sadaphal is edible. In fact it is the rind which is liked. It tastes mildly sweet. To eat a sadaphal fruit, it is thinly peeled with a sharp knife and the yellow part of the peel is removed. Then the fruit is cored and most vesicles are taken out. Spices are pasted on the inner surface. A few drops of oil are put on a burning piece of charcoal and the smoking charcoal is then put into the cored and marinated fruit and th fruit is closed for some 30-40 seconds. This imparts a characteristic flavour to the fruit which is then cut into mall pieces and eaten. This preparation is very popular with women who have a sadaphal party while basking in sun during winter days. A pickle which has its own peculiar flavour is also prepared from sadaphal fruits.

AUSTRALIAN FINGER LIME

(Citrus australasica)

A tree of Australian finger lime

Family: Rutaceae Synonym: Microcitrus austarlisica Other names: Australian finger lime is a native of Australia. It grows wild in the wet sclerophyl forests in northern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland. Now it is being developed as an orchard fruit and is therefore reaching other parts of the world too.

Developing fruits and flowers of Australian finger lime

This fruit has a very wide genetic diversity in fruit size, colour, shape and even in fruiting season. Description: An evergreen tree, 2-7 m high. Leaves small, 1-6 cm long, 3-25 cm wide, glabrous,with a notched tip and crenate towards the apex. Flowers white, petals 6-9 mm long. Fruit cylindrical, 4-8 cm long, sometimes slightly curved, coming in many colours including pink and green, pulp colour varies from green, yellow, pink, light red through to deep magenta.

Fruits of Australian finger lime

Coloured vesicles of Auistralian finger lime fruits

Utilization: The globular vesicles of Australian finger lime fruits are used as a garnish and added to various recipes. These can also be eaten fresh and give the effect of burst of effervescent tangy burst on chewing. The juice can be used just like lime juice. Marmalades and pickles are also made from this fruit. The peel of Australian finger fruits can be dried and used as a flavoring spice. Suggestions had been coming from Australian botanists since colonial times for the domestication of this fruit as an orchard fruit and serious efforts for this began in nineties. Cultivation: The demand for Australian finger lime is growing steadily every year and therefore its cultivation is picking up. In wild, the trees are sparsely foliated, slow growing and not good bearers. However, when cultivated and looked after well, these perform differently and become quite productive. Though the trees can grow on a wide variety of soil and climate, but the best results are obtained if the location is free from frost and the climate is also not very arid. Cultivation Australian finger lime plants do not require any special technology. These are grown like other citrus fruits. A quite wide range of varieties bearing fruits of different colours is available with nurseries. The CSIRO has also developed several Citrus hybrids by crossing the finger lime with standard Citrus species.

KAFFIR LIME (Citrus hystrix)

A tree of kaffir lime

Family: Rutaceae Other names: Limau purut, porcupine orange, Thai bai makrut Kaffir lime is a fruit of South East Asia. It is believed to have been originated in Thailand, Laos, Indonesia or Malaysia. It bears very bumpy fruits which are very aromatic. The fruits are too sour to be eaten fresh but are very widely used in the cuisine of nearly all the countries of the South East Asia. This lime has two unique characteristics. The fruits are very rough and bumpy from outside. The leaves are twin due to the presence of a large winged petiole.

Description: Evergreen thorny tree, 2.5-3 m tall, trunk and branches bearing strong and sharp spines which are upto 4 cm long. Leaves blunt-pointed, usually of medium size, 8 to 12 by 3 to 5 cm, more or less irregular at the tip and sometimes slightly emarginated; margins are more or less crenate; petiole winged, usually two-thirds to three-fourths as long as the leaf blade, broadly rounded and blunt at the base, often subtruncate at the tip, often with more or less crenate margins.

Kaffir lime flowers

Kaffir lime leaves with large winged petioles

Fruits of kaffir lime

Flowers small, stamens short, entirely free. Fruits very bumpy or tuberculate, 4 cm wide, segments 10-12, pulp-vesiccles provided with a slender very long stalk which suddenly enlarges toward the free end, forming a small round or oval body pointed at the tip, yellow at maturity.

Utilization: The fruits are not directly eaten. The aromatic rind is used and leaves are used in various dishes in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia etc. The juice and rind of this lime are widely used in traditional Indonesian medicine. So in Indonesia, kaffir lime is called jeruk obat which literally means "medicine citrus". The oil from the rind also has strong insecticidal properties. Cultivation: Kaffir lime is widely planted as a backyard tree. It is a very hardy plant and does not require any special care. New plants can be raised from seed as well as from cuttings.

ROUND KUMQUAT (Fortunella japonica)

A tree of round kumquat

Family: Rutaceae Synonyms: Citrus japonica, Citrus inermis Other names: Marumi kumquat Round kumquat is a native of China. It bears quite attractive small round fruits which can also be eaten. Therefore it is cultivated in home and other gardens all over the world as an ornamental plant. Description: Evergreen shrubs or small trees, usually 2-4 m tall, branches angular when young, rounded when older, sometimes with single axillary spines. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate, upto 7 cm long, blunt at the tip, finely toothed from the apex to middle, dark green, densely glandular-dotted, especially on the underside; petioles often narrowly winged.

Flowers of round kumquat

Round kumquat fruits

Flowers borne singly or in few-flowered clusters in axils of leaves, hermaphrodite, 5-merous, small, white, sweet scented; stamens 16 or 20(-24), cohering irregularly in bundles; stigma cavernous within because or large deep-seated oil glands. Fruit globose, 2-3 cm in diameter, style caduceus, 4-7-segmented, peel thick, fleshy, aromatic, bright orange or golden yellow. Uses: The round kumquat is a globose golden-orange fruit. The pulp is acidic, but the rind is sweet. The fruit, when eaten fresh, is eaten with its peel. Like other kumquats, this fruit is rich in vitamins A and C, and contains good levels of pectin, and is often transformed into marmalades. 100g edible portion (rind included) of round kumquat contains, water 89g, protein 0.9g, carbohydrates 5.5g, cellulose 4.1g, ash 05g. The energy value averages 290 kJ/100g. Besides being eaten raw, round kumquat fruits are also cooked and made into preserves. These are also used as flavouring. Since the fruit is rich in pectin, so it makes excellent marmalades and jellies. The plant is antiphlogistic, antivinous, carminative, deodorant, stimulant. The leaves and fruit contain an essential oil, whilst the fruit also contains sugars and organic acids. Fresh fruit is antitussive and expectorant. In Vietnam it is steamed with

sugar candy and used in the treatment of sore throats. They also consider it to be very good for infants. Cultivation: Round kumquat prefers a moderately heavy loam with a generous amount of compost and sand added and a very sunny position. Plants are sensitive to water logging[200. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, when dormant it tolerates temperatures down to about -5 C. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender. Kumquats are widely cultivated in China for their edible fruit, there are many named varieties too in that country.

ROUGH LEMON (Citrus jambhiri)

Other names: Jambiri, jambheri, jhamirdi, jatti khatti, khatti. Rough lemon is believed to have originated in India only. It is found through out India upto an altitude of 1000 metres. Tree is medium to large, spreading, and relatively less spiny. Leaves are small, light green, round faintly serrated; flowers small, faintly coloured; fruits deep yellow, with a special apical papilla and strongly developed apical cavity surrounding papilla, rough and irregular, surface adherence of rind fairly loose, core open at maturity, flesh yellow, seeds numerous. The fruit is used as a cheap substitute for kaghzi lime or galgal for pickles, garnishing, flavouring etc. The juice of rough lemon fruits, however, does not match is sharply acidic and does not match Kaghzi lime juice in flavour. Ayurvedic physicians discourage people to use fresh or raw rough lemon juice. They only approve juice concentrated by heating.

Fruits on tree

Rough lemon fruits

Rough lemon is one of major rootstocks used for citrus fruits all over the world. It has good adaptability for light sandy soils and is also fairly tolerant to salts. As a rootstock, however, it is sensitive to cold.

INDIAN SWEET LIME (Citrus limettoides)

Synomym: Ctrus limetta Local name: Mitha nimbu. This fruit is grown both commercially and as a back yard fruit in many parts of India. The fruits are mildly sweet with no acid content at all. They taste insipid. But still these are in demand. As they have no acid, so these are always the first recommendation to sick and ailing by the Indian physicians particularly to the patients of fever and jaundice. These are also reported to have a cooling effect on body. Sweet lime is a spreading tree, 3.5 to 5 m in height with an irregular growth habit. Thorns, slender upto 1.5 cm long; leaves pale green characteristically rolled or cupped, distinctly aromatic when crushed, ovate-oblong, 9.5 -12 cm x 5.7-7 cm, acute, petiolar wing margined; flowers moderately large, colourless or pure white. Fruits medium sized; globose to ellipsoid generally with low flat papilla, rind thin, with distinct aroma, smooth and glossy; albedo white, thin, soft and sweet, flesh pale yellow; seeds few (6-10), 1.2-1.6 x 7-8 mm, slightly beaked. Two forms of this fruit are generally met with. One has a very smooth and shining skin. This is more popular. Nurseries have named their own selections within this group. The other has pumello like skin. But the taste is same. Though seeds germinate readily and there is considerable existence of polyembrony too in sweet lime, but still people prefer to plant asexually raised plants budded on rough lemon seedlings. Indian sweet lime is a quite prolific bearer. The fruits start ripening 8-10 weeks before oranges and there is always a market for this fruit.

RANGPUR LIME (Citrus limonia)

A tree of Rangpur lime

Other names: Canton lemon, Kona lime, Kusai lime, mandarin lime, cravo lemon, marmalade orange, surkh nimbu, Sylhet lime. Origin: Northwest India Introduction Often called a mandarin lime or local lemon in Hawaii, the fruit is a naturally occurring hybrid between lemon and mandarin orange (tangerine). A medium sized citrus tree often confused with a tangerine or other citrus on first glance. The fruit is polyembryonic and usually reproduces true to seed. A popular rootstock in many citrus growing locations, the tree evolved in Hawaii as an ornamental, often when the top graft died off. The spreading and drooping branches have dull green foliage with an occasional purple tint on new growth. It can reach a height of 20 feet. Numbers and size of thorns vary from tree to tree with some trees being almost thornless. The fruit rind is orange to reddish orange with minutely pitted moderately loose skin with oil glands and a lime like aroma. Highly acidic and very juicy, the fruit has 8 to 10 segments with numerous seeds and is slightly hollow in the center.

Rangpur lime is reportedly introduced to Hawaii in the 1880s, the fruit has acclimated to Hawaiis volcanic well drained soil. Having been used for culinary purposes since the early 1920s, the trees have been maintained for their fruit rather than their use as a rootstock. The juice from the fruit has also been used for cleaning dishes and glass. With the possible exception of India, which exports Rangpur lime marmalade to England, the fruit has found a growing following on the Big Island and arguably deserves to be called Kona lime. Further selection work to determine specific cultivars for Hawaii is recommended. Varieties There are few reported cultivars of Rangpur as most trees are produced from seed. There are occasional differences in the color and nature of the rind, numbers of seeds and the amount and size of thorns. There are two other mandarin limes often categorized with Rangpur, the kusaie lime, a yellow colored highly acidic form of the Rangpur and the Otaheite Rangpur, an acidless form of the fruit. Citrolima, is a cultivar with larger leaves and vigorous growth often used in Brazil as a rootstock for Valencia oranges.

Rangpur lime fruits

Environment The Rangpur, as with most citrus, prefers well-drained soil. In the Kona district the tree is found from sea level to 3000-foot elevation. It is tolerant of colder areas and should do well at much higher elevations given sufficient rainfall and nutrition. Spacing is consistent with other citrus, usually planted 15 to 20 feet apart or about 100 trees per acre. Seedlings will produce fruit in 4 to 6 years reaching full

production in 7 to 10 years. The trees can be grown and will fruit in pots. When root bound in large tubs, they will naturally dwarf. The tree is more tolerant of salt and high pH than many citrus. It is resistant to a number of diseases making it the rootstock of choice in large citrus producing areas in Brazil. The tree requires irrigation in periods of extended drought but will not tolerate being waterlogged. Culture Young trees are pruned to establish shape, which facilitates harvesting and increases yields on mature trees. Annual pruning to maintain a desired height of 6 to 8 feet and to thin new growth and remove dead wood is advisable. Increased yields can be obtained by pruning to open the trees interior to light and air circulation. Flowering and fruiting occurs on 2-year growth. Pests and Diseases A common problem for most citrus in Hawaii is the citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton. Damage to new growth and developing fruit can be extensive with the insect tunneling just under the surface of the leaves or skin of the fruit. Control of the leafminer by a parasitic wasp, also found in Hawaii, Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya, helps minimize damage. Spiders, flower bug, Orius insidiosus, ladybugs, fire ants and the lacewing, Chrysoperla rufilabris also help to keep the leafminer in check. Petroleum sprays help to inhibit egg laying but need to be repeated every 2 weeks when the plant flushes. Foot rot and root rot from Phytophthora sp can be a problem with Rangpur. Good soil drainage is important to prevent rot from occurring. Over watering and wetting of the trunk will promote the spread of this fungus. Citrus black fly, Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby, damage citrus trees by sucking the sap, which removes water and nutrients. The excretion is small droplets of honeydew on which grows the sooty mold fungus. The sooty mold causes a reduction of photosynthesis that causes a general decline of plant health and reduction of fruiting. Parasitic wasps were released in 2000, which have helped to control the pest. Neem oil and other sprays help to limit infestation. Once a tree is infected it is important to make sure it has enough water and additional fertilizer to replenish lost nutrients. Fruit flies are not a major problem for the Rangpur Kona Lime but it is advisable to follow the Hawaii Areawide Fruit Fly Pest Management Program (HAWFLYPM).

Citrus tristeza virus is not a major problem for the Rangpur Kona lime as it is naturally resistant. Other resistant root stocks like the mandarin Heen Naran, or Cleopatra can be used for the lime or other citrus. Propagation The Rangpur lime tree is generally propagated by seed but can be grafted. Trees with few thorns or those that are especially prolific producers can be grafted onto a rangpur or other citrus rootstock like the rough skinned lemon, Citrus jambhiri, Heen Naran or trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata Raf. Rangpur can co-exist with other citrus on the same rootstock. On a South Kona tree, Rangpur lime, Meyer lemon, and tangelo all produce fruit on the same tree. Harvesting and Yield The fruit is harvested when orange colored. A mature 7-foot well-pruned tree can produce 100 fruit or more per season and yield an average of 50 pounds of fruit. Older trees that have not been pruned can yield 300 to 400 fruit but harvesting is difficult and time consuming due the excessive height and numerous thorns. Postharvest Quality As with most citrus, Rangpur limes can be stored from 36 to 39 degrees F. for up to 5 months. A wax coating will lengthen the time they can be stored, often up to 10 months. Frozen juice can be stored for future use. Cost of Production The two project Rangpur lime trees produced an average annual marketable yield of 83.1 pounds. The average market price was $0.60 per pound, and therefore the trees generated gross revenue of $99.75 for the year. Growing costs (fertilization, irrigation, pruning and all weed and pest control) amounted to $80.26, and harvesting costs (picking, packing and delivery to market) totaled $23.06. (All labor to grow and harvest the Rangpur limes was assumed to be paid at an hourly wage rate of $16.00, including withholding, FICA and benefits.) Thus, the total annual operating costs, sometimes referred to as variable costs, were $103.32. The gross margin (gross revenue minus all operating costs) was a negative $3.57. The Rangpur lime gross margin is the amount of money available to pay all the ownership costs associated with the Rangpur lime enterprise. Ownership costs, sometimes referred to as fixed costs, include the value of land used (rent or rent

equivalent or mortgage and property taxes), the value of the capital investment (such as the tree establishment cost and buildings and vehicles), the value of the management, and the value of any unpaid labor. (All paid labor is already included in the gross margin.) Ownership costs, unlike operating costs, will vary substantially from farm to farm and will depend largely on how the farming operation is financed and on economies of scale. Each grower will have to calculate his total farm ownership costs and then allocate an appropriate portion of these costs to each enterprise on the farm. Now the profitability of the Rangpur lime enterprise can be determined by subtracting the Rangpur lime enterprises share of the total ownership costs from the gross margin for Rangpur limes. The cost and return data are what was obtained from the 12 Trees Project site and other locations. Yields and costs were based on optimal growing conditions for one or more trees at various locations; different results will be obtained under different growing conditions. The prices used were actually obtained in 2005 and 2006. There is no guarantee that these prices will continue, especially if production increases significantly. These costs and returns are simply a starting point for growers to make their own estimates. Packaging, Pricing and Marketing Fresh fruit sold to markets in South Kona are boxed in 10-pound packages and wholesaled for 50 cents per pound. The markets found that consumers often confused the fruit with tangerines regardless of signage that promoted the unusual locally grown fruit. Packaging of 5 fruit in a vented plastic bag was then used. Hotels and restaurants order the fruit by weight, sometimes as much as 50 pounds at a time. Individual fruit, with an average weight of 7 ounces, are sold at farm stands for 50 cents each. In order to interest other hotel and restaurant chefs in the fruit, samples were sent to 10 Big Island chefs who had not previously ordered the fruit from wholesalers. Sample recipes created by students at the Hawaii Community College West Hawaii Culinary Arts Program as well as nutritional information were sent with the fruit. Seven of the ten chefs have continued to order the fruit for a year after receiving the first samples.
Food Uses and Nutrition Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion Moisture Energy Protein Fat Fiber 88.7-90.86 g 24-25 kcal 0.053-0.112 g 0.01-0.17 g 0.1-0.5 g

Carbohydrate 8.33-10g Ash 0.25-0.40 g Calcium 4.5-33.3 mg Phosphorus 9-21.0 mg Potassium 82 mg Sodium 4 mg Iron 0.11-0.33 mg Vitamin A 0.003-0.040 mg Thiamine 0.019-0.068 mg Riboflavin 0.011-0.034 mg Niacin 0.14-0.25 mg Ascorbic Acid 25.10-48.7 mg

Health benefits- All citrus contain healthy amounts of Vitamin C that helps to manufacture the bodys collagen that helps heal cuts or wounds. The zest from limes and other citrus also contains compounds that can block cancerous cell changes. Limonene in the zest can increase the level of liver enzymes that fight cancer-causing chemicals.

CITRON (Citrus medica)

A young bearing tree of fingered citron.

Citron is believed to be the first cultivated citrus fruit. Records in literature indicate that citron was planted in gardens of the Mediterranean region as early as in 4000 BC. There no unanimity of opinion about the origin of this fruit. Description: Citron is a shrub or small tree reaching 8 to 15 ft (2.4-4.5 m) high with stiff branches and stiff twigs and short or long spines in the leaf axils. The leaflets are evergreen, lemon-scented, ovate-lanceolate or ovate elliptic, 2 1/2 to 7 in (6.25-18 cm) long; leathery, with short, wingless or nearly wingless petioles; the flower buds are large and white or purplish; the fragrant flowers about 1 1/2 in (4 cm) wide, in short clusters, are mostly perfect but some male because of pistil abortion; 4- to 5-petalled, often pinkish or purplish on the outside, with 30 to 60 stamens. Fruit is highly fragrant, mostly oblong, obovoid or oval, occasionally pyriform, but highly variable; various shapes and smooth or rough fruits sometimes occurring on the same branch; one form is deeply divided from the apex into slender sections; frequently there is a protruding style; size also varies greatly from 3 1/2 to 9 in or even 1 ft (9-22.8 or 30 cm) long;

Fingered citron or Budha,s hand

Common Bajoori citron from Noth West India

Peel is yellow when fully ripe; usually rough and bumpy but sometimes smooth; mostly very thick, fleshy, tightly clinging; pulp pale-yellow or greenish divided into as many as 14 or 15 segments, firm, not very juicy, acid or sweet; contains numerous monoembryonic seeds, ovoid, smooth, white within. Uses: The peel is candied and used in a variety of desserts. The pulp can be eaten, but is often too acidic for many people. The fruit plays role in the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles.

Cultivation: Citron is not a very climate specific fruit and can grow both in subtropical and tropical environments. For getting marketable fruits of attractive quality, irrigation will be needed in summer as well as winter months. Citron trees do not like standing water. Varieties: Broadly, citrons fall under two basic categories, the ordinary type and the fingered type also called sometimes as Budhas Hand. The ordinary type can further be categorized into two types. One has sour pulp. This type is called a Bajoori in North West India. The other type has acidless pulp. This is known called Amritphal in North West India. In Mediterranean region, the acidic varieties include the Florentine and Diamante Citron from Italy, the Green Citron, the Balady Citron from Palestine. The sweet varieties of this area include the Corsican and Moroccan.

AMILBED (Citrus megaloxycarpa)

Amilbed fruits

Synonym: Citrus grandis var. megaloxycarpa English name: Sour pumello Amilbed is a citrus fruit native to India. It mostly grows in the Assam region of the Eastern India. The fruits are esteemed in medicine. It has been rated as the sourest citrus fruit in Indian folklore. They say that if a needle is inserted into an amilbed, it gets dissolved after a few minutes in its sour juice. Amilbed is a medium sized hardy and vigorous tree up to 4.7 m in height with upright and spreading, round and compact crown. Trunk is 17 cm in diameter, bark iron grey with straight thorns; leaflets broadly elliptic to ovate oblong, serrate, obtuse, broadly cunceate base, scented; petiole 0.6 -1.5 cm long, narrowly winged, distinctly articulate, flowers highly fragrant, in clusters of 4-12, mostly terminal, creamy white. The fruits are oblong ovate, lemon yellow, rough, coarse, apex rounded to slightly nipples, base slightly depressed, rind 1.8-2.3 cm thick, strongly adhering, pulp

light yellow and coarse, vesicles spindle shaped to cylindrical, loosely packed, seeds many, yellowish white, ovate conical. These weigh from 400 700 g. This fruit is not cultivated on commercial scale but is grown in homes and gardens just for the sake of curiosity and collection. Several cultivars of amilbed viz. Bor tenga, Hukma-tenga, Holong-tenga and Jamir-tenga exist there in Assam.

CALAMONDIN (Citrus madurensis)

A eighteen years old calamondin tree on ground

Family: Rutaceae Synonyms: Citrus microcarpa, Citrus mitis. Other names: China orange, hazaara.

Calamondin is popularly called hazaara, in North India because of bearing a very large number of very small orange shaped fruits around the whole periphery plant, which is also quite small in size. Hazaar in India means a thousand. So the name hazaara signifies its unusually large bearing which makes a calamondin plant, whether planted in ground or in pot a very ornamental plant. The main, rather the only use of calamondin is as an ornamental plant. It is an attractive dense topped plant. Leaves are broadly oval, dark green above and paler below, petioles narrowly winged, articulated. Flowers are small, white fragrant, borne singly or in pairs.

The fruits are small, 2.5 to 3 cm wide, sub-globose or oblate to spherical or oblate to spherical, bright orange with depressed apex and juicy. These taste too sour to eaten without adding sugar. Calamondin is on of the hardiest edible citrus fruits and is also as cold hardy as Citrus pseudolimon. In fact, it performs better as a pot plant under relatively colder situations.

A potted plant

Assorted fruits

GAJANIMMA (Citrus penivesiculata)

Family: Rutaceae Other names: Attarai, badagapulli, baduvapulli. Gajanimma is a citrus fruit native of India. It grows mostly wild in Suth India and the southern parts of the Central India. It tastes sour because of the high acid content though the juice also contains some sugars. Description: A vigorous hardy, medium to large thorny tree, more or less confined to South India; Leaves medium thick, shiny, petioles with medium sized wings. Flowers purple, not scented. Fruits large, mamillate, less warty, pulp greenish yellow, juice sacks having opaque dot, arranged in herringbone fashion.

Utilization: The fruit is used as a souring agent like lemons in South Indian dishes. Gajanimma rind has an aroma something similar to Eucalyptus or ginger. These are therefore also used for pickling in South India. Gajanimma was tried as a rootstock for citrus fruits but the combination did not turn out to be successful. It is susceptible to gummosis. Cultivation: Gajanimma is propagated by seed. The trees are planted in home gardens or also sometimes in big gardens as specimen.

GALGAL (Citrus pseudolimon)

Family: Rutaceae English name: Hill lemon, Kumaon lemon. Galgal is found in semi-wild state in the North West Indian hill states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It is indigenous to India. Galgal is also cultivated on a limitd extent. Galgal is a medium sized tree, 5-6.5 m tall, with an irregular and loose crown and a trunk 28 cm in diameter. Bark smooth, green, thorns numerous, stout, upto 2.3 cm log; petioles; petioles 1-2 cm long and 0.3-0.4 cm wide, marginally winged, distinctly articulated; leaflets broadly elliptic-ovate to oblong, 9.5-15.5 cm, crenate, base cunceate-rounded, obtuse-acute to blunt or pointed; flowers in clusters of 4-9, seldom solitary, terminal or axillary, mildly fragrant. Fruits ovate-oblong, yellow, 10-11.5 cm in diameter, weight 400 500 g, apex slightly nippled, rind 0.6-0.8 cm thick, strongly adhering, segments 8-10, pulp light yellow, coarse, vesicles cylindrical, fusiform, loosely packed, seeds 28-59, light yellow, conical ovate with prominent ridges and smooth surface.

Special feature: Galgal is probably the most cold hardy lemon. It can even be seen growing in low altitude apple orchards. It can withstand temperature upto 25 F. Uses: The main use of Galgal fruits is pickle. Galgal pickle is very popular in North India and there exists a sizeable trade in it. Villagers concentrate galgal juice by heating. This juice, which is called chukh in local dialect, is then stored in glass bottles and is then used later in the season. Juice of galgal is also used as a souring agent in many food preparations. Many unscrupulous traders use galgal juice as a cheap substitute for more expensive kaghzi lime (Citrus aurantifolia) juice while preparing lime squashes. Propagation and culture: Galgal is propagated by seed only. There ar no varieties. The trees should be planted 4.5 metres apart. The young plants are susceptible to citrus canker and citrus leaf minor. Measures should therefore be taken against these.

Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)

Mandarin fruits on tree

Family: Rutaceae Mandarin orange is the most common among citrus fruits grown in India. It occupies nearly 50% of the total citrus area in India. Though, it is grown in every state, certain belts/ pockets have emerged as the leading producers. Nagpur Sangtra (mandarin) is chiefly grown in Satpura hills (Vidarbha region) of central India. Hilly slopes of Darjeeling (West Bengal) and Coorg (Karnataka) are other major belts or mandarin production. In north western India, Kinnow mandarin is being grown satisfactorily in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. In South India, Wynad, Nilgiri, Palney and Shevroj hills are major mandarin growing belts, while hills of Meghalaya (Khashi, Dusha, Garo, Jaintia), Mizorum, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have predominance in mandarins. In Assam, Brahmaputra valley and Dibrugarh districts are famous for mandarin production. Climate and soil Mandarins grow successfully in all frost free tropical and subtropical regions of the country. They are adapted well to sub mountainous tracts 370-1,500 m above mean

sea level and temperature 10-35 C. In Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is grown in humid regions of Coorg, Wynad, Nilgiri and Shevroy hills. In these regions, mandarin is not grown as a pure crop but is intercropped with coffee. In north eastern India, climate favours the production of excellent color and quality mandarins. The areas around Nagpur, with an elevation of 370 m and annual rain fall of 100-120 C provides and excellent climate for the cultivation of world famous Nagpur mandarin. Kinnow appears to be very exacting in its climatic requirements. It needs sharply contrasting warm cool temperature with a chilling temperature during winter for good cropping and high quality fruits. Kinnow has adapted well in Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan and foothills of Himachal Pradesh. Though Kinnow has completely failed in humid tropics of Andhra Pradesh (Tirupathi), it performs exceedingly well in Nagpur and Akola regions of Maharashtra, where it attains very good fruit quality comparable to that of Nagpur mandarin. Hot winds and excessive heat during flowering and fruit set are highly detrimental for fruit bearing and cause fruit drop and sunburn of the fruit. Low humidity favors colour development, whereas plants not having adequate sunlight produce low yields of poor quality fruits. The mandarins may be grown in a wide variety of soils but medium or light loamy soils with slightly heavy sub soil, well drained with pH of 6.0 -8.0 are ideal. In Nagpur area, mandarins are grown on typical black clay soil which cracks on drying. These soils are very shallow and are under laid with a porous subsoil of murrum. In Coorg and Wynad tracts of south India, mandarin flourishes sell in deep, well drained, black and red loamy soils. In Assam, mandarin is grown in valley land where soils are lateritic type of sandy loam with pH of 4.5 -6.0. In Punjab and its adjoining states, Kinnow is grown on alluvial soils with pH of 5.0- 9.0. In Himachal Pradesh, Kinnow and Desi Santra (mandarin) are grown chiefly in acidic literate soils (pH 5.5-6.0). In India, specific cultivars of mandarins are cultivated in different regions. For example, Coorg mandarin is typical to Coorg and Wynad regions or Karnataka, whereas Nagpur mandarin is ideally suited of Vidarbha region. Similarly, Darjeeling mandarin, Khasi and Sumithra mandarins are basically adapted to Darjeeling, Khasi hills and Assam respectively. Of many exotic introductions, Kinnow mandarin has acclimatized very well in semi arid irrigated zones of Punjab and its adjoining states, and in Nagpur and Akola regions of Maharashtra.

Important characteristics of some of the mandarins cultivated in India are: Coorg The most important commercial variety in south India, it is particularly grown on a large scale in Coorg and Wynad tracts. The trees are very vigorous and upright with compact foliage, sparingly spinous. Fruits medium to large, bright orange in color, oblate to globose in shape, base necked or depressed, rind thin to medium thick, easily peeled, segments 9-11; juice abundant; seeds 14-30, matures during February- March. Khasi Khasi is a commercially grown variety of mandarin in Assam, Meghalaya and north eastern states. It is locally known as Sikkim or Kamala mandarin. Its trees are medium to large with erect habit, dense foliage, both thorny and thorn less. Fruits depressed, globose to ovate, orange- yellow to bright orange, surface smooth, base even, occasionally short-necked, segments 8-10; abundantly juicy, juice orange colored; seeds 9-25. Nagpur Occupying a premier position among Indian mandarins, it is one of the finest mandarins grown in the world. It is also known as Ponkan. The trees are vigorous, spineless with compact foliage; leaves narrowly lanceolate. Fruits medium sized, sub globose, cadmium colored, surface smooth, base slightly drawn out with glandular furrows; rind thin, loosely adherent; segments 10- 11; juice abundant, saffron colored; seeds 6-7. It matures during January- February. Kinnow It is a first generation hybrid between King X Willow Leaf. First introduced in Punjab, it has performed well and gained commercial significance. Plants are medium to large, erect, symmetrical, dense foliage with a few scattered spines; leaves broadly lanceolate. Fruits medium, oblate, base flattened, deep orange yellow colored on ripening; rind thin, adherent to segments; 9-10, very juicy; seeds 12-24; fruit maturity in mid January; somewhat irregular bearer.

Propagation and rootstock Most of the mandarin cultivars are propagated through seeds except Kinnow and Nagpur mandarins. Usual practice in Coorg, Assam and other north- eastern hills is to use seedlings as planting material. But with concerted efforts made to find out suitable rootstocks for different regions, orchards have shifted to vegetative methods, particularly T-budding. By seed For quality planting material, select uniformly matured fruits from healthy, true-totype and heavy bearing plants to extract seeds. Freshly extracted seeds should be mixed with ash and dried in shade. Seeds should be sown immediately after extraction. Otherwise, they may loose their viability. Seeds are sown at a distance of 2-3 cm. germination may take place within 3-4 weeks. Since the seeds are polyembryonic, the sexual seedlings which are stunted and poor in growth are rogued out and the rest that are produced from the cells of nacelles are allowed to grow. The seedlings, thus, selected are more or less uniform in growth and production. Every care must be exercised to protect the seedlings in the nursery from weeds, insect pests and diseases. By budding Of various vegetative methods, T-budding is by and large the most common method followed. Selection of a suitable rootstock for a particular region and proper mother plant are important steps. Many rootstocks have been used for different mandarin cultivars in different regions. However Rough Lemon (Jatti khatti and Jambhiri), Rangpur Lime, Cleopatra, Troyer Citrange and Karna Khatta are potential rootstocks. Seeds of identified rootstock for a particular area should be extracted from fully matured, healthy fruits. They are sown in lines (10-15 cm deep) on raised seedbeds inside a polyethylene house. About 1-2 months old seedlings are shifted to secondary beds. These are finally budded when they attain a height of 25- 30 cm and 1-2 cm diameter. Scion should be selected from healthy, vigorous, mature, virus- free and high yielding trees. They should also be free from water sprouts and chimeras. Further use of dormant scion bud wood from past seasons growth is used after it has hardened. The bud wood should be taken from round or cylindrical green twigs. Optimum time for budding varies according to the place. It may be done at a time, when there is free flow of sap and bark slips easily. In Punjab and adjoining

areas, budding is practiced either in February-March or September-October, whereas in Nagpur and Coorg regions, September-November is the ideal time. Cultivation Planting Generally, planting is done during monsoon in all mandarin-growing areas. In sub mountainous tracts, where planting is generally done on slopes, proper terraces are necessary, while in plains the land should be leveled properly. Usually mandarins are planted in pits of 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm sizes in a square system with spacing of 4.5 m -6 m, accommodating 350-350 plants/ ha. In north eastern parts of India, Khasi mandarins are very closely (4.5 x 4.5 m) spaced, accommodating more than 500 plants/ ha. In Punjab and Haryana, a spacing of 5m x 4.5m is ideal for Kinnow mandarins budded on Jatti Khatti. Kinnow can be grown successfully under high density planting by using Troyer citrange as a rootstock and by spacing the plants at 1.8 m x 1.8 m, accommodating 3,000 plants/ha. Under this system the plants become precocious, producing excellent quality fruits. The optimum planting distance for Nagpur mandarins is 6m x 6m when budded on Rough lemon. In Karnataka, Coorg mandarin on Trifoliate orange and Rangpur lime can be planted at a distance of 5m x 5m and 6m x 6m, accommodating 400 and 275plants/ ha respectively. Training and pruning An ideal mandarin tree should be low headed with a dome like crown. This can be achieved by pruning young trees. Pruning of young tree to give them proper shape and size is known as training. To give a desirable shape to the plant, pruning is restored to during initial years of planting. Trees are trained to single stem with 4-6 well spaced braches for making the basic framework. Further, the lowermost branches should be allowed not to grow below the height of 50 cm from the soil surface. The bearing trees require little or no pruning. Main objective of pruning the bearing trees is to maintain the framework and to secure higher yields with better quality fruits. Pruning of bearing trees though differs with variety but chiefly consists of removal of dead, diseased, criss- cross and weak branches. Removal of water sprouts and sucker of rootstock is also highly essential. Pruning of non-bearing trees can be done at any time of the year, but for bearing trees the best time is after harvesting, during late winter or early spring when these are in somewhat dormant stage. Root pruning is also practiced in some parts of central and southern India to regulate flowering season. However, such prunings are not beneficial in the long run.

Crop regulation Under equitable climate of south and central India, mandarins bloom thrice a year. The February flowering is known as ambe bahar; June flowering as mrig bahar and October flowering hast bahar. Under such circumstances, plants give irregular and small crops at indefinite intervals. To overcome this problem and to get fruitful yield in any of the three flowering seasons, treating mandarin trees has been practiced in Deccan which is called resting or root exposure or bahar treatment. In this method, roots of the plant are exposed to sun by removing up to 7-10 cm soil around 40-60 cm radius of tree trunk. The water is withheld for a month of two before flowering. As a result of water stress, leaves show wilting and fall on the ground. At this stage the roots are again covered with a mixture of soil and farmyard manure and irrigated immediately. Subsequent irrigations are given at suitable intervals. Consequently, plants give new vegetative growth, profuse flowering and fruiting. However, in light new vegetative soils, exposure of roots should not be practiced and mere withholding of water for 2-3 weeds is sufficient for wilting and defoliation of trees. It depends upon the choice of the grower of as to which of the three bahars is to be taken to get maximum profit. As the availability of water is a problem in central India during April- May, the farmers prefer mrig bahar so that the plants are forced for rest in April- May and no water is required during this period. Plants put forth new vegetative growth, followed by flowering (July-August) and fruiting during the coming season. Resting treatment is not feasible in north India, as mandarin plants normally rest in winter and flower once a year. It is experienced that resting treatment in general is a devitalizing process and should be resorted to only under the advice and direction of a technical expert. Manuring and fertilization Mandarins, like other citrus fruits also require judicious application of mineral nutrients for proper growth, development and sustained production of high quality fruits. Mandarins also require micro nutrientszinc, copper, manganese, iron, boron and molybdenum in ample quantities but not sodium and chorine, which are rather harmful for mandarins. Improper supply of nutrients may cause serious disorders which may lead to orchard decline. It is very difficult to recommend any single fertilizer schedule for mandarins as fertilizer requirement is guided by soil fertility, pervious fertilizer use, nutrients

removed by crop, leaching losses and scion cultivar which is further modified by rainfall, temperature, stock- scion combination and age of the tree. There are no scientific recommendations on Manuring of young mandarin plants in India. However, application of 20 -25kg farmyard manure together with 0.4 kg calcium ammonium nitrate is recommended at the time of planting. A mixture of 90 g each of N, P, K/ tree may be applied in first year after planting. This dose may be gradually increased to 450 g each of N and P, and 900g of K/ tree in the seventh year and kept constant thereafter. Though the nutrient requirement of major elements is met by supplementing N, P, K fertilizers but farmers usually forget about micronutrients, which are the most essential part of citrus nutrition. Although each micronutrient has its typical deficiency symptoms but these are so complicated that it becomes very difficult for an orchardist to identify and correct these. Hence farmers are advised to follow the schedule given in Table1. The micronutrients should be supplied through foliar spraying. This mixture should be sprayed on major flush of the leaves expanded to at least two thirds of their normal size. Table 1. Combined nutritional spray schedule for mandarins
Nutrient supplement Zinc sulphate Copper sulphate Magnesium sulphate Manganese sulphate Ferrous sulphate Boric acid Slaked lime Urea Water Quantity (kg) 2.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 4.5 450 liters

Normally young plants are manure once a year, while bearing plants more than once. Total amount of P and K fertilizers is applied at one time, while N fertilizers are applied in two or three split doses. In north western India, manures are added twice a year, once during June and another after harvesting in December- January. In central India, mandarins are manure during December for ambe bahar and in May for mrig bahar. However, for Coorg mandarin, Manuring thrice (March- April, June-July and September-October) is highly beneficial.

For soil application, first 30-40 cm area around the tree trunk should be given hoeing and fertilizers should be applied in the form of ring. They should be mixed thoroughly. The trees should be irrigated immediately. Application of fertilizers with drip irrigation is also beneficial. Intercropping Growing additional crop not only provides additional income to the orchardist but it also checks weed growth, conserves soil moisture and prevents soil erosion. So, selection of intercrop is of utmost importance. The intercrop should be shallow rooted and short duration one. In the long run intercropping may not be profitable. However pea, cowpea and gram are beneficial intercrops in mandarin orchards. Irrigation Excess or deficiency of soil moisture creates adverse effects on mandarin production. Irrigation requirement of mandarins is higher than other fruit trees because of their evergreen nature, active growth and development throughout the year. It depends on water holding capacity of soil, climatic condition, age of the plant and variety. In Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, soil has high moisture retention capacity, thus lesser number of irrigations are required. However, in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and parts of Andhra Pradesh, more number of irrigations are required. In south India, mandarins are grown under rain fed conditions in high rainfall areas. In winter season, mandarins should be watered at 10-15 days intervals, while in summer at 5-7 days. Since root activity of mandarins is confined to a radial distance of 120 cm and to a depth of 24 cm, too much wetting should be a avoided. Water stress during growth flowering, fruit set and fruit development should be avoided. Plants should be irrigated at 8-10 days interval, during drought (April-June in north India and OctoberDecember in south and central India). Mandarins are highly susceptible to water logging, therefore, stagnation of water around tree trunk should be avoided, and irrigation water should also be free of salts. Weed control Weeds are a serious problem in mandarin nursery and young plantations. Major weeds can be controlled by hand palling, hoeing, burning and tillage. However, frequent tillage may destroy the surface structure of soil, thus lowering the water holding

capacity and permeability of soil. So better way to eradicate weeds is use weedicides. Pre emergence application of Diuron( 5kg /ha) or Terbacil (4.5 kg/ha) or post emergence application of Atrazine (5-6 kg/ha) controls weeds significantly. Further, Bromocil (6kg/ ha) is most effective in controlling both monocot and dicot weeds. Glyphosate ( 5 liters/ ha) is most effective in controlling perennial grasses. Simazine (5 kg/ha) is also highly effective. Harvesting and postharvest management Picking of fruits at proper stage of maturity is paramount importance. Harvesting at right time not only maximizes profits but also helps build up the demand for quality fruits. Unlike climate fruits, mandarins do not improve in taste after harvesting. Therefore, fruits should be harvested when they attain full size, develop attractive color with optimum sugar: acid blend. Since mandarins in India are produced under varying climatic conditions, harvesting periods differ in different parts of the country (Table 2). Table 2. Main harvesting period for mandarin in different regions of India
Region North-western plains North- eastern India Central India South India-Coorg Nilgiris Main crop December- February November-February February- March December-April August-October Off-season April-May October-November July-August February -March

Method of harvesting is very important as it affects the shelf life of fruits considerably. Further, faulty harvesting and rough handling adversely affect the marketability of fruits. The common commercial practice of harvesting is to pull the fruits from the branch, which may rupture the skin near the stem end leading to fungal infection and subsequent rotting. This practice should be avoided. Therefore, fruits should neither be plucked nor torn off, but should be cut off preferably with clipper, shears or secateurs. Generally, mandarins start bearing from the fourth year having 15-20 fruits/ plant. However, its plants attain the level of full bearing at the age of 10-12 years. Although mandarins may attain optimum maturity standard but the fruits may not be attractive at the time of harvesting due to lack of good yellow color. Accordingly, degreening of mandarins with the application of Ethrel (50ppm) one week before the actual date of harvesting has almost become a commercial practice in most of the developed mandarins growing countries. Further, fruits dipped

in 50 ppm Ethrel after harvesting develop golden yellow color within 5 days of the treatment. Generally mandarins are graded according to their size and appearance. Fruits are usually packed in wooden boxes for distant markets, while for local marketing baskets of split bamboo and mulberry are used. Chopped straw and dry grasses are mostly used for padding. The fruits should be cleaned and polished lightly with a piece of cloth, before wrapping them in tissue paper or newspaper. Use of corrugated fibre board cartons in place of wooden boxes is highly beneficial. Mandarins are generally transported by rail or road as ordinary cargos without refrigeration which often leads to heavy losses due to decay and fungal infection. Use of shrink films for moisture loss control can be useful. Storage life of mandarins is influenced by many pre and post harvest factors. Green or fully ripe mandarins can be stored successfully at 8-10`C with 8590% relative humidity without impairing fruit quality. Similarly, Kinnow fruits can be stored at room temperature up to 3-4 weeks in perforated 100 gauge polythene bags having 0.5% ventilation area. Physiological disorder Fruit drop In spite of very high initial flowering and fruiting in mandarins, the ultimate yield is often low primarily owing to heavy fruit drop. However, all fruits that fail to mature do not drop at one time but at different times. There are more or less definite periods or stages when extensive dropping occurs. In mandarins, the shedding of flowers and fruits come in more or less in three distinct waves. The first wave occurs soon after fruit setting, second during May- June known as June drop and third one known as pre harvest drop, i.e. the drop of mature fruits before harvesting. Fluctuating temperature, low atmospheric humidity, imbalance of soil moisture, lack of proper nutrition, hormonal imbalance, incidence of insect pests and diseases are some factors causing fruit drop. Accordingly, maintenance of appropriate soil moisture level during fruit development and application of growth regulators2,4-D (10 ppm), NAA (5ppm), 2, 4, 5-T (5ppm)check fruit drop quite effectively. Further, application or Aureofungain @ 20ppm helps in better retention of fruits through control of fungal diseases.

Granulation It is a physiological disorder of juice sacs of citrus including mandarins wherein they become comparatively hard, assume a grayish color and become somewhat enlarged. The concentration of pectic substances increases, whereas there is reduction in juice content, TSS and acid content. Because of low sugar and acid content, the granulated vesicles become rather tasteless and colorless. Young, vigorous trees are more likely to develop granulated fruits than older ones. Similarly, large fruits have more granulation than small ones. In addition, granulation increases as the picking season advances. The incidence of granulation is highly specific to the type of the mandarin being cultivated. It is favoured by high relative humidity and temperature during spring. Spraying of lime reduces the extent of granulation. Reduction in irrigation also lessens its incidence. The applications of 2, 4-D (12ppm), zinc and copper reduces the incidences of granulation considerably. Decline After fruitful production fro about 15 years, mandarin orchards start bearing little crop and become uneconomical. They show symptoms of ill health and decline. The affected trees do not die completely but remain in state of decadence and unproductiveness for a number of years. Initially, only a few limbs of the plants are involved but later whole tree is affected. Plants show sparse foliage, stunted growth, and sickly appearance and in leaves, mid-rib, lateral veins and intervenal area show diffused yellow color leading to ultimate shedding of leaves. As a result of dieback, twigs become short and bear only a few narrow leaves at their basal ends. Such plants are also characterized through excessive flowering and very poor fruit set. Unfavourable soil conditions (presence of hard pan, high pH, poor drainage and high salts), malnutrition, poor orchard management, indiscriminate use of fertilizers, intercropping, incidence of insect pests and diseases are major factors contributing to it. Good cultural practices, improvement in soil fertility and drainage, control of insect pests, nematodes and diseases may be useful to minimize its incidence. Use of resistant and compatible rootstocks and certified budwood for propagation are strongly recommended for a healthy and productive mandarin orchard.

Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)

A tree of sweet orange laden with fruits

CITRUS fruits rank third in area and production after banana and mango in India. Sweet oranges are the second largest citrus fruits cultivated in the country. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are main sweet orange growing, stages. Maximum area under sweet oranges is in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Well marked belts of sweet orange cultivation in the country are Abohar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Faridkot and Hoshiarpur, in Punjab; Hisar in Haryana; Ganganager district in Rajasthan; Marathwada region of central Maharashtra, Ahmednagar, Pune and Nasik of western Maharashtra and Anantapur, Kodur, Cuddaph Nelgoda, Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh.

CLIMATE AND SOIL The production of sweet orange is largely favoured by dry, semi-arid to subtropical conditions. However, plants grow well under subtropical climate and can even withstand occasional light frosts. However, good results are not sure under cooler climates. Several hours of exposure to a temperature of -3 C causes severs injury to plants. On the other hand, very high temperatures are also detrimental. The average temperature for growth is about 16 C-20 C. Hence, it can tolerate well maximum temperature of 32C-40 C and minimum of 17C-27 C as it exists in most of the sweet orange growing belts of the country. Being evergreen, citrus requires good amount of water and at least well-distributed annual rainfall 500-775 mm is necessary. When

rainfall is unevenly distributed annual over the year, additional irrigation is often necessary. Under warmer conditions, the colour development is poor; however, excellent deep orange colour of the skin develops when grown under subtropical conditions. Quality is very good under dry semi-arid conditions, while under humid conditions fruits insipid.

Sweet orange blossoms

Ripe fruits

Sweet orange can be grown on a wide range of soils. These grow in almost any soil if it sufficiently aerated and deep, allowing the roots to penetrate to desired depth. In India, sweet orange is being cultivated on a wide range of soils, e.g. alluvial, sandy loam to loam, red sand soils to black clayey soils. In Andhra Pradesh, it is grown on red soil with loamy sub-soils, red sandy sols and black clayey soils. The sweet orange growing areas of Maharashtra have black soils. Thus, a well drained sandy loam to clay loam is preferred by sweet orange. VARIETIES Many varieties of sweet orange have been introduced into India but only a few are prolific ones having good quality. Currently, exotic varieties like Jaffa, Hamlin and Pineapple are performing well in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Jaffa is a famous, mid-season sweet orange, while Hamlin is an early-season variety. Pineapple is another mid-season variety. Another late-season variety, Valencia, has also shown good adaptability. However, main varieties of sweet orange in India being cultivated on commercial scale are Blood Red, Mosambi and Satgudi. Blood red is the most

important variety in Haryana. Punjab and Rajasthan; Mosambi is most popular in Maharashtra whereas Satgudi is extensively grown in Andhra Pradesh. PROPAGATION AND ROOTSTOCKS The optimum performance of a variety depends on the proper selection of rootstock for a given set of growing condition. Rootstocks are known to influence the over all performance of a scion including quality. They are also helpful in countering particular scion varieties, to various a biotic and biotic stresses including adaptability t various types of soils, hence, the selection of a rootstock for the adaptability to various agro climatic conditions and suitability for a particular scion is a must. In Punjab, Jatti Khatti and Karna Khatta for Blood red and other sweet orange varieties are the most commonly used rootstocks. For Mosambi scion, Rangpur lime is the best rootstocks in Maharashtra. In Andhra Pradesh, commercially used rootstock, Rough lemon for Satgudi scion is being replaced now by Rangpur lime, which is highly tolerant to drought and also has high productivity and comparable fruits quality. Budding, i.e. with T budding and Patch budding or Shield budding are most commonly used propagation method for sweet oranges. When the rootstock plants of the selected rootstock are one-year-old or come to a buddable stage, the bud of a desired scion variety is budded at a height of about 25-30 cm from the ground level. To ensure good budding success, the budding is done during the January-March or September-October of active growth or when there is good sap flow in the plants. Thus, budded plant should be immediately irrigated. Bud wood of the scion must be taken from virus-free plants so that healthy and productive, true-to-the-type plants are produced. CLTIVATION Planting Planting is generally done during monsoon in north-western and western parts of the country, i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, while in southern India; it is done at the onset of rainy season. Land should be ploughed in a cross manner to soften the upper surface. The pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm size should be dug. They are filled with 15-20 kg farmyard manure in south and north India, while in western Maharashtra, the pits should be filled up first with clay soil, murram, soil + farmyard manure mixture apart

from 10% BHC powder and micronutrients @ 25g each of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu if initial fertility level is low. A planting distance of 6m from plant-to-plant and 6m from row-to-row is generally followed in square system of planting. However, planting distance as well as planting density depends upon the cultivar, rootstock used and agro climatic conditions. In general, a density of 250-300 plants/ha in Punjab and Haryana is ideal for sweet orange cultivars budded on Jatti Khatti rootstock. The optimum planting density for Satgudi seeding oranges is 170-200 plants/ha when budded on Satgudi stock itself. In Maharashtra, plants of Mosambi variety budded on Rangpur lime are planted at a distance of 6m x 6m, accommodating 270 plants/ha. Training and pruning The trees are trained to a single system and any shoot emerging from the portion below the bud union should be nipped off regularly. The first year growth beyond height of 0.7-1m should be punched off to develop side shoot. Only 4-6 branches having wide angle with the main trunk, should be allowed to grow up to 3-4 m. thereafter no training is required. Training of plants should be completed in first 3 years so that plants attain a mechanically strong canopy. The pruning in pre-bearing trees may be done at any time avoiding the peak winter. Pruning of bearing trees though differs with variety. It consists of removal of dead, diseased, criss-cross and weak branches. Removal of water sprouts and suckers from each rootstock below the bud union is also essential and should be attended to regularly along with thinning of the shoots for better penetration of sunlight and aeration. The cut ends after pruning should be treated with Bordeaux paste to avoid fungal infection. The best time for pruning in bearing trees is after harvesting during late winter or early spring. After each pruning, spraying of Bavistin (1m/litre of water) is beneficial to avoid any secondary infection. Manuring and fertilization Fertilizer requirement of the plants is influenced by various factors like age of the plants, rootstock used, soil and climate along with the crop load in bearing tress. No uniform fertilizer recommendation can be made for all sweet orange cultivars in different agro climatic regions. The fertilizer schedule commonly adopted in different parts of the country is given in Table 1

Table1. Nutritional recommendations for a bearing sweet orange tree for different states
State Nitrogen (g) Phosphorus (g) Potassium (g) 350 370 100 200 400 550 200 300 Farmyard manure 30 24-30 30

Andhra Pradesh 1,500 Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu 550 1,000 400

The fertilizers should be applied in a ring from below the canopy of the trees depending on age. For a mature tree, fertilizers is applied in a 30-40 cm wide ring made at a radial distance of 100-200 cm from the trunk as maximum feeder roots are located below the tree canopy. Thought the requirement of major elements is buy and large met by supplementing N,P,K fertilizers, farmers usually forget to apply micronutrients, the most essential part of citrus nutrition. The deficiency symptoms of Mn, Fe, and Zn resemble very closely, making it difficult to judge which nutrient is really deficient. It is also well-known that the deficiency of zinc along with N and to some extent P is a major nutritional problem of sweet orange in North India, western Maharashtra and south India. Deficiency of Fe and Mn is also observed in some areas. Hence a micronutrients mixture should be given when the leaves have fully expanded after a new flush growth. A combined spray of different micronutrients is given in Table 2. Table2 Combined nutritional spray for sweet orange

Nutrient Zinc sulphate Copper sulphate Magnesium sulphate Manganese sulphate Ferrous sulphate

Quantity (Kg) 2.25 1.45 0.90 0.90 0.90

Boric acid Slaked lime Urea Water

0.45 4.00 4.50 454.00 litres

Aftercare Most of the sweet orange cultivars are planted 6-8 m part, leaving much area unutilized. The interspaces can profitably be utilized for growing some short duration crops. The additional crop not only provides additional income to the orchardists, but also helps to check weed growth, conserve soil moisture and p0revents soil erosion. During the initial years of the orchard development, vegetables, soybe4an and cotton crops are successfully cultivated as intercrops. Peas, turnips and cabbage Rabi crop and bottle gourd, bitter gourd and okra in kharif as intercrops are grown. Weed control

In order to eliminate competition for nutrition by weeds in sweet orange orchard, control of weed is very essential. Apart from Interculture operations, that check weed growth chemical weed control is also necessary during certain period of the year to avoid disturbances to feeding roots. Both pre-emergent and post emergent sprays for weed control are necessary. Application of Diuron as a pre-emergence weedicides spray @ 3kg/ha twice at 120 days interval is quite effective to control weeds up to 280 days. For post-emergent control, use of 2,4-D (Fornoxone) @ 5 kg/ha in 500 litres of water followed by a composite spray of 2.5 litres of Paraquat (Gromaxone) plus 1.25 kg 2,4-D (Fornoxone) in 500 litres of water/ha 10-20 after the first spray is quite effective in controlling weeds. The composite spray of Paraquat and 2, 4-D may be repeated twice at 30 days interval, if needed. It controls/reduces the weed growth for about 4 month. Irrigation Sweet orange require more water because sap circulation never entirely ceases and transpiration takes place throughout the year. Being and evergreen plant, sweet orange requires good amount of water. Water deficiency, moisture stress at critical periods such as fruit development check the growth, reduces fruit size and quality. Thus

moisture stress during the period of growth, flowering and fruit development should always be avoided. The frequency of irrigation is influences by soil, climate, variety and age of plants. In northern India and western Maharashtra, water is applied at every 6-8 days interval from March to June and at every 10-12 days interval during NovemberFebruary. Sweet orange being susceptible to water in the orchard and around the tree trunk should be avoided. In young plants up to the age of 8 years, the irrigation should be given through basis system of irrigation. In grown-up and old orchards, flood system of irrigation may be adopted avoiding water content with tree trunks. In western Maharashtra, drip irrigation system is gaining popularity; ring system of irrigation is adopted for this. Double ring system or bed irrigation is best in reducing the water contact with the tree trunk, thus avoiding fungal infection. A grown-up sweet orange tree needs about 25-20 irrigation in a year, amounting about 1,325 mm of water. Its plants have highest demand of water during fruit development. It is advisable to irrigate the orchard after the fruits have attained pea size. HARVESTING AND POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT Sweet oranges mature in 9-12 months. Being a non-climacteric fruit, there is no improvement in colour, taste and flavour after harvesting. Therefore, fruits should be harvested when they are fully ripe and attain proper size, attractive colour and acceptable sugar: acid ratio. Sweet oranges can be allowed to remain on their trees on reaching maturity for several weeks without deterioration, except in area and varieties where the incidence of fruit-sucking moth (south India) and granulation (north India) are problems. In such areas, an early picking is advised. Main harvesting season in north India is from December to February, while in south India it is October-March. In Andhra Pradesh, Satgudi oranges are harvested during November-March. In central and western India, November-January for ambe bahar and March and March-May for mrig bahar are time for harvesting. Fruits should preferably be harvested by clipping with secateurs. Sweet oranges are tight-skinned fruits possessing comparatively better shelf life than loose-skinned mandarins. Ripening is a terminal period of maturation, when fruits develop complete blend of flavour, texture and aroma contributing to optimum

eating quality. The period of ripening and TSS: acid ratio at which sweet oranges should be harvested is given in Table3. Table3. Maturity time, TSS: acid ratio and rind colour for harvesting different sweet oranges
Variety Mosambi Pineapple Jaffa Blood Red Valencia Rind colour Pale-yellow o whitish Golden Light orange Fully red Orange TSS: acid ratio 30:1 14:1 14:1 14: 1 10:1 Maturity time November December December December-January February-March

Washing, drying, sorting, grading and wrapping in tissue paper is usually adopted for postharvest handling and packaging. Latest technology of packing fruits in corrugated boxes instead of hardwood boxes helps in lengthening the shelf-life of fruits. Nowadays, shrink wrapping of fruits in desired number of packs is also getting popularity. Perforated polythene packing is also gaining popularity. Dipping fruits or spraying fruits with 5% fungicidal emulsion and then dipping them in 500 ppm Ben late or 0.1% Carbendazin (Bavistin) solution helps reduce spoilage and keep them in good condition at room temperature for 20 days after harvesting. Sweet orange variety Malta can be effectively stored at 4.4 C in cold storage for 2-3 months, while that of Satgudi at 2 C over 4 months. Mosambi obtained in western Maharashtra can be stored at temperature of 5 C and 85-90% relative humidity for 3 months.

UGLI FRUIT (Citrus paradisi x Citrus reticulata)

Family: Rutaceae Ugli fruit is an unattractive looking mottled green and yellow citrus fruit. It is a tangelo, which are natural hybrids between a mandarin and grape fruit. Ugli is native to the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea. It probably originated near Browns Town in 1914, and was cultivated by F. G. Sharp at Trout Hall, and marketed by his son in the early 1930s. In Jamaica they pronounce it as hugli. UGLI is now the registered trade mark under which Cabel Hall Citrus Ltd. markets its brand of tangelos from Jamaica. It is a tasty fruit, sweeter than grapefruit. Though not a good looking fruit, it still ugli sells in US at two to three times the price of a grapefruit. Ugli is grown in Australia and New Zealand. It has also been introduced into Florida, but does no do well there. Description: The fruit is large, ranging in diameter from 10 cm to 15 cm. The colour varies from green to greenish-yellow, to yellow, and some even orange.

A half of ugli fruit

The segments are large, less seedy and separate easily. The fruit is very juicy and can be easily squeezed. The juice taste quite sweet and does not require any additional sugar. It also does not have the bitterness of grapefruit. The flesh is orange to deep orange The rind is fragrant too. Utilization: The fruits are easily peeled and may be eaten like a tangerine, or cut in half and eaten like a grapefruit. The pegs and juice may be used to make many sumptuous sweet and savory recipes. The fruits peel easily. The simplest way to serve ugli is to cut them in half, loosen the segments, and eat with a spoon - this is a delicious breakfast dish. For lunch or dinner, try sprinkling with sherry or Kirsch, and serving as a first course, or offer ugli as a fruit course for dessert. A glass of ugli juice makes a refreshing, flavourful change to fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit. The juice is delicious warmed as a hot toddy with rum, and sweetened with honey or brown sugar, or used to make ice creams and souffls. Peel, slice away the pith and cut out the segments to use in a salad, as a cheesecake topping, or on its own as a dessert drizzled with sherry or Kirsch. The peel and juice together make marvelous marmalade.

MALAYAN KUMQUAT (Fortunella polyandra)

Malayan kumquat fruits

Family: Rutaceae Synonym: Citrus swinglei Other names: Limau pagar, hainan. Malayan kumquat is a native Peninsular Malaysia. It is not known much outside South East Asia. Description: Evergreen shrub or a small tree, 3-5 m tall, branches angular when young, rounded when older, sometimes with single axillary spines. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate, 3-10 cm long, pointed or rounded at apex, finely toothed from the apex to middle, dark green, densely glandular-dotted, especially on the underside; petioles often narrowly winged. Flowers borne singly or in clusters of 2-5 in axils of leaves, hermaphrodite, 5merous, small, white, sweet scented; stamens 16 or 20, cohering irregularly in bundles; stigma cavernous within because or large deep-seated oil glands. Fruit globose, 2-3 cm wide, 4-6-segmentd, skin smooth, shiny, aromatic, bright orange or golden yellow. Uses:

The fruits are edible and are eaten alongwith the skin. These are also desiccated and sold as a specialty item in local markets of Malaysia. The fruits are also processed to make a drink or preserves. Cultivation: Malayan kumquat grows well in tropical and subtropical areas. However, it is cold sensitive and cannot be planted in frost prone areas. In such areas the trees should be planted at protected spots. These plants are quite ornamental due to their small bright yellow fruits. So these are mostly planted as ornamental plants in gardens and as a roadside shrub. Malayan kumquat is also a popular potted plant too and many nurseries sell it as a potted plant only. It is also sometimes made into a hedge.

Malayan kumquat is usually propagated from seed. However, air layering is also feasible and often practiced by nurseries for adding value to their plants.