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25 Mar 2022
Citrus Climate
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Climatic effects on flowering, fruit set and quality of citrus – A review

Weather and genetics have the strongest impact on reproductive response of citrus. Flowering is primarily determined by the amount of cool temperatures and/or drought as well as previous crop load and amount of year-old flush. Citrus in many locations in the Americas responds to both cool temperatures and drought in establishing the flowering level for the next season. Some major factors involved in regulation of fruit set are temperatures, evapotranspiration balance against available soil moisture, and competition with growth amongst fruit and vegetative flush.

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25 Mar 2022
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Factors affecting success of biological agents used in controlling the plant-parasitic nematodes

Biological control agents (BCAs) are increasingly used against various plant-parasitic nematode (PPN) pests and offer a favorable alternative to hazardous chemical nematicides. Yet, their lack of efficacy, inconsistent field performance, and/or unfavorable economic factors have generally relegated them to a relatively small sector of pesticide market. Efficacy and biocontrol success can be boosted via holistic grasping of soil biological and ecological factors.

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25 Feb 2022
Citrus Fruit Quality
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Increasing citrus fruit size with synthetic Auxins

The price of fruit is largely determined by quality factors whose appreciation is at the mercy of customer’s whims. For the fresh fruit market flavor and appearance are still basic determinants for the acceptance of the fruit and the popularity of the cultivars. In addition, the importance of fruit size as a parameter of quality has increased markedly in recent times. This is reflected in the changes in the legal regulations which have risen recently in minimum diameter to accept a fruit as marketable in the European markets. Further, the consumer’s preference for big fruit determines huge differences in market price to a point that the income from the smaller, albeit marketable, fruit is often lower than the actual costs of production and commercialization. Fruit size has become as important as total yield in the determination of the profitability of the citrus plantations. This applies not only to the small-fruited mandarins but also to species of a larger fruit size such as lemons, oranges and grapefruits.

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25 Feb 2022
Citrus Fruit Maturity
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Emerging approaches to determine maturity of citrus fruit

Owing to their health-boosting properties and other appreciable properties, citrus fruit is widely consumed and commercialized worldwide. Destination markets around the world vary in their fruit quality requirements and are also highly influenced by climatic conditions, agronomical and postharvest practices. Hence, harvesting decisions are arduous. Maturity indices in citrus fruit are highly variable and dependent on the species and varieties, growing regions, and destination markets. For decades, determination of the maturity of citrus fruit and predicting the near time of harvesting was a challenge for producers, researchers, and food safety agencies.

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25 Feb 2022
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Carbohydrate depletion in roots and leaves of salt-stressed potted Citrus clementina

In citrus, damage produced by salinity is mostly due to toxic ion accumulation, since this salt-sensitive crop adjusts osmotically with high efficiency. In spite of this observation, the putative role of sugars as osmolites under salinity remains unknown. In this work, we have studied carbohydrate contents (total hexoses, sucrose and starch) in leaves and roots of citrus grown under increasing salinity. The experimental system was characterized through the analyses of several parameters known to be strongly affected by salinity in citrus, such as chloride accumulation, photosynthetic rate, ethylene production and leaf abscission.

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31 Jan 2022
Soil Aeration
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Soil aeration using air injection in a citrus orchard with shallow groundwater

Soil aeration is considered the third most important factor affecting soil fertility (after water and nutrient availability). The main reasons for poor soil aeration are slow drainage, excessive precipitation or irrigation, or a sealing soil cover. Shallow groundwater impedes drainage by reducing the downwardly hydraulic gradient, which consequently increases the water content of the soil in the root zone, thus limiting soil aeration. In this study, we examined the effects of different parameters (e.g., soil texture, depth of groundwater table) on the severity of oxygen deficiency in the root zone of a mature Valencia orange (Citrus sinensis) grove planted above shallow groundwater. In addition, we examined the effect of the O2 stress level on tree growth, yield, and fruit quality. We also evaluated the effects of air injection and of irrigation intensity on tree growth, yield, fruit quality, and O2 concentration in the soil’s air, and looked into the (technical and economic) feasibility of air injection into the soil.

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18 Nov 2021
Response of Young and Maturing Citrus
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Response of Young and Maturing Citrus Trees Grown on a Sandy Soil to Irrigation Scheduling, Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate, and Nitrogen Application Method

This study examined the effect of irrigation rates, nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates, and methods of applying N on growth and productivity of young (3 to 5 years old) and maturing (8 to 10 years old) citrus trees. A long-term study was conducted with the following objectives: 1) to measure the main effects of N rate, N application method, and irrigation on citrus tree growth and production from planting to maturity; 2) to establish growth and production relationships for long-term N rates and irrigation on well-drained sandy Entisols; and 3) to determine the effect of split fertilizer applications at two soil moisture regimes on citrus growth and production for two tree age classes as trees mature.

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18 Nov 2021
Citrus rootstocks
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Bacteria as growth-promoting agents for citrus rootstocks

The microbial community plays an essential role in maintaining the ecological balance of soils. Interactions between microorganisms and plants have a major influence on the nutrition and health of the latter, and growth-promoting rhizobacteria can be used to improve plant development through a wide range of mechanisms. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate bacteria as growth-promoting agents for citrus rootstocks.

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