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.
Competing crop load, temperatures and available soil moisture determine fruit size. Fruit quality is determined by temperatures, soil moisture, nutrition and crop load. Climatic patterns (El Nino Southern Oscillations) influence fruit production and quality through the weather that is produced. The important stages of fruit development mentioned above and their regulation are discussed. The potential to have a unifying model that predicts the level and date of flowering and the effect of temperatures and water availability on fruit set and size are discussed also.
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Source:
L. Gene Albrigo
University of Florida, IFAS, Citrus Research and Education Center