Jose L. Guardiola
Departamentod e Biologia Vegetal
Universidad Politecnica de Valencia. Valencia. Spain
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 commercialisation. 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.