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Tag: Citrus Sinensis

28 Feb 2025
By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , , ,

Fruit Thinning Improves Fruit Size, Yield and Return Flowering in ‘Washington Navel’ Orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck)

“Washington Navel” orange is the principal mid-season maturing cultivar grown in south-eastern Australia. The cultivar has strong export potential and earns high returns for citrus growers. However, trees bear a large number of small-sized fruit in an on-year followed by a small number of largesized fruit the next year if crop load is not properly managed. Thinning can be used as a crop management strategy to adjust crop load. A thinning experiment was conducted, and crop loads were adjusted on a whole tree basis to 2, 4, 6 or 8 fruit/0.125 m3 canopy volume (CV), removing 46%, 30%, 20% and 8% of the crop respectively, and compared to non-thinned control trees. Fruit diameter was measured at regular intervals from February to July.

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21 Oct 2024
Navel Sweet Orange
By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , ,

Optimal timing of application of 2,4-D on ‘Navel’ sweet orange reduces the size of the navel-end

‘Navel’ sweet orange [Citrus sinensis (Osbeck)] fruit with large, open, or protruding navel-ends are predisposed to splitting and navel-end rot, and provide an entry point that hampers the control of insect pests. A reliable method to reduce the size of navel-ends, without compromising tree health or fruit quality, would provide multiple benefits.The objective of this study, was to determine the optimal timing and concentration of foliar spray treatments with the synthetic auxin, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), to reduce the size of the navel-end on ‘Newhall Navel’ and ‘Washington Navel’ sweet orange fruit. The effects of 2,4-D treatment on fruit yield, tree health, and fruit quality, were also assessed.Treatments were applied to ‘Newhall Navel’ trees at a rate of 25 mg l–1 2,4-D at 2-weekly intervals, starting at full bloom (FB), and continuing until 4 weeks after 100% petal drop (PD). On ‘Washington Navel’ trees, 2,4-D was applied at 15 mg l–1, 25 mg l–1, or 35 mg l–1 at FB, or at 100% PD.

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26 Apr 2024
Citrus Fruiting
0 Comments By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , , , , ,

Effects of Water-deficit Stress and Gibberellic Acid on Floral Gene Expression and Floral Determinacy in ‘Washington’ Navel Orange

Effects of water-deficit stress and foliar-applied gibberellic acid (GA3) on ‘Washington’ navel orange (Citrus sinensis) floral gene expression and inflorescence number were quantified. Trees subjected to 8 weeks of water-deficit stress [average stem water potential (SWP) −2.86 MPa] followed by 3 weeks of re-irrigation (SWP recovered to > −1.00 MPa) produced more inflorescences in week 11 than trees well-irrigated (SWP > −1.00 MPa) for the full 11 weeks (P < 0.001). After 8 weeks of water-deficit stress, bud expression of flowering locus t (FT), suppressor of overexpression of constans1 (SOC1), leafy (LFY), apetala1 (AP1), apetala2 (AP2), sepallata1 (SEP1), pistillata (PI), and agamous (AG) increased during the re-irrigation period (weeks 9 and 10), but only AP1, AP2, SEP1, PI, and AG expression increased to levels significantly greater than that of well-irrigated trees.

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29 Sep 2023
Washington Navel Orange
0 Comments By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , , , ,

Effects of 2,4-D on the size of the navel-endopening and fruit quality of ‘Washington’ Navel orange

Large, protruding navel-end openings of navel oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) are a major cull factor in the packhouse and make the control of some insects very difficult. Previous work on navel orange trees suggested that the synthetic auxin, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), applied at full bloom at 20 mg·L-1 reduced the diameter of the navel-end opening. In a preliminary study to verify these results under South African conditions, similar results were obtained when 2,4-D was applied at 25 mg·L-1 at petal drop on ‘Palmer’, ‘Robyn’ and ‘Lane Late’ navel orange trees. To determine the optimal timing and concentration of application without any detrimental effects on fruit quality, 2,4-D was applied at 15, 25 or 35 mg·L-1 at either full bloom or petal drop to ‘Washington’ navel orange trees in the following season.

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23 Feb 2021
Citrus
0 Comments By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , , , ,

Rootstocks and Plant Water Relations affect Sugar Accumulation of Citrus Fruit via Osmotic Adjustment

The aim of the study is to determine how rootstock types affects sugar accumulation in Citrus fruit. This was tested by using controlled water-deficit stress during phase II of fruit growth, that causes active osmotic adjustment by increasing the solute concentration in fruit due to sucrose being hydrolyzed to fructose and glucose.

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26 Aug 2020
Citrus Orchard
0 Comments By Firstfruits Consulting Website Articles , , , , , ,

Protective Treatments against Soilborne Pathogens in Citrus Orchards

The efficacy of applying biocontrol agents, chemical fungicide and nematicide as protective treatments against the soilborne parasites, Fusarium spp. (Fusaria) and citrus nematode Tylenchulus semipenetrans Cobb was evaluated. The experiment took place under field conditions in a citrus orchard cultivated with 16-year-old sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.) osbech cv. Valencia trees grafted on sour orange (C. aurantium L.) rootstock during the growing season November 2006/ October 2007. This orchard is located at Bader district, Behera governorate, Egypt. The populations of soil fauna and flora under trees canopy were examined just before treatment, and 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after the treatment application. A visual inspection for the appearance of symptoms related to Fusarium or nematode infection on treated and untreated citrus trees was carried out periodically every two weeks throughout the experimental period.

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