fruit production

• Citrus


  • Cultivated and consumed > 4000 years
  • Grown in regions within the 40° N-S latitude
  • Primarily evergreen species
  • From subtropical and tropical regions
  • Belong to the order: Geraniales
  • Belong to the family: Rutaceae

  
• Citrus species within the Rutaceae

  • Occurrence of oil glands
  • Ovary is raised on a floral disc
  • Pellucid dots occur in the leaves
  • Fruits have axile placentation
• Variety


  Develop naturally
• Cultivar


  • Develop through human intervention
  • Probably not true to type
  • Cultivar name is written unitalicized inside single quotes, with first letter of each word capitalized
• Citrus varieties in SA

  • Prunus persica var. nucipersica
  • 'Rosy Glow'

  
• Citrus producing regions in SA


  • Eastern Cape: 10 054 Ha
  • Kwazulu-Natal: 4 022 Ha
  • Limpopo: 17 457 Ha
  • Mpumalanga: 10 764 Ha
  • North-West: 34 Ha
  • Northern Cape: 683 Ha
  • Western Cape: 11 853 Ha
• Citrus varieties in SA


  • Grapefruit: 8 451 Ha
  • Lemons: 4 408 Ha
  • Navels: 13 875 Ha
  • Soft Citrus: 4 684 Ha
  • Valencias: 23 757 Ha
  • Total: 55 175 Ha

  
• CITRON


  • Origin – from south China to India
  • Found in Media when Alexander of Macedonia entered Asia - (about 330 BC)
  • Subsequently introduced into the Mediterranean region
• LIME


  • Origin- East Indian archipelago
  • Brought across the Sea of Oman by Arabian sailors
  • Subsequently transported to Egypt and Europe
• LEMON


  • Origin - Unknown
  • Lemons and limes are closely related
  • Possibly a hybrid between citron & lime
  • Lemons spread to North Africa and Spain about AD 1150
  • This was linked with expansion of the Arabian Empire
• SOUR ORANGE


  • Origin - southeastern Asia, possibly India
  • Was introduced progressively westwards in the early centuries AD
  • This was associated with Arab conquests until it reached North Africa
• SWEET ORANGE


  • Origin - southern China and possibly Indonesia
  • May have travelled a similar route as citron
  • Possibly introduced to Europe by Romans
• THE 'WASHINGTON' NAVEL


  • Origin - Bahia, Brazil
  • Probably a mutation of 'Seleta' sweet orange
  • Introduced to Australia (1824), Florida (1835), and California (1870) through Washington, DC, where it received its current name
  • The 'Washington' navel has been distributed worldwide
• THE SHADDOCK /PUMMELO


  • Origin - Malysia & Indian archipelagos
  • It is widely distributed in the Fiji Islands
  • Hybrids of shaddock were found by crusaders in Palestine by AD 900
  • Were distributed to Europe and then to the Caribbean by an East Indian ship captain named Shaddock
• GRAPEFRUIT


  • Origin – West indies
  • It developed as a mutation of a hybrid of the Shaddock in the West Indies, possibly Barbados
  • Grapefruits were introduced into Florida, from the Caribbean in about 1809 by Don Phillippe
  • Florida is still a major producer worldwide
  • Production has been greatly reduced by the disease huanglongbing (HLB)
• MANDARINS


  • Origin - Indo-China and south China with traders carrying selections to eastern India
  • Traditional production areas of this species have been in Asia
• KUMQUATS


  Origin - southern China
• Other minor use citrus types and trifoliate orange

  • From central and northern China, for freeze-hardy rootstocks
• Commercial uses of citrus

  • Citrus peel oils from selected cultivars of mandarins are used in perfumes
  • Orange marmalade prepared using sour orange
  • Candied peel from citrons
  • Canned mandarin sections
  • Cattle feed production (dried peel pellets)
  • Oils and juice for flavours and juice pulp
• Nutritional value of citrus

  • Citrus fruit are a good source of pectins, vitamin C and roughage
  • Total soluble solids (TSS) comprise 10 – 20 % of the fruit fresh weight
  • CHO's account for 70 – 80 % of the TSS in the fruit
  • Groups of CHO's include soluble monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and non-soluble polysaccharides
• Other constituents in citrus

  • amino acids
  • ascorbic acid
  • small quantities of flavonoids
  • carotenoids
  • volatiles
  • lipids
• Sugars in citrus


  • Sucrose is the primary non-reducing sugar and major translocatable CHO
  • Fructose and glucose are the major reducing sugars
  • Small quantities of mannose and galactose have been found
  • Starch is present in small quantities and converted to sucrose, fructose, and glucose as fruit matures
  • Pectin is an important polysaccharide in the cell wall matrix
• Major destinations for SA citrus exports (past 5 years)

  • Middle East: 17.69%
  • ASIA: 21.34%
  • EU: 34.92%
  • S-America: 0.01%
  • UK: 9.72%
  • Russia: 8.11%
  • N-America: 6.83%
  • Africa: 0.73%
  • Indian Ocean Islands: 0.65%
• SA citrus fruit passed for export (past 5 seasons)

  • 2015/2016
  • 2016/2017
  • 2017/2018
  • 2018/2019
  • 2019/2020