2013

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irect

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TH A

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A

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za

Sci

entif

ic n

ame:

C

itrus

aur

antiu

m,C

itrus

sin

ensi

s

Com

mon

nam

es:

Bitt

er o

rang

e an

d sw

eet o

rang

e

Orange

Orange

chem

ical

ly a

nd b

y cu

ltura

l mea

ns. D

isea

ses

such

as

Phy

toph

thor

a fo

ot r

ot c

an b

e be

tter

cont

rolle

d by

use

of

res

ista

nt r

oots

tock

, im

prov

ing

drai

nage

and

tim

ely

appl

icat

ion

of e

ffect

ive

fung

icid

es.

Use

s O

rang

es c

an b

e ea

ten

fres

h, u

sed

to m

ake

mar

ma-

lade

, to

mak

e ju

ice,

and

whe

n ro

tten

they

can

be

fed

to a

nim

als.

Ack

now

ledg

emen

tC

itrus

pro

duct

ion

SA

;

Citr

us r

esea

rch

inte

rnat

iona

l and

SA

frui

tfarm

s.

Ref

eren

ces

The

nat

iona

l agr

icul

tura

l han

dboo

k, 2

009.

Kas

iriv

u, J

. B

. K

. 20

09.

Hor

ticul

ture

: F

ruit

Pro

duct

ion.

NW

, S

outh

A

fric

a .

Bac

kgro

und

Orig

in a

nd d

istr

ibut

ion

The

bitt

er o

rang

e (C

itrus

aur

antiu

m)

orig

inat

es f

rom

C

hina

, whe

re it

was

doc

umen

ted

in w

ritin

g by

300

BC

an

d la

ter

spre

ad to

Eur

ope,

then

thro

ugho

ut th

e w

est-

ern

and

sout

hern

reg

ions

. T

he s

wee

t or

ange

(C

itrus

si

nens

is) i

s na

tive

to th

e S

outh

Eas

t Asi

a (I

ndia

, Chi

na

and

Indo

nesi

a). T

he o

rang

e fr

uit i

s am

ong

the

olde

st

culti

vate

d fr

uit i

n C

hina

and

Sou

th E

ast A

sia.

Pro

duct

ion

area

s

Lim

popo

con

trib

utes

30%

of t

he c

itrus

mar

ket,

whi

ch

is th

e hi

ghes

t, fo

llow

ed b

y th

e E

aste

rn C

ape

with

23%

an

d th

en M

pum

alan

ga w

ith 2

1%.

Soil

and

clim

atic

requ

irem

ents

Citr

us tr

ees

requ

ire d

eep

soil

whi

ch h

as g

ood

surf

ace

and

inte

rnal

dra

inag

e.

Su

rfa

ce d

rain

ag

e r

efe

rs t

o r

un

off

to

pre

ven

t w

ate

r st

andi

ng a

roun

d th

e tr

ee.

Inte

rnal

dra

inag

e is

the

abi

lity

for

wat

er t

o pe

rcol

ate

dow

nwar

d th

roug

h th

e so

il to

avo

id s

atur

atio

n of

the

ro

ot z

one.

Cul

tura

l pra

ctic

esS

oil p

repa

ratio

n

So

ils a

re u

sua

lly r

ipp

ed

or

plo

ug

he

d,

or

eve

n b

oth

. S

oil p

H c

orre

ctio

n an

d ot

her

amel

iora

nts

(e.g

. N

, P

, or

K)

are

adde

d in

a d

oubl

e pl

ough

ing

actio

n. R

idgi

ng

is c

on

sid

ere

d t

o p

rovi

de

fo

r a

dd

ed

dra

ina

ge

or

for

inst

ance

s w

here

the

soil

is h

igh

in c

lay

cont

ent.

Pla

ntin

g

Ora

ng

e i

s b

ou

gh

t fr

om

th

e a

ccre

dit

ed

nu

rse

ry a

s se

ed

lin

gs.

In

co

lde

r, w

ind

y a

rea

s th

e p

refe

rre

d

plan

ting

time

is e

arly

spr

ing

(Sep

tem

ber/

Oct

ober

). In

ho

tter

regi

ons

spac

ing

of 7

X 3

met

ers

or 6

X 3

met

ers

is

reco

mm

en

de

d,

wh

ile in

co

ole

r re

gio

ns

spa

cin

g as

wid

e as

6 X

3 a

nd a

s cl

ose

as

6 X

2.5

met

res

is

reco

mm

ende

d.

Fer

tilis

atio

n

For

sat

isfa

ctor

y yi

elds

, fer

tilis

ers

are

adde

d ba

sed

on

annu

al s

oil a

nd le

af a

naly

sis

data

from

soi

l and

leav

es

of fr

uitin

g te

rmin

als

and

hist

ory

of th

e or

char

d w

ith r

e-sp

ect t

o yi

eld,

frui

t siz

e, q

ualit

y an

d pr

evio

us fe

rtili

za-

tion

reco

rds.

Pho

spho

rus

and

pota

ssiu

m a

re a

pplie

d to

the

soi

l, an

d m

agne

sium

and

mic

ro-e

lem

ents

are

ap

plie

d to

the

leav

es a

s fo

liar

spra

y w

hen

requ

ired.

Irrig

atio

n an

d fe

rtig

atio

n

It is

ve

ry d

iffic

ult

to f

arm

with

citr

us

un

de

r d

ryla

nd

. S

uppl

emen

tary

irrig

atio

n is

req

uire

d du

ring

dry

or lo

w

rain

fall

seas

ons,

and

the

drip

irrig

atio

n sy

stem

is b

est

suite

d, w

ith t

he u

se o

f dr

ip f

ertig

atio

n w

here

pH

and

el

ectr

ical

con

duct

ivity

are

con

trol

led.

The

mic

rosp

rin-

kler

and

ove

rhea

d sp

rinkl

er ir

rigat

ion

syst

ems

are

also

co

mm

only

use

d.

Wee

d co

ntro

l

Wee

ds a

nd g

rass

ben

eath

citr

us tr

ees

shou

ld b

e co

n-tr

olle

d to

red

uce

com

petit

ion

for

wat

er a

nd f

ertil

iser

. W

eeds

and

gra

ss m

ay h

arbo

ur p

ests

whi

ch c

an a

ffect

fr

uit.

Her

bici

des

or h

and

hoei

ng c

an b

e us

ed to

con

trol

w

eeds

.

Pes

t and

dis

ease

con

trol

Pes

ts a

nd d

isea

ses

may

affe

ct th

e he

alth

and

vig

our

of tr

ees

or a

ppea

ranc

e of

frui

t. In

sect

icid

es a

nd p

esti-

cide

s ca

n be

use

d to

con

trol

inse

cts

and

mite

s. P

ests

su

ch a

s th

e r

ed

sp

ide

r m

ite a

nd

th

e lo

wve

ld c

itru

s m

ite c

an

be

co

ntr

olle

d b

iolo

gic

ally

an

d c

he

mic

ally

, w

hile

th

e c

itru

s ru

st m

ite is

co

ntr

olle

d b

iolo

gic

ally

,