Vol. 109 (1996): Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Citrus

LEAF MINERAL CONCENTRATION, GROWTH, YIELD, FRUIT QUALITY, AND ECONOMICS OF 'AMBERSWEET' ORANGE ON TWO ROOTSTOCKS

Published 1996-12-01

Keywords

  • citrus,
  • juice color,
  • nutrition,
  • tree canopy volume

Abstract

Because of the many concerns about fruit quality and productivity of the 'Ambersweet' cultivar, a study has been conducted in Florida to evaluate the performance of this cultivar budded on two citrus rootstocks and grown in three locations (central Ridge, east coast, west coast). The effects of Cleopatra mandarin (CM) rootstock on leaf mineral concentration, tree growth, yield, fruit quality, and economics were compared to those of Swingle citrumelo (SC). Earlier fruit maturity and higher soluble solids and juice content were obtained from trees grown on the flatwoods (east and west coasts) compared with trees grown on the central Ridge. Rootstocks were found to influence tree canopy shape and affect juice color score. With the exception of magnesium, no consistent difference in leaf mineral concentration was found between the two rootstocks. No difference was found in tree canopy size but significant differences in yield, fruit size, and fruit quality were found between the two rootstocks. Fruit produced on CM were large with rough, thick peel and poor color. Swingle citrumelo rootstock promoted higher yield, earlier fruit maturity, and better fruit and juice quality than CM. In 1995, the ratio between SC and CM in terms of yield was 13 to 1, 19 to 1, and 3 to 1 for the west coast (LaBelle), the east coast (Fellsmere), and the central Ridge, respectively. This study also revealed the financial advantage of SC over CM as a rootstock for 'Ambersweet' orange.