Variation of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) accessions in India and identification of high yielding types

Abstract

Tree growth, production, and fruit quality of the eight sweet orange accessions were compared with the commercial sweet orange varieties Jaffa and Valencia Late. After 10 years of evaluation all strains showed better growth than check cultivars under Delhi conditions. Among the selections, MS-13 showed the lowest and MS-7 the highest canopy volume after 10 years growth. None of the selection covered the soil surface area allotted to tree growth even after 10 years growth. Accessions MS-13 (31.07 kg/tree/year), MS-7 (23.36 kg/tree/year) and MS-3 (20.35 kg/tree/year) and MS-5 (17.51 kg/tree/year) were the most productive selections. Total soluble solids and acidity among the accessions were very close to check cultivars. All the accessions had more than 40% juice recovery, however, MS- 16, MS-17, MS-2 and MS-1 had the higher juice content. Based on overall performance, MS-5, MS-13, MS-17, and MS-7 found promising selections for citrus industry.