Citrus production

Abstract

Currently, citrus is the main fruit tree crop in the world (104 million t, 7.1×10 6 ha) with production largely cultivated in Brazil, China, India, USA, Mexico, and Spain as well as many other tropical and subtropical regions of the world. There are six citrus groups of economic interest: sweet orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osb.], common mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco), Satsuma mandarin (C. unshiu Marc.), grapefruit (C. paradisi Macf.), lemon (C. limon Burm. f.) and lime (C. aurantifolia L.) with an additional group of hybrids under consideration. This chapter discusses the main exogenous and endogenous factors that determine citrus fruit production and quality (edaphoclimatic requirements, fruit and tree physiology, plant nutrition, and physiological fruit disorders) when in cultivation.