Satsuma Mandarins Grafted Onto Swingle Citrumelo for Early Season

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Satsuma Mandarins Grafted Onto Swingle Citrumelo for Early Season https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20180123 E. S. Stuchi et al. CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT - Article Satsuma mandarins grafted onto Swingle citrumelo for early season harvest in subtropical conditions in Brazil Eduardo Sanches Stuchi1*, Eduardo Augusto Girardi2, Simone Rodrigues da Silva3, Tatiana Cantuarias-Avilés3, Luiz Gustavo Parolin1, Eduardo Toller Reiff1, Otávio Ricardo Sempionato1 1.Estação Experimental de Citricultura de Bebedouro - Bebedouro (SP), Brazil. 2.Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura - Cruz das Almas (BA), Brazil. 3.Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz - Departamento de Produção Vegetal - Piracicaba (SP), Brazil. ABSTRACT: Although Brazil is the sixth producer of mandarins in to Okitsu and Kowano mandarins, resulted in higher fruit yield for the world, fresh fruit exports are neglectable, and few cultivars are the five first harvests (mean of 31.3 kg∙tree–1∙year–1). Panaché had the available for the domestic market. Main harvest season comprises smallest yield efficiency. Miyagawa and A2 60.0 selections presented May to November, with Ponkan mandarin and Murcott tangor lower alternate fruit bearing in the evaluated period due to their early representing more than 70% of the production. Therefore, there is a bearing habit. These same selections had the largest fruits with the need for alternative early season, seedless varieties that should also earliest maturation; similar to the Okitsu mandarin, but with lower be preferably resistant to Alternaria brown spot. We investigated the soluble solids and higher juice content. The overall performance of horticultural performance of ten selections of Satsuma mandarin in the Satsuma mandarin selections grafted on Swingle citrumelo and subtropical conditions in Bebedouro, northern state of São Paulo, drip irrigated was promising under subtropical climate. The Okitsu, Brazil. Clausellina, Okitsu, Unshu SRA-529, Saigon SRA-227, Panaché Miyagawa and A2 60.0 mandarins were selected because of their SRA-579, Salzara SRA-341, Miyagawa SRA-444, Kowano SRA-167, highest productive potential and their valuable quality traits for the FCAV-59 and A2 60.0 selections were grafted on Swingle citrumelo Brazilian domestic market. and evaluated up to 7 years old. Unshu, Miyagawa and A2 60.0 Key words: Citrus unshiu, Citrus paradisi × Poncirus trifoliata, fresh presented the highest tree size. These three selections, in addition fruit, fruit maturation, variety diversification. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received: Apr. 12, 2018 – Accepted: Sep. 18, 2018 236 Bragantia, Campinas, v. 78, n. 2, p.236-243, 2019 Satsuma for early season harvest in Brazil INTRODUCTION being the most used cultivar. In Paraná and São Paulo states, Satsumas are restricted to small orchards, where The global production of mandarins and related fruits the Okitsu cultivar is the leading cultivar (Tazima et al. in 2016 reached approximately 32.8 million t (FAO 2018), 2013; 2014). Okitsu is a seedless, easy to peel, early with Brazil occupying the sixth position in the world maturing cultivar, highly productive and resistant to production rank, with nearly 1,000,000 t harvested from limiting diseases, such as citrus canker, Alternaria brown approximately 50,000 ha. The state of São Paulo is the spot and citrus variegated chlorosis (Silva et al. 2009; Reis leading producer, accounting for 35% of the national et al. 2007; Souza et al. 2009; Tazima et al. 2014; Fujii et al. production (IBGE 2016). 2016). Donadio et al. (1998) reported a harvesting Ponkan mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is the season from January to March for Okitsu and Clausellina most planted cultivar in Brazil followed by Murcott mandarins in São Paulo state, although their fruits can tangor (C. reticulata × C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck) and, in eventually be stocked on the trees until late April and smaller proportions, by both Cravo (C. reticulata) and May in northern state of São Paulo (Silva et al. 2009). the Mediterranean or Willow-leaf mandarin (C. deliciosa Therefore, the cultivation of this group of mandarins is Tenore) (Pio et al. 2005). The Ponkan mandarin is harvested arousing high commercial interest in Brazil. from May to July, while Murcott tangor is picked from Okitsu mandarin grafted onto several rootstocks August to November, with a well-defined off-season for the has been evaluated in Paraná (Tazima et al. 2014) and internal market. Both cultivars are seedy and susceptible São Paulo states (Cantuarias-Avilés et al. 2010), where to Alternaria brown spot caused by Alternaria alternata, Swingle citrumelo (C. paradisi Macfad. cv. Duncan × especially the Murcott tangor which, in addition, is more Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) proved to be a fair rootstock. difficult to peel, but has better shelf life than the Ponkan Okitsu was studied and recommended for cultivation in mandarin (Solel and Kimchi 1997; Peres et al. 2003; Pio the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil (Oliveira et al. 2005; Souza et al. 2009; Azevedo et al. 2015). et al. 2005; Oliveira and Scivittaro 2011; Teixeira et al. Satsuma mandarins (C. unshiu Marcovitch) were 2017), and could be therefore considered as the standard originated in Japan (Hodgson 1967), where they are highly Satsuma mandarin in Brazil. Nonetheless, only one study prized for their delicate and very early seedless fruits and has been published on fruit quality of other selections of their good adaptation to the Cfa (subtropical humid) this mandarin (Silva et al. 2009). Japanese climate. Although over 200 citrus cultivars have In this context, the horticultural performance of ten been licensed for cultivation since 1981 in Japan, Satsuma selections of Satsuma mandarin grafted onto Swingle mandarin is still the main cultivated group, accounting citrumelo was evaluated under subtropical climatic for 62% (45.500 ha) of all the citrus acreage (72.600) in conditions in northern São Paulo state, Brazil. We aimed 2014 (Fujii et al. 2016). In Spain, Satsuma mandarins cover to select alternative mandarin varieties for the production around 6% of the mandarin growing area, in contrast to of high-quality fruits in the early season for the domestic China, where more than 40% of the mandarin orchards market. have Satsuma varieties (Garcia-Sanchez et al. 2016). In 2016, the total Satsuma production in Spain was 213,411 t (MAPA 2017). MATERIAL AND METHODS Satsuma mandarins are also of relative commercial importance in the United States (Campbell et al. 2004). The The experiment was carried out in Bebedouro, at the northern coastal fringe of the Gulf of Mexico, extending northern region of São Paulo state, Brazil (20°53’16” S, from Louisiana to northwestern Florida, is particularly 48°28’11” W, 601 m Altitude). Meteorological variables well suited for the production of Satsuma mandarins, were computed during the harvesting period (Fig. 1). and there is an increasing interest in this cultivar in this The soil was a deep, dark red oxisol, eutrophic, endoalic, region (Spiers et al. 2017; Andersen and Brodbeck 2015). moderate A horizon and with clayey texture (38% clay), In Brazil, the main planted area with Satsuma mandarins with no physical or chemical restrictions (pH (CaCl2) = 5.1; –3 is in Rio Grande do Sul state (around 110 ha) with Okitsu CEC = 56.3 mmolc·dm in the 0–20 cm of the upper Bragantia, Campinas, v. 78, n. 2, p.236-243, 2019 237 E. S. Stuchi et al. 35 500 33 450 30 400 28 350 C) o 25 300 23 250 20 200 Rainfall (mm) 18 150 Air temperature ( 15 100 13 50 10 0 Month-year Rainfall Tmin Tmax Tmean Figure 1. Monthly rainfall and average air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean) from 2004 to 2008 (first to fifth harvest) of ten Satsuma mandarin selections grafted on Swingle citrumelo at the Citrus Experimental Station in Bebedouro, northern São Paulo state, Brazil. Data obtained from a Campbell Scientific, Logan, USA, automated meteorological station, model CR10. surface of the soil layer) (Embrapa, 2013). This type of is a nucellar line selected by Prof. Dr. Luiz Carlos Donadio soil is commonly planted with commercial citrus orchards at the “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” São Paulo State University in this region, as well as other oxisoils and argisoils (Corá (FCAV/UNESP) in Jaboticabal, Brazil, and A2 60.0 was a et al. 2005). local selection of Okitsu considered more productive than The experimental grove was planted in May 2001, and the mother tree (Cyrillo 2000)4. the evaluations were performed up to the fifth harvest, in The following plant growth variables were annually 2008. Tree spacing was 6.0 m × 2.5 m (666 trees·ha–1), and assessed from 2006 to 2008: canopy height (CH), measured drip irrigation was installed in 2006. Dolomitic limestone was from the ground to the top of the tree; mean canopy applied before installing the experiment (70% acid neutralizing diameter (CD), calculated as the average canopy width capacity to increase soil base saturation to 70%), and it was in parallel (Dl) and perpendicular (Dr) directions to reapplied whenever the soil base saturation reached 60%. The the tree row; and the canopy volume (CV), calculated mean annual fertilization rates applied per tree were 140 g as follows: CV = (π/6) × CH × Dl × Dr (Cantuarias- Avilés et al. 2010). Mean fruit yield (FY) per tree in the of Nitrogen, 60 g of P2O5 and 99 g of K2O. Other standard practices for mandarin cultivation in Brazil were used (Mattos 2004–2008 period was calculated as the average of the Junior et al. 2005), except for fruit thinning and pruning. five initial harvests. For the same period, the alternate Ten Satsuma mandarin selections were studied: bearing index (ABI) was calculated by the expression: Clausellina, Okitsu, Unshu SRA-529, Saigon SRA-227, ABI = [1/(n – 1)] × {[|a – a |/(a + a )] + Panaché SRA-579, Salzara SRA-341, Miyagawa SRA-444, 2 1 2 1 + [|a – a |/(a + a )] + ..
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