- Botanical Name – Citrus aurantifolia
- Family – Rutaceae
- Ch. No. – 2n = 18
- Origin – India
- Fruit type– Hesperidium
- Inflorescence type – Cymose (Solitary)
- Edible part – Juicy Placental Hairs.
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- India rank 5th among major lime and lemon producing country in the world.
- In 2018-19 area of lime and lemon in India is 296 thousand ha. and Production 3397 thousand MT.
- In 2018 Maximum area and production of lime and lemon in Gujarat (605.62 thousand MT from 46.28 thousand ha) followed by Andhra Pradesh (562.01 thousand MT from 34.88 thousand ha).
- Kagzi lime is the indicator plant of Tristeza and it is highly susceptible to this disease.
- Citrus canker is the most serious disease of acid lime.
- Acid lime is a tropical plant.
- Gajanimma (Citrus pennivesiculata) and Rough lemon are the most promising rootstock of acid lime.
- Classification of citrus was given by Tanka and Swingle (1945)
- Spain is the largest exporter of citrus.
- The ultra-dwarf rootstock of citrus – Flying dragon.
Varieties
- Pramalini – Canker tolerant
- Vikram
- Chakradhar – Seedless variety of acid lime
- P K M – 1
- Sai Sarbati – Tolerant to Tristeza and Canker
Acid Lime / Kagzi Nibu - Jai Devi – Pleasant Aroma
Climate
- Tropical climate,
- Strong wind and frost are harmful,
- Grown from sea level to 1000m or so elevation.
- Annual rainfall does not exceed an average of 75cm.
Soil
Well-drained, deep (1.5m.), medium to light soil.
Propagation
Mainly by seed.
Planting
- Pits are dug during summer with a dimension of 60-75 cm3.
- Acid lime planted at a distance of 5×5 or 6×6 m.
- The best time of planting is the onset of the monsoon.
Manure and Fertilizers
- F Y M – 50 kg, N : P : K – 500g : 400g : 900gm/ tree
- From fifth years and onwards.
- Every year it is applied first in December – January before spring flowering and the second application is done in June – July.
Irrigation
- Winter 15-20 days interval and in summer 8-10 days interval.
- Sufficient soil moisture is maintained during fruit setting and fruit development.
Interculture and intercropping
- Hoeing once and twice a year (during the post-monsoon season)
- Early-stage of growth legumes and some vegetables are taken.
Training and pruning
- Training is done in the early stage giving support with bamboo split sticks if needed.
- Later age (Bearing trees) may be pruned unwanted branches.
Flowering and Fruiting
- Tree start Flowering fourth year onward after planting.
- The fruit mature six months after flowering.
- Higher fruit setting minimum fruit drop and higher fruit yield is obtained with the spraying of Zn So4 at 0.6 % + 2, 4-D at 20ppm in early January.
Harvesting
- In Gujarat, 60% of the total crop is harvested from July to September, 30% from October – January, and 10% from February to May.
- In North India Harvesting is done from August – September.
- Fruits are harvest when the rind colour changes from green to yellow.
Yield
80-150 quintals / ha.
Difference between lime and lemon
Lime |
Lemon |
Botanical Name C. aurantifolia |
Botanical Name C. limon |
Leaves and flowers are small |
Medium size leaves among Citrus sp. |
Marked petiole wings |
Petiole wings very narrow or absent |
Stamens are around 25 |
Stamens are around 30 |
Peel is very thin |
Medium-thick |
Pulp vesicles are small and thin |
Comparatively big and thick |
Pulp greenish in appearance |
Pale yellow in an appearance |
References cited
- Commercial Fruits. By S. P. Singh
- A text book on Pomology, Vol,1. by T. K. Chattapadhya
- Tropical Horticulture, Vol.1, by T. K. Bose, S. K. Mitra, A. A. Farooqui and M. K. Sadhu