Nutrition
Nutrition management in a citrus orchard is a critical practice for growers. To achieve optimal fruit size, trees must get the right balance of nutrients at the correct growth stages. Major and minor nutrients all play important roles and interact with each other to determine the overall health of trees. Some obviously have more influence on fruit size than others, but at the same time they may also play an important role in relation to fruit quality. For example calcium and its role in reducing albedo breakdown.
All good fertiliser and nutrition programs require effective monitoring of nutrients to ensure the correct balance is maintained. One of the most important tools to monitor nutrient changes within the plant is a regular leaf analysis program and good record keeping. It is important to maintain optimum nutrition at each growth stage to promote better fruit size and tree health.
Irrigation
Irrigation is one of the most important factors in producing a good yield of quality citrus and plays an important role in determining fruit size. The correct scheduling of irrigation in your orchard is an important tool in achieving desired fruit sizes.
Aknowledgements
Information in this webpage has been adapted from the "Fruit Size Management Guide Part 1" which is a publication distributed by the Australian Citrus Growers (2003). The guide was compiled by Ken Bevington, Sandra Hardy & Peter Melville (NSW DPI), Kym Thiel (Citrus Growers of SA), Garry Fullelove (QLD DAF) and Peter Morrish (Murray Valley Citrus Board).