Performance of Nucellar Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi Macf., on 13 Rootstocks in South Texas1

Abstract

Abstract Fruit production of 11-year-old ‘CES #3 Redblush’ grapefruit Citrus paradisi Macf. trees on 13 root-stocks was best on ‘Swingle’ citrumelo (C.P.B. 4475) [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. × C. paradisi], ‘Morton’ and ‘Troyer’ [P. trifoliata × C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck] rootstock. The lowest yielding trees were on ‘Tachibana’ orange C. tachibana (Mak.) Tan. and ‘Succari’ sweet orange C. sinensis rootstock. There was wide variation in the percentage of large-sized fruit (96 and above) over 3 years; trees on ‘Troyer’ and ‘Swingle’ citrumelo (‘C.P.B. 4475’) produced the greatest quantities of large fruit. The fruit of ‘CES #3 Redblush’ was small on ‘Tachibana’ orange, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin C. reticulata Blanco, and ‘Succari’ sweet orange rootstock. Total soluble solids was highest on ‘Tachibana’ orange, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin, and ‘Texas’ sour orange C. aurantium L., lowest on ‘Rough’ lemon C. jambhiri Lush, and ‘Troyer’. Acids were high on ‘Tachibana’ orange and ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin rootstocks, low on ‘Rough’ lemon and ‘Christian’ trifoliate orange Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. Trees were larger than average on ‘Rough’ lemon and sweet orange rootstock, smaller on ‘Christian’ trifoliate and ‘Tachibana’ orange. Leaf Mn levels were high on ‘Tachibana’ orange; B levels were relatively low on ‘Swingle’ citrumelo (C.P.B. 4475) and ‘Succari’ sweet orange rootstocks.