Acid Lime Research Articles

Antifungal Activity of Citrus Essential Oil in Controlling Sour Rot in Tahiti Acid Lime Fruits

Sour rot, caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii, is a significant post-harvest disease in citrus, resulting in economic losses due to the lack of effective fungicides. This study investigates the antifungal activity of citrus essential oils in controlling sour rot in Tahiti acid lime fruits. Essential oils were extracted via hydrodistillation with chemical composition analyzed by CG-MS and tested in vitro and in vivo. In vitro assays evaluated mycelial growth inhibition at 2 to 32 µL mL−1 concentrations. In vivo trials involved preventive and curative treatments on artificially inoculated fruits stored at 25 °C ± 2, and the results showed that Pera IAC sweet orange oil, at 32 µL mL−1, reduced disease severity by 96% in curative treatments. In contrast, Late IAC 585 willowleaf mandarin oil demonstrated moderate inhibition (44%) at the highest concentration in vitro. The oils did not affect key fruit quality parameters such as juice yield and total soluble solids. These findings suggest that citrus essential oils could be natural alternatives to synthetic fungicides for post-harvest sour rot management, combining effectiveness with maintaining fruit quality.

Efficacy of antibiotics and bactericides against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri causing bacterial canker disease of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia)

Diseases are the major constraints for citrus production which impede the fruit yield and quality. Citrus suffers from a number of diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and viriods. Among these diseases, canker caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, foot rot or gummosis caused by Phytophthora spp., twig blight caused by Diplodia natalensis and Fusarium spp. Three antibiotics and three bactericides viz., Streptocycline, Kasugamycin 5% + Copper oxychloride 45% WP, Kasugamycin, Bacterimycin, Copper oxychloride 50% WP, Copper hydroxide 53.8% W/W were evaluated for their effectiveness in controlling the growth of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri at the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Ummendganj-Kota, (Agricultural University, Kota) Rajasthan. Inhibition was highest in case of copper oxychloride 50% WP (34.20 mm) followed by bronopol 27% (28.90 mm) and streptocycline 90% W/W (12.48 mm) at 500 ppm concentration and no inhibition zone was found in kasugamycin. All the antibiotics/bactericides inhibited bacterial growth at higher concentrations.

Dose optimization, frequency and spectrum of Gamma-ray induced chlorophyll mutations in acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) cv. Agamalai

Dose optimization, frequency and spectrum of Gamma-ray induced chlorophyll mutations in acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) cv. Agamalai

Evaluation of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) Genotypes for Growth, Yield and Quality Traits

A study on evaluation of acid lime genotypes for growth, yield and quality traits was carried out at Citrus Research Station, Vannikonenthal, Manur Taluk and Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu during the year 2021–2023. Twenty five acid lime genotypes were selected for the experiment. Observation on quantitative traits such as tree height (m), tree spread (m), canopy spread (m2), tree girth (cm), leaf lamina length (mm), number of fruits/tree, mean fruit weight (g), fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), fruit volume (cc), number of seeds per fruit, yield/tree (kg) and qualitative traits such as total soluble solids (°Brix), acidity (%), juice content (ml), fruit juice percentage (%) and ascorbic acid content (mg/100g) were recorded. The present study results revealed that genotype SCA 19 recorded the highest values for the traits such as tree height (3.49 m), tree spread (3.58 m2 E-W; 3.74 m2 N-S), canopy spread (6.57 m3), leaf lamina length (58.40 mm) and tree girth (13.66 cm). However, genotype SCA 06 registered the lowest tree spread character. In the case of yield traits, genotype SCA 19 registered the highest values in number of fruits per tree (1080), mean fruit weight (58.75 g), yield per tree (57.89 kg per tree), number of seeds (9.10), fruit length (8.50 cm), fruit girth (4.90 cm) and fruit volume (54.81 cc). Regarding quality traits, SCA 19 observed the highest values viz., TSS (6.71˚Brix), acidity (6.78 %), ascorbic acid content (26.50 mg/100 g), fruit juice percentage (52.1 %) and juice content (46.0 ml). Hence, acid lime genotype SCA 19 recommended for further evaluation in different parts of Tamil Nadu.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Organic Seed Priming Formulations on Germination and Seedling Growth in Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Kagzi

The primary objective of this research was to evaluating the effectiveness of organic seed priming formulations on germination and seedling growth in acid lime cv. Kagzi at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, during the period 2020-2021. The study comprised six distinct treatments of organic formulations, including beejamrit, cow urine (50% and 100%), cow dung, cow dung slurry, and control (without soaking). The seeds were soaked for a duration of 24 hours. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The study findings revealed that the control (without soaking) exhibited the highest germination percentage (45.17) and germination rate (2.38), followed closely by the beejamrit. Furthermore, the beejamrit treatment demonstrated remarkable seedling growth at 180 days after sowing, with the highest values recorded for seedling diameter (3.23 mm), seedling shoot length (36.90 cm), fresh shoot weight (3.26 g), fresh root weight (1.26 g), tap root length (37.57 cm), and survival percentage (91.50). Cow dung slurry also exhibited notable performance in terms of seedling growth parameters at 180 days after sowing with the beejamrit. Cow dung slurry showcased the highest number of secondary roots (50.00), number of leaves per seedling (31.67), leaf chlorophyll content (33.80 SPAD), and nitrogen content (1.52%), closely followed by the beejamrit treatment. Accelerating the rate of germination and growth of lime seedlings has become a top concern for nurserymen and scientists on a national level to reduce expenditures and time for seedling maintenance. For overcoming such types of problems at the nursery stage, contributing to more resilient and sustainable farming practices using organic seed priming is a good alternative against chemical seed priming.

Efficacy of foliar feeding of plant bioregulators on yield attributes and economic analysis of acid lime

Efficacy of foliar feeding of plant bioregulators on yield attributes and economic analysis of acid lime

Research Investment Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity of Acid Lime in Maharashtra

Research Investment Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity of Acid Lime in Maharashtra

Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn) drink spiked with spices-Immunomodulatory properties

Indian gooseberry juice (20% (v/v) was reconstituted with 5% ginger juice (v/v) extracted from freshly harvested rhizomes, 2% each of turmeric rhizome powder and black pepper powder (w/v), followed by raising the total soluble solids to 130Brix by adding sugar syrup. Finally, 5% acid lime juice of 2.45% of titratable citric acid was added to the entire mixture in order to impart a fruity flavour to the product. The entire mixture was homogenized at 175 Bar (2500 psi) with a speed of 235 rpm and was subsequently pasteurized at 1000C for 10 minutes. LC-MS/MS analysis detected phenolic compounds (2-galloyl glucose, 2,6-galloyl glucose), capsaicinoids, curcuminoids, gingerol and shogaol. Though cyclophosphamide significantly inhibited the relative weight of thymus from 0.193 ± 0.048 in normal mice to 0.077 ± 0.034, treatment with the herbal drink significantly increased the relative weight of thymus, showing increased T cell differentiation. Mice treated with the drink showed marginal increase in the WBC count, indicating recovery of immunity. Recovery of bone marrow cellularity in mice fed with the herbal drink was directly proportional to the concentration of the drink. Increase in a-esterase activity was also directly proportional to the concentration of herbal beverage.

Effect of Different Growing Media and Varying Levels of Gibberellic Acid on Seed Germination and Vigour of Acid Lime (citrus aurantifolia swingle.) cv.Kagzi Lime

Effect of Different Growing Media and Varying Levels of Gibberellic Acid on Seed Germination and Vigour of Acid Lime (citrus aurantifolia swingle.) cv.Kagzi Lime

Implementing Internet of Things for Real-Time Monitoring and Regulation of Off-Season Grafting and Post-Harvest Storage in Citrus Cultivation: A Case Study from the Hilly Regions of Nepal

Citrus fruit cultivation, especially mandarin oranges, is crucial to the economy of Nepal’s hilly regions due to their ideal geoclimatic conditions. Despite its economic importance, the sector faces several challenges, such as inadequate grafting techniques, low-quality saplings, and ineffective post-harvest storage. This paper explores these issues and proposes innovative solutions through the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology. To address these challenges, we identified key areas for improvement. First, we focused on extending grafting practices during the off-season to ensure a higher success rate and better-quality saplings. Second, we examined different post-harvest storage methods to determine their effectiveness in terms of shelf life, decay loss, and quality of fruit. In addition to exploring post-harvest strategies, this paper provides preharvest recommendations for farmers, emphasizing methods to enhance fruit quality and longevity through effective pre-storage practices. Our IoT-based approach introduces off-season grafting in polyhouses and advanced monitoring for post-harvest storage. The results are promising: We achieved grafting success rates of 91% for acid lime and 92% for local mandarin orange varieties. Additionally, our research compared different post-harvest storage methods for mandarin oranges, including room, cellar, and cold chamber. We assessed these methods based on shelf life, physiological weight loss, and the total soluble solids (TSS) to titratable acidity (TA) ratio. The cold chamber proved to be the most effective method, offering superior conditions for storing mandarin oranges. The IoT-based monitoring system played a crucial role in maintaining optimal temperature, humidity, and gas content within the cold chamber, resulting in reduced post-harvest losses and extended shelf life. These findings highlight the transformative potential of IoT technology in mandarin orange cultivation and post-harvest storage.

Foliar Impact of Urea and Nano Urea Application on Growth and Yield Attributes of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle.) Cv. Kagzi

Background: Acid lime being the nutrient exhaustive fruit crop and requires regular annual application of macro and micronutrients and there was a need to study the response of foliar application of Urea and Nano urea as a source of nitrogen to assess its impact on Kagzi lime trees. The reason to undertake this research was based on response of foliar Urea and Nano urea on nutrient supplementation, rapid nutrient uptake, improved nitrogen utilization along with enhanced nutrient mobility and its effect on growth and yield attributes in acid lime cv. Kagzi plants. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at the Fruit Instructional Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar during June 2022 to December 2022 in established Kagzi lime orchard of 14 years age. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The experiment consisted of foliar application of nine treatments comprising Urea and Nano urea. Result: On the basis of results obtained in the present investigation, the foliar application of T4 treatment (Urea @ 2.0%) was found beneficial in the improvement of growth and yield attributes in acid lime cv. Kagzi. The foliar feeding response through T4 treatment (Urea @ 2.0%) resulted in enhancement of plant height (m), plant spread [E-W and N-S (m)], canopy volume (m3), number of fruits plant-1, yield plant-1 (kg) and estimated yield (kg/ha) in acid lime cv. Kagzi trees.The overall maximum percentage increase in growth attributes viz. plant height (6.46%), E-W plant spread (6.09%), N-S plant spread (6.27%) and canopy volume (20.34%) were found in T4 treatment consisting (Urea @ 2.0%). The application of T4 treatment (Urea @ 2%) resulted in enhancement of number of fruits plant-1 (480.33), fruit weight (67.90 g), yield plant-1 (27.87) and estimated yield (77.21 q/ha).

Bio-efficacy of bio-rationals against citrus leaf miner (Phyllocnistis citrella) in acid lime (Citrus aurantiifolia)

The field experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) 2020–21 and rainy (kharif) season of 2021–22 at College of Agriculture (University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad), Vijayapura, Karnataka to evaluate efficacy of bio-rationals against citrus leaf miner (Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton). The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD) with 8 treatments, viz. bio digester solution (10%); pongamia leaf extract (5%); Prosopis juliflora leaf extract (5%); Beauveria bassiana (2 × 108 conidia/g) (1 kg/ha); Bacillus thuringiensis 8 L (1 L/ha); neem-based insecticide (10000 ppm) (1.5 L/ha); thiamethoxam 25 wg (125 ml/ha) (standard check); and untreated control (water spray), replicated thrice. Among the selected bio-rationals, two application of neem (Azadirachta indica)-based insecticide recorded significantly lesser number of live mines/shoot followed by bio-digester solution (10%) and these treatments were found superior in controlling citrus leaf miner on acid lime [Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle]. The pongamia leaf extract, Bacillus thuringiensis 8 L and Beauveria bassiana were proved to be moderately affective against this pest. The bio-rationals found effective can be used in integrated management of citrus leaf miner on acid lime.

Influence of plant growth regulators on qualitative attributes of acid lime Kuliana local in Odisha

Kuliana lime is an outstanding Odisha cultivar with significant potential to be included in future crop improvement operations due to its flavor and juice content. This research was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station, Department of Fruit Science and Horticultural Technology, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 to determine the optimal growth regulator in terms of quality metrics. certain growth regulators 2,4-D (2,4-D @ 10 ppm and 20 ppm) and GA3 (GA3 @ 50 ppm and 100 ppm) and NAA (NAA @ 100 ppm and 200 ppm) and SA (SA @ 100 ppm and 200 ppm) and SPMD (SPMD @ 0.01 ppm and 0.5 ppm) and PUT (PUT @ 0.01 ppm and 0.5 ppm) and BR (BR @ 0.1 ppm and 0.5 ppm) quality of Acid Lime kuliana local. The biometrical observations on various quality features were recorded in the same seasons over 2 years. The best was for fruit quality, which has been determined on the basis of growth regulators performances, as growth regulator variation has a significant effect on the quality of fruit. Brassinosteroids showed the best effects for TSS (7.17 oBrix), acidity (6.05 %), total sugar content (0.61 %), reducing sugar content (0.41 %), ascorbic acid (36.35 mg per 100 mL of juice), chlorophyll content (33.03 mg/100 g), flavonoid content (119.91 mg/100 g), protein (0.82 mg/100 g) and carbohydrate content (10.29 mg/100g) with the other treatments, including the untreated fruits in both years of the study. Our results revealed that the BR gave superior results in quality attributes for Kuliana lime in the East and Southeast Coastal Plain Zones of Odisha.

Rootstocks affect the vulnerability to embolism and pit membrane thickness in Citrus scions.

Embolism resistance of xylem tissue varies among species and is an important trait related to drought resistance, with anatomical attributes like pit membrane thickness playing an important role in avoiding embolism spread. Grafted Citrus trees are commonly grown in orchards, with the rootstock being able to affect the drought resistance of the whole plant. Here, we evaluated how rootstocks affect the vulnerability to embolism resistance of the scion using several rootstock/scion combinations. Scions of 'Tahiti' acid lime, 'Hamlin', 'Pera' and 'Valencia' oranges grafted on a 'Rangpur' lime rootstock exhibit similar vulnerability to embolism. In field-grown trees, measurements of leaf water potential did not suggest significant embolism formation during the dry season, while stomata of Citrus trees presented an isohydric response to declining water availability. When 'Valencia' orange scions were grafted on 'Rangpur' lime, 'IAC 1710' citrandarin, 'Sunki Tropical' mandarin or 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstocks, variation in intervessel pit membrane thickness of the scion was found. The 'Rangpur' lime rootstock, which is known for its drought resistance, induced thicker pit membranes in the scion, resulting in higher embolism resistance than the other rootstocks. Similarly, the rootstock 'IAC 1710' citrandarin generated increased embolism resistance of the scion, which is highly relevant for citriculture.

Antibacterial activity of Cymbopogon species essential oils against Xanthomonas citri and their use in post-harvest treatment for citrus canker management.

Citrus canker is a disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas citri subp. citri (X. citri), which affects all commercially important varieties of citrus and can lead to significant losses. Fruit sanitization with products such as chlorine-based ones can reduce the spread of the disease. While effective, their use raises concerns about safety of the workers. This work proposes essential oils (EOs) as viable alternatives for fruit sanitization. EOs from Cymbopogon species were evaluated as to their antibacterial activity, their effect on the bacterial membrane, and their ability to sanitize citrus fruit. The in vitro assays revealed that the EOs from C. schoenanthus and C. citratus had a lower bactericidal concentration at 312mg L-1, followed by 625mg L-1 for C. martini and C. winterianus. Microscopy assay revealed that the bacterial cell membranes were disrupted after 15min of contact with all EOs tested. Regarding the sanitizing potential, the EOs with higher proportions of geraniol were more effective in sanitizing acid limes. Fruit treated with C. shoenanthus and C. martini showed a reduction of ∼68% in the recovery of viable bacterial cells. Therefore, these EOs can be used as viable natural alternatives in citrus fruit disinfection.

Characterization of Colletotrichum species obtained from citrus in northern Thailand and introducing a new host record for C. plurivorum

AbstractCitrus trees are affected by many plant‐pathogenic fungi. The present study aimed to characterize Colletotrichum species on citrus showing anthracnose symptoms, leaf and fruit spot and wither tip in northern Thailand using multilocus data and assay their pathogenicity. The surveys were carried out from December 2021 to January 2022 and 73 isolates were obtained from infected tissues. The fungal strains were identified based on morphological traits and were confirmed via amplification and sequencing of ITS, ACT, CHS‐1, GAPDH and TUB2. In all, 41 isolates were subjected to multilocus phylogeny. Forty of these isolates of Colletotrichum species belonged to the C. gloeosporioides species complex and one isolate belonged to the C. orchidearum species complex. Colletotrichum siamense, comprising 19 isolates, was the most dominant species associated with symptomatic citrus, followed by C. gloeosporioides (17 isolates), C. fructicola (three isolates), C. endophytica (one isolate) and C. plurivorum (one isolate). C. plurivorum is reported for the first time from citrus in the world. These isolates were obtained from mandarin (Citrus reticulata), pomelo (C. maxima), Persian lime (C. latifolia), Thai lime (C. hystrix) and acid lime (C. aurantifolia). The pathogenicity of the isolated fungi was tested through inoculation on branch, fruit and leaf using the detached method on mandarin, pomelo and Persian lime hosts, confirming Koch's postulate. In terms of disease severity, C. gloeosporioides and C. siamense were observed to be the most pathogenic species. This is the first pathogenic and molecular study of Colletotrichum species infecting citrus in northern Thailand.

GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF CULTIVATED CITRUS FRUITS (Citrus spp.) IN COLOMBIA USING SSR MOLECULAR MARKERS

Citrus is the second most important fruit crop in Colombia after bananas, with production taking place in 26 of the country’s 32 departments. Oranges, sour limes, and mandarins are the most economically important crops in terms of area planted and production. Microsatellites were used to assess the genetic differentiation of oranges, mandarins, tangelos, grapefruits, and acid limes from the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation AGROSAVIA germplasm bank and collection of micro-grafted plants at Palmira Research Center in Colombia. A total of 121 samples from eight citrus groups were analyzed with 30 fluoromarked simple sequence repeats (SSR) microsatellites. The mean expected heterozygosity and mean observed heterozygosity were 0.58 and 0.57, respectively, and the coefficient of genetic differentiation was 0.558, confirming very high genetic differentiation among the citrus groups evaluated. Microsatellites mCrCIR01B02, AMB5, Ci01C09, mCrCIR08B08, and Ci01C07 were the most informative, presenting a high number of alleles and polymorphic loci percentages of more than 45 %; in addition, they allowed the identification of unique alleles, which can be used to establish the genetic fingerprint of citrus. Genetic differentiation was achieved for seven out of the eight groups evaluated. The SSRs used failed to differentiate the orange groups, possibly due to genetic origin; for this group, other molecular markers are recommended.

Recommendation of Tahiti acid lime cultivars through Bayesian probability models.

Probabilistic models enhance breeding, especially for the Tahiti acid lime, a fruit essential to fresh markets and industry. These models identify superior and persistent individuals using probability theory, providing a measure of uncertainty that can aid the recommendation. The objective of our study was to evaluate the use of a Bayesian probabilistic model for the recommendation of superior and persistent genotypes of Tahiti acid lime evaluated in 12 harvests. Leveraging the Monte Carlo Hamiltonian sampling algorithm, we calculated the probability of superior performance (superior genotypic value), and the probability of superior stability (reduced variance of the genotype-by-harvests interaction) of each genotype. The probability of superior stability was compared to a measure of persistence estimated from genotypic values predicted using a frequentist model. Our results demonstrated the applicability and advantages of the Bayesian probabilistic model, yielding similar parameters to those of the frequentist model, while providing further information about the probabilities associated with genotype performance and stability. Genotypes G15, G4, G18, and G11 emerged as the most superior in performance, whereas G24, G7, G13, and G3 were identified as the most stable. This study highlights the usefulness of Bayesian probabilistic models in the fruit trees cultivars recommendation.

Impact of Foliar Application of Urea and Nano Urea Levels on Quality, Physiological and Leaf Nutrient Content Attributes of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Kagzi in Vertisols of Jhalawar District in Rajasthan

This study attempted the efficacy of various Urea and Nano urea treatments on Kagzi lime fruit characteristics, such as weight, length, breadth of juice recovery, total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, TSS/Acidity ratio ascorbic acid content, and pH value of juices. There were some significant differences in the reaction of Kagzi lime to these treatments. The Urea treatment at 2% (T4) always gave the top values for the fruit weight, length, breadth; juice recovery, TSS content, TSS/Acidity ratio; ascorbic acid content, and juice pH. While the Nano urea treatments showed positive effects, Urea treatment at 2% had the overall better performance. This implies that Urea at this level was superior in improving the fruit quality factors, which may be used to optimize Kagzi lime cultivation methods. In particular, the variables such as fruit characteristics, juice properties and nutritional content, chlorophyll content; relative water contents in leaves of leaf nutrient contents were positively influenced by 2.0% treatment Urea application These protocols led to significant improvements in fruit weight, length, and width being greater as good juice contented and TSS which increased considerably the levels of Ascorbic acid were improved, chlorophyll content enhanced while there were reduced effects despite that resulted from this prophylactic treatment. Moreover, it resulted in the maximum level of leaf nitrogen and phosphorous. These results show that Urea has significant influences on the quality of acid lime cv. The highest favorable results were noticed in the 2.0% Urea treatment administered by Kagzi lime.

Assessment of post-harvest fruit rots in acid lime

Assessment of post-harvest fruit rots in acid lime