Orange Cultivation

Orange Cultivation: The Orange has its origin in Southern China, Northern and East India and South East Asia. Around six continents in over 100 countries grow Orange throughout the year.

The scientific name of the sweet Orange is Citrus sinensis. And it belongs to the Rutaceae family. The most important commercial citrus species in India are the mandarin (Citrus reticulata), sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) and acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) sharing 41, 23 and 23 % respectively of all citrus fruits produced in the country.

Orange is a rich source of Vitamin C, Oranges contain phytochemicals that protect against cancer.
Orange juice can help prevent kidney diseases, Mandarin Oranges fight liver cancer.
Oranges lower cholesterol, The fruits are rich in Potassium and boost heart health.
The fruit regulates high blood pressure, Oranges are full of dietary fiber which relieves constipation.

Things To Consider In Commercial Orange Cultivation: Have a Business plan before starting the Business.
Orange crops demand irrigation in the time of winter and summer season.
Have some Business tie-ups with the food processing industries.

Suitable Soil For Orange Cultivation: Light, well-drained (sandy) soils are most ideal. Oranges require well-distributed rainfall or supplementary irrigation throughout the year. Good source of water is essential in Orange farming. According to weather conditions, the ideal range is between 450mm – 2,700mm per year.

Orange Cultivation Basic Steps: Planting: Go for propagation from seeds and also vegetatively propagation by T-budding. Transplant the seedlings mostly in the month of July-August after the commencement of monsoon. You can plant the mandarins in pits of 50 cm. X 50 cm. X 50 cm. size in a square system with a spacing of 4.5-6 m. , accommodating 350-450 plants/ha.

Irrigation: You must provide irrigation at an interval of 10-15 days during winter months and at an interval of 5-7 days during summer months. Drip irrigation leads to an effective, efficient and economic use of irrigation water. You can opt for drip irrigation in low rainfall regions.

Manuring: Normally, you can apply Sodium Super Phosphate (SSP) to the soil before planting at a rate of half a kg per hole. You can add about 10-20kg of manure to the soil. Apply NPK fertilizer at the rate of half a kg per plant per year of growth, split into 2-3 applications per year i.e. apply about 250 gm per rainy season. Increase the fertilizer by about 300 gms NPK per year of growth up to year 10 when each tree gets 2.5 – 3 kg per year. Additionally, you can add farmyard manure also.

As per the soil testing report, you must add micronutrients also. Supply the micro-nutrients through foliar spraying. Some of the major required micronutrients are zinc, copper, manganese, iron, boron and molybdenum.

Weed control: Weeds compete with young Oranges. Weed before the weeds flower to prevent the production of more seeds. Do not dig through as this will damage roots and cause root rot disease. Ring weed around the plants to get a weed-free area for irrigation and application of manure or other fertilizers. Keep the fields weed free to avoid fruit and leaf spots.

Harvesting & Yield: Harvest the fruits when they attain full size, develop attractive color with optimum sugar and acid blend. You must harvest the fruits preferably with clipper, shears or secateurs.

You can expect substantial yield only from sixth year onwards. Mandarin produces 500-800 fruits after about 9-10 years. Its plants attain the level of full bearing at the age of 10-12 years. The net productive life span of Orange orchards after deducting the first 5 pre-bearing years is only 15-20 years.

Wishing you all the best,
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