Sochi tangerines are not worse than imported ones. Limonium country nearby Frost damage on citrus trees

Pledge successful cultivation citrus plants is not only the creation of favorable conditions in the apartment, but also care that meets their needs. However, the first difficulty that one has to face is the choice of a green friend. Alas, it often fails. On the counter, the plant looks like a real beauty, and a week after the purchase, for some reason, it turns into a pitiful scumbag.

Plants strewn with bright fruits are usually sold in November-December, when they mostly bear fruit. So, they have, as businessmen say, the best presentation and, accordingly, the highest price, and the maximum demand. That is why, by the end of the year, seductive fruit-bearing citrus fruits, similar to Christmas trees with toy decorations, fill both markets and shops. What is the real perspective, not even prosperity, but at least just their survival on the windowsill? Alas, it is minimal!

All greenhouse sissies are capricious. Any fruit-bearing plants are conservative and require the same conditions that they are used to. What were they? Fruiting tangerines, kinkans, oranges and lemons, Russian intermediary firms buy most often in Holland. There they, in turn, come from greenhouses in Germany, Denmark and the countries of Southern Europe. There, for their growth and rapid entry into fruiting, climatic conditions have been created that do not differ from the subtropics. That is, in these greenhouses, lighting and air humidity are brought to the ideal!

Inexperienced lovers are simply not able to repeat the same on their windowsills. Therefore, most likely, a live “purchase-picture” is doomed. By the way, in Holland itself, it is customary to buy fruit-bearing plants in pots for Christmas and other winter holidays only as disposable ones, that is, they keep them at home like a bouquet of flowers - until they wither, then they throw them away.

It is clear that our Russian buyer would like to count on much more long life of your acquisition. However, only those who are able to provide the hothouse handsome man with similar conditions of detention have real chances for this. But, we repeat, it is very difficult to do this.

Do not buy open-rooted citrus fruits.

Even when the roots are packaged in bags. Such plants, as a rule, are sold in the markets and at any city flea market (in Moscow and near metro stations). And they are brought from the Black Sea coast, where they hastily dig out of the ground, and then shake them in large, tightly stuffed bags for a long time in transport. Immediately before the sale, they are given a more or less marketable appearance.

An experienced citrus grower will bypass such a gift from Sochi or Sukhumi. With rare exceptions, such a plant will die sooner or later. And there are at least two reasons for this. Firstly, the roots of any citrus fruits cannot stand either rough handling or any long stay out of the soil, and a bag and a bag do not save from this. Secondly, even if Sochi-Sukhumi citrus fruits were grown and sold in pots, they would still not be suitable for our window sills.

The fact is that in the Black Sea subtropics, citrus plants in January-February are grafted onto the most winter-hardy, but deciduous species - trifoliata.

In winter, it is in a state of deep biological dormancy, which means that it cannot tolerate heat above 10 ° C. In a dream, the roots do not function and do not absorb water, and the leaves in a hot room evaporate it intensively. With such a discrepancy, death quickly ensues. Therefore, a citrus plant grafted on trifoliate, if it can be grown here, is only on cool balconies and loggias or in winter gardens.

Much easier to tame youngsters. It has long been known that any living organism, not excluding plants, gets used to new conditions of detention much easier and faster, including not the best ones, from an early age. For citrus fruits, this is the age when they are only a few months old, that is, long before fruiting. It is unprofitable for businessmen who supply foreign supplies to sell such plants. But citrus seedlings have finally been grown by several of our greenhouse complexes, small private nurseries, and just experienced amateurs.

However, even if we assume that only young varietal citrus plants are displayed on the counter, which are quite adapted to home conditions, then on an ordinary windowsill, under the same conditions, different species will behave far from the same way. Some will be capricious, others will quickly adapt. According to the rating of citrus fruits, calamondins are the most unpretentious in terms of endurance, followed by tangerines, oranges, citrons, lemons, grapefruits, and kincanas close the list. There is a scatter even within some species, that is, a variety from a variety differs very significantly. You will agree with this when you get acquainted with the characteristics various kinds and varieties of citrus plants.

Out of order of endurance rating and we will tell about them in more detail, not only because among all other types of citrus fruits we have them the most popular. And also because there are so many varieties of lemon sold that it is easy for an inexperienced lover to get confused. We will help you make the right choice.

Meyer. The main advantage of this most purchased variety is short stature. Accordingly, the leaves and fruits are medium-sized. The taste is sweet and sour. It enters fruiting in the second year of life, and sometimes at the age of one. And it blooms and bears fruit very plentifully. There are also disadvantages. Not infrequently, it throws out only buds, forgetting about the leaves, and then the plant simply has nothing to absorb the light with. To save him, you need to remove most of the buds. Another disadvantage is a very painful reaction to the lack of light during the winter months.

Panderose. The tree is medium-sized, with a spreading crown, short thick shoots. The fruits are large. It enters fruiting in the 2nd year of life. It blooms profusely, often even excessively. Therefore, in order to avoid depletion of the plant, most of the buds have to be removed again. It grows well on any windows without additional lighting. Therefore, it is considered one of the most unpretentious varieties.

Novogruzinsky. The fruits of this variety look very elegant: bright golden, elongated oval shape, with a pointed tip. Aromatic, fruitful. However, with two drawbacks. Firstly, it bears fruit relatively late - only in the 4-5th year of life. And secondly, it is distinguished by tallness, large needles. Therefore, it is more suitable not for home windows, but for offices where there are large bright rooms.

Kursk. High-yielding, bears fruit in the 3rd year of life. It is quite unpretentious, although it loses a lot of foliage in winter with insufficient lighting. The main disadvantage is tall stature, so a strong shortening of the branches is required annually.

Pavlovsky. The result of almost a century and a half of folk selection, the Variety is rightfully considered unsurpassed in the ability of plants to adapt to room conditions, seedlings can adapt to almost any light and temperature. It blooms and bears fruit at least twice, and even 3-4 times a year. Plants are medium-sized and practically do not require pruning and crown formation.

Not everyone knows that this seemingly exotic culture surpasses many varieties of lemons with its unpretentiousness. Indeed, with sufficient light, you can grow fruits that are not inferior to those of the south: just as sweet, large and even with more tender pulp! Many of them are able to develop well and bear fruit even on those windows that face the north side, less than other citrus fruits suffer from dry air in winter.

Unshiu broadleaf. The most common variety that moved to the window from the Black Sea subtropics. The maximum height of an adult tree is 1.5 m, it bears fruit from 3 years.

Kowano-Wase, Miagawa-Wase. Dwarf varieties tangerines, their height on the windowsill rarely exceeds 50 cm. They are less common, but more convenient for home conditions. They bear fruit in the 1st-2nd year of life.

On the windowsill, they also feel quite tolerable. The trees look very decorative: a slender crown and dark green, dense foliage. Unlike varieties grown from seeds, they are usually taller, therefore they require either regular pruning or maintenance in spacious rooms.

Gamlin, Smoothskin. One of the most convenient varieties for home use. They have a compact crown, height up to 1 m, tasty and early ripening fruits. They start fruiting at the 3-4th year.

A rare species of citrus. With their crown, leaves, as well as the oblong shape, color and taste of fruits, citrons almost do not differ from lemons. But they are much larger and have a bumpy, thick, grapefruit-like peel.

Pavlovsky. Most famous variety citron. Like the lemon of the same name, it comes from Pavlov. By the way, for the bumpy surface there it is often called shishkan. Differs in beautiful oblong large leaves. Compared to lemon, the tree is more decorative.

One of the largest citrus fruits. Plants are tall, so on the window they need to be severely cut annually. It is better to grow indoors, where there are large windows and wide window sills or well-lit halls.

Duncan, Seedless March, Jubilee. This is the best varieties grapefruits, come into fruiting at the 3-4th year of life.

Close relatives of citrus fruits. In terms of the number of potted fruit-bearing trees imported from Holland to our country, kinkans are in the lead, since their appearance is impeccable and very seductive. Just what you need as a gift for the holiday: squat trees with dense foliage, literally strewn with golden fruits. They are eaten with the skin on. They are very original in taste and give a refreshing, prickly effect, almost like champagne. Sometimes kinkans go on sale under the name kumquats. They grow well and bear fruit only on sufficiently lit windows. With a lack of light, leaves lose much faster than they renew and eventually dry out.

Most often, two varieties of kinkan are sold: with fully rounded fruits (thick-leaved Meiva) and elongated oval (pearl Nagami). They begin to bear fruit in the 3rd year of life.

These are hybrids of kinkan and mandarin. Abroad, due to their unpretentiousness, they are more often grown on a windowsill or balcony than other citrus fruits. And in the summer they put them outside, where they decorate the place in front of the house and open verandas.

The golden fruits from this tree resemble tangerines, but are rounder and smaller (2-4 cm), with a thinner peel. The leaves are smaller than those of other citrus fruits, dark, leathery, oval-pointed. By the way, compared to lemon and orange, calamondin bears fruit more abundantly. Even with dry air and lack of light. And the dense foliage, combined with a beautiful crown, lush flowering makes calamondin a real decoration of the windowsill in any home.

Almost all commercially available varieties come into fruition in the 3-4th year, and they are all unpretentious. True, the most original calamondin - variegated, with white edging on the leaves - is rather capricious and is suitable only for windows with good lighting.

Breeders from the Sochi Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "All-Russian Research Institute of Floriculture and Subtropical Crops" are currently working on the creation of large and frost-resistant lemons and tangerines. If the development is successful, farmers will be able to start producing citrus fruits on plantations in the Krasnodar Territory.

To do this, biotechnologists cross plants with large fruits and plants that are resistant to cold. Frost-resistant hybrids scientists plan to propagate using micrografting. A certain optimism is given to our farmers by cooperation with a large American institute USDA (United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture). Sochi residents expect to receive rare and valuable citrus genotypes from colleagues from the USA for cultivation own brand, perhaps, together with the Americans, they will also conduct research on varieties.

Technology

For the ripening of mandarin and lemon fruits, conditions such as warm temperature and sunlight. If the temperature remains below +18 degrees Celsius for a long time, then the fruits simply do not ripen. To restore all citrus fruits after flowering fruit trees, it takes up to six months, during which night temperatures should not fall below 13-16 degrees.

Therefore, regions with a favorable climate for growing, for example, tangerines are located in China, India, South Korea, USA (Florida), Spain, France, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Turkey. In the territory former USSR the northernmost areas of their cultivation are Sochi and Abkhazia.

- Our varieties, for example, Sochi Mandarin or Novogruzinsky Lemon, are adapted to the extreme conditions of the region: the city of Sochi is the northernmost citrus growing zone in the world. As a rule, they like warmer regions. Most types of citrus fruits - lemon, grapefruit, orange - love warmer regions. Other species, such as mandarin-satsuma, and rarer relatives can grow in Sochi even without shelter. Thus, the Black Sea coast of the Western Caucasus is a border zone of citrus cultivation, which creates optimal conditions for breeding for frost resistance. The development of methods for in vitro cultivation (in vitro) will speed up the breeding process and preserve the collection of valuable species and varieties of citrus fruits,- says Lidia Samarina, employee of the All-Russian Research Institute of Floriculture and Subtropical Crops, co-author of the development.

In the case of lemon, the micrografting method involves the spring selection of plants from the greenhouse. Specialists take buds from young shoots, sterilize and plant in a nutrient medium. Seeds are placed separately in the same soil: they begin to germinate, and after three weeks seedlings are obtained, ready for grafting.

Next, the top of the seedling is cut off, and a kidney 1–2 mm in size is placed in place of the cut. The bud grows together with the seedling - this is how a micrografted plant is obtained. This method, according to Samarina, allows to increase the multiplication factor by 1.6 times and the survival rate of micrografting by 6.6-35.1% compared with similar work in this area.

- The in vitro method is universal. For example, it allows you to receive artificial conditions such "chimeras" as the thornless blackberry. You can also focus on genetic engineering - genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for example, artificial seeds, - reported n and the Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture and Winemaking of the Moscow Agricultural Academy named after. Timiryazev.

Culture in vitro in Russia was developed after the Great Patriotic War. The founder of the trend in the USSR is considered to be Raisa Butenko, who in 1964 published the book "Culture of Cells and Tissues". AT Soviet time the research institutes had their own industrial plantations - about 80 hectares in Sochi.

At that time, the citrus harvest was 400 centners per hectare. After the collapse of the USSR, the squares were reduced, and the city was built up. For almost 120 years of history withOchinsk Research Institute was able to develop many new varieties of citrus fruits. ToIn addition, the institute's collection includes about 130 genotypes. But this is not much, considering that there are more than 900 of them in the US collection. In addition to citrus fruits, the institute is engaged in persimmon, feijoa, hazelnuts, kiwi, and tea breeding.

"In order for us to reach the US level and ensure import substitution, our institute lacks young specialists; if we had a hotel for graduate students and young scientists, we could attract valuable personnel and solve the tasks more effectively."

Cultivation of lemon in vitro will help Sochi residents to preserve promising genotypes in their collection of citrus crops. First of all, these are plants that are resistant to harsh Russian winters, various diseases, etc. Of course, varieties with large and sweet fruits, with a high content of vitamins, are also considered valuable genotypes. According to these criteria, breeders select promising genotypes that are stable in a particular growing area.

- The advantage of the method of cultivation of lemon in vitro developed by us is that it allows preserving and multiplying genotypes with a high degree of reliability and genetic stability due to the modification of the micrografting technique and the composition of the nutrient medium. If we propagate plants in other ways, then mutations can occur, that is, plants can give genetic abnormalities. If we plant seeds, then we will not reproduce the variety from its valuable properties. And if we vaccinate, then with 100% probability we will get exactly the variety that we took from the greenhouse, - says Lidia Samarina.

Obstacles

Raisa Kulyan, Head of the Breeding Laboratory of the Department of Subtropical and Southern Fruit Crops of the Research Institute, talks about three problems of modern domestic citrus growing that do not allow Russia to replace supplies from Turkey and other countries:

- They used to collect much more than they do now. Each farm and each collective farm had its own area for citrus fruits. Today, there remains a spot laying of gardens on the coastal territory. These are Abkhazia, Adler and a small piece in Sochi. But nevertheless, the yield is high, 200 centners per hectare, - says Kulyan. - The taste of foreign citrus fruits is completely different. For example, a lemon can hang on a tree for two years. It turned yellow, but they forgot to take it off, it turned green, and then again in the fall, a year later, it turned yellow. It was taken down and released. Naturally, there will be a completely different taste. Lemon is the only fruit crop, which does not drop fruits, they can hang on the tree indefinitely. Therefore, when the barrel of a lemon has turned yellow, you need to immediately remove it, it "comes to a lying position."

citrus economy

Directors news agency fruitnews Irina Koziy believes that a this moment it is impossible to seriously consider import substitution of citrus fruits in Russia. Firstly, the total production of citrus fruits in Russia is about 20 tons per year, respectively, there is no question of any commercial production volumes and cannot be. Secondly, in no country in the world in similar climatic zones citrus fruits do not grow commercially.

- It is possible, of course, heroically overcoming all difficulties, to grow citrus fruits in specially equipped greenhouses, but the cost of such greenhouse fruits will be several orders of magnitude higher than the cost of imported analogues. In the Russian climate, it is possible to effectively develop the production of apples and certain types of berries from fruits, as well as to grow certain varieties of pears and grapes. In these categories, both the production volumes and the success of domestic selection still leave much to be desired, but there is some progress, and I really hope that the efforts of producers and breeders will be applied to the development of these categories and we will see the results in the medium term, - says Koziy. - And the theme of frost-resistant citrus fruits most of all resembles an unforgettable reprise from the film "Garage" about breeding frost-resistant macaques to collect cedar cones in the Siberian taiga. In my opinion, the benefit from import substitution of citrus fruits will be approximately the same as that of the hero of the film.

According to FruitNews, the growth trend of citrus imports in the domestic market was traced until 2013. Now there is a drop in both demand and supply due to a decrease in income and purchasing power of the population. The total production of all citrus fruits in Russia in 2015 amounted to 20 tons, in 2014 - 24.5 tons, in 2013 - 15.5 tons.

The volume of imports of tangerines in 2014 amounted to about 847 thousand tons, and in 2015 - about 777 thousand tons.The volume of imports of lemons in 2014 is about 209 thousand tons, and in 2015 - about 201 thousand tons. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Russia is the world's largest importer of tangerines, and second only to America and the EU in imports of lemons.

Breeders see the spread of their method in several directions. If they can increase the frost resistance of their varieties by at least two degrees, lemons and tangerines will go to the mountains. If not, they will go to Abkhazia.

- Sochi is a mountainous territory, the climate is characterized by vertical zonality. High-rise buildings have not yet been set up in the mountains, there are many areas that can be used for farmland. There are special agrotechnical horticultural practices for mountainous areas; up to an altitude of 600–900 m above sea level, it is quite possible to plant plantations. The second direction of application of developments on citrus fruits is Abkhazia, our institute has long been exchanging collection varieties of citrus fruits with the Abkhaz Research Institute of Agriculture of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Abkhazia. They have manufacturing facilities. And we have scientific developments, but there is little space for industrial plantings, says Samarina.

I pluck a small sun from a branch. A huge yellow grapefruit does not fit in the palm of your hand and weighs three hundred and fifty grams. No, I'm not in some citrus country, but not far from the very center of Sochi. Just off your Kurortny Prospekt "produces" a citrus crop, the world's only garden-museum "Tree of Friendship". And this is the department of the All-Russian Research Institute of Floriculture and Subtropical Crops of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of the Russian Federation, where we are talking about import substitution.

It all started with a wild lemon

It all started with a wild lemon tree. In 1934, 80 years ago Russian breeder Fedor Zorin planted a small wild lemon tree in Sochi. To obtain new frost-resistant varieties of citrus, the scientist grafted forty-five species and varieties of citrus fruits from different parts of the world to it. And they settled down! Six years later this unusual tree saw the famous polar explorer Otto Schmidt and was amazed at the amazing neighborhood of lemons with oranges and tangerines. The famous polar explorer was allowed to get his author's vaccination. Since then, the tradition of green autographs on a miracle tree has been born ...

Otto Schmidt planted the first "author's" branch on the miracle tree. And in 1957, Vietnamese doctors who visited Sochi suggested calling the tree garden the Tree of Friendship. This year the miracle tree celebrates its 80th anniversary. During this time, envoys from different countries of the world have grafted their living autographs on the Tree of Friendship. Can you imagine? Every year, citrus sprigs are harvested from the first cosmonaut of the planet Yuri Gagarin and the famous Mexican artist Siqueiros, the American singer Paul Robeson and the first president of Russia Boris Yeltsin. On the Tree of Friendship, representatives of almost all countries of our planet were vaccinated.

For a long time, this Sochi Tree was a unique peacemaking exhibit, however, with all due respect to the cause of peace, the scientist Zorin pursued a completely different goal. In our time, it would be called "import substitution technology." Still, the Zorinsky Sochi citrus fruits were not inferior in their useful qualities to the most elite samples. The trees were adapted to local conditions in terms of frost resistance and gave a good harvest on the slopes around the museum. It is clear that the main goal of this selection work was, by today's standards, a very relevant topic - providing the country's workers with domestic citrus fruits. How relevant is this today!

Sochi grapefruit and youth

Like many years ago, Sochi breeders continue to work on new varieties of frost-resistant citrus fruits. There are successes! Nadezhda Gutieva, head of the Garden-Museum "Tree of Friendship", and this is a department of the State Scientific Institution of the Research Institute of Floriculture and Subtropical Crops, invites you to the museum garden. However, I would call it an experimental plantation ...

- Look, under one crown have taken root different varieties citrus fruits, as it were, fruits of “different nationalities,” says Nadezhda Gutieva. “These are Japanese tangerines. Then Italian lemons and American grapefruits. A little to the right on the branch are Nepalese oranges and Chinese kinkans ...

“Can’t we plant gardens of such trees?”

- Of course not. And why? Our institute has bred new varieties of frost-resistant grapefruits and tangerines, and, of course, these fruits can be grown on an industrial scale in some areas of Sochi, which, in fact, was done before ...

- Tell me, if the state task of import substitution of citrus fruits is set, will Sochi be able to feed the country with grapefruits?

- Well, if there is funding for development and, most importantly, a place for protected plantations, then there will definitely be no problems with grapefruits and tangerines. Let me emphasize once again: our local varieties of tangerines have already been bred in Sochi! We even have youngsters. Yes, and you yourself know what kind of exotic kiwi used to be considered, and now this fruit grows in Sochi, almost on every adjoining area…

You said "youths". And what is this fruit?

— This is a healthy citrus fruit. For example, in China it has been known for over 2500 years! Yunos is distinguished by increased frost resistance and is used in breeding when breeding new frost-resistant varieties of other citrus species. And we use...

Zorinsky tangerines

The Sochi Research Institute of Horticulture and Subtropical Crops has a "gene pool" of frost-resistant tangerine trees, and if the task is set, then new frost-resistant citrus fruits can be bred within a few years.

“Our institute is constantly breeding and, of course, there are seedlings of those very “Zorinsky” frost-resistant tangerines. If necessary, within a few years we will be able to provide high-quality seedlings of tangerine trees. Another thing, where to plant them? For gardens, it will be necessary to choose undeveloped warm areas on the slopes closer to the sea, which, if you try, I think, you can still find ...

It is unlikely that in the current situation, anyone will object that it is time to revive large-scale citrus production in Sochi, the base of which was preserved by Sochi scientists from the Research Institute of Horticulture and Subtropical Crops. Mandarin and other citrus orchards of import substitution are now a hot topic for the country. Especially under New Year. On New Year's days, Russians always smell of tangerines in their homes. And under my Christmas tree there will be the aroma of Sochi grapefruit, which I plucked in an amazing Sochi garden.

Citrus fruits easily cross and form new hybrids, breeders widely use this property, so today it is difficult to list all the available citrus plant hybrids and their many variations. In addition to the already familiar calamondin and limequat, there are other hybrids of kinkans with citrus fruits and other citrus fruits with each other.

Let's look at some types and varieties of unusual citrus fruits that can be purchased at nurseries. A real exotic for your home!

Itchangensis

Citrus icchangensis, Yichang papeda are rather slow growing citrus species that have a characteristic lemon flavor foliage and flowers.

• Ichang lemon (also known as shangjuan)
• Kabosu
• Hyuganatsu

Ichansky lemon (lat. Cítrus cavaleriéi, formerly Citrus ichangénsis) - evergreen, a species of the genus Citrus (Citrus). Distributed in China. Is an the most cold hardy evergreen citrus, can be used as rootstock. Ichangensis is the most frost-resistant among all species of the genus Citrus. Critical temperature (complete death or freezing to the root neck) from -15 to -17 0 С.

Lemon Yichang, according to another classification, is Citrus wilsonii, comes from the hybridization of Citrus ichangensis (from the mountains of southern China, winter hardiness up to -15C) and Citrus maxima (tropical citrus, can withstand no more than -3C). Shangjuan is another variety of the same Citrus wilsonii, more winter-hardy (down to -13C).

Refers to paped group- citrus fruits, the leaf petioles of which are bordered by very wide wings, are similar to leaf blades. A tree or shrub growing up to 10 m in nature, with straight thorns on the branches.

The juice is sour and pungent in taste, the pulp is dryish, almost absent. Seeds are available. But the fruits are very fragrant, reminiscent of grapefruit (up to 10 cm or more). The large fruit has a taste reminiscent of a mixture of lemon and grapefruit, sometimes used as a substitute for them, although the taste of this type of citrus is still very specific.

How rootstock can be a good alternative to deciduous trifoliate. In addition, the plant itself is very beautiful: densely leafy, with abundant flowering, it grows rapidly.

Clemapo delicacy

Clemapo delice.

Hybrid tangerine x clementine Commune with repeated crossing with tangerine Avana x tangelo Mapo.

Early, medium-high grade. The fruits are obviously flattened, larger than ordinary tangerines (120 g) and usually ripen in October. The pulp has excellent taste and does not contain seeds, moreover, the peel of this tasty orange fruit is very easily separated from the pulp.

Mandarin Ortanik

Tangor is a flattened "not-quite-orange", red-orange in color, with a thick skin, the result of crossing a tangerine and a sweet orange.
Tangerine ripens earlier than mandarin, and its citrus aroma is less pronounced than that of mandarin.

Ortanique - probably natural tangor, found in Jamaica in the 1920s. Since tangerine and orange trees grew nearby, they decided that this was their hybrid. The name is composed of several words: or(ange) tan(gerine) (un)ique (orange, tangerine, unique).

Its other names are tambor, mandor, mandora.

The fruits are of medium and large size, the peel is slightly rough, orange in color, difficult to peel, with stones. Caliber (54-74 mm).

Ortanic tangerines are the second largest and largest tangerine variety in Greece. Unlike the Clementine variety, Ortanic is harvested without leaves. Due to the tight-fitting peel, Ortanic tangerines are well protected from damage.

Today, Moroccan tangerines of the Ortanic variety can be purchased in Russian stores. The variety is quite large. The fruits are very juicy, the taste is sweet-sour, very pleasant.

Orangequat Nippon

Orangequat nippon (Nippon Orangequat) is a rare and rare interesting citrus. C. unshu x F. margarita. Orangequat (mandarinquat). Its origin is associated with the mandarin, not the orange.

Orangequat is a citrus, a hybrid of the unshiu mandarin and the Hawaiian variety of the kumquat ("Meiwa kumquat"), created by the American Eugene May, introduced into culture in 1932.

Fruiting is less abundant than that of the mandarin, but more abundant than that of the kumquat. The fruits are orange, rounded, larger than kumquats. The skin is thick and sweet. The juice is bitter, but in the process of fruit ripening, their pulp becomes sweeter. The fruits ripen relatively quickly and stay on the tree for several months. Of the x, they are eaten whole, with a peel, like kumquats: the fruits are very tasty.

The species is frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures down to -12 ° C.

It's attractive decorative tree, grows slowly small size, convenient for keeping at home, in room conditions.

Citrus Sudachi

Sudachi - frost-resistant sour citrus, can withstand temperatures down to -15 C. Sudachi ichandrin (papeda hybrid). Citrus sudachi Hort. ex Shirai. Citrus icchangensis X C. reticulata var. austere.

It is considered a hybrid of papeda and mandarin, traditionally grown in Tokushima in Japan, on the island of Shikoku. The fruits can be harvested when young, when Sudachi has a distinctive flavor that is different from Yuzu. The young fruits are used for cooking, the green ones are often included in vinegar or seasonings, and are suitable as additions to many different dishes, especially fish. In dishes, Sudachi is usually cut into thin slices to decorate the main dish. The aroma is used to flavor non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. The fruits are in high demand.

The fruit of Sudachi is much smaller than that of Yuzu, the average fruit size is 3.8 cm wide and 3.4 cm high, the average weight of one fruit is 27.2 grams. There are few seeds, the average juice content is 34.4%, which is higher than Yuzu, so Sudachi is mainly used for juicing. The flesh is light green when unripe, to green-yellow when ripe. Sudachi is slightly more acidic than Yuzu, averaging 5% citric acid.

Sudachi trees are generally moderately strong creeping, small to medium trees, with spines up to 5 mm in each leaf axil. The leaves are elliptical in shape, with a small winged petiole.

It is highly resistant to citrus weevil. Growth is slow. Trees live for a long time. The tree gives an extremely large yield.

According to the University of Riverside in California, the species may be derived from a hybridization between the citrus papeda and the mandarin C. reticulata.

The first mention of Sudachi is in the 1708 book Kaibara Atsunobu.

The fruit is spherical, tuberous, about 4 cm in diameter, about 30 g in weight, usually harvested green from August 15 until the end of September, then the fruit turns yellow and becomes sweet.

The essential oil contains special ingredients, including sudachiines. The quality of sudachi fruit is the subject of publications in Japanese and Korean sources: it is good for the skin, increases triglycerides, fights obesity, it is an anti-oxidation and diabetic juice, improves glucose and lipid metabolism, an excellent anti-inflammatory agent, including in inflammatory processes in bone tissue. A Tokushima University Graduate School publication shows that mice fed this citrus supplement with 1% zest powder had a noticeable weight loss effect.

In Japan, mass production began in 1956. There are micro-manufacturing in California and in Portugal.

The sugar level in the juice is higher than that of a lemon, the sugar/acid ratio is more than 5, the usual quality level for this type of fruit. The taste is typified less tangerine than Yuzu, less resinous than Kabosu, it gives a pleasant sensation of adding sweetness and acidity, it is a real miracle that is highly appreciated with grilled dishes (fish, mushrooms...), added to soy sauce and drinks (alcoholic drinks, beer, soft drinks). Grated zest is also used.

Tangelo Seminole

Tangelo Seminole (Seminole tangelo). Citrus reticulata x C. paradisi. Citrus tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore.

Seminole is a citrus with large fruits (like a grapefruit) with a red-orange peel. It is very juicy, has a rich sweet taste with hints of grapefruit, tart, a bit like tangerine, but with a different shade. Variety trees require pruning.

Tangerine is a type of mandarin that grows in Morocco, Sicily, China and the USA. Tangerine is not a botanical term. As a rule, tangerines are called red-orange sweet bright tangerines with an easily detached thin skin. And hybrids of tangerines with other citrus fruits are called tangelo. The first tangelos were obtained in 1897 in Florida.

Known varieties of tangelo: Curly, or Sunrise Tangelo (K-Early, Sunrise Tangelo), Tangelo Seminole (Seminole tangelo).

Lemon Chimera Aranciata

Lemon chimera "Aranciata". C. lemon "Chimera aranciata".

A chimera is an organism consisting of genetically heterogeneous cells, and this lemon is called a chimera for a reason. On one plant, you can see shoots and fruits of both the original forms and hybrid, diverse, with a mixture of signs. Therefore, the shape and taste of the fruits of the chimera are different (oval and pear-shaped). It looks very impressive!

The oval-shaped fruits that grow on the chimera are sour, juicy, fragrant, slightly reminiscent of Meyer lemon in taste. Pear-shaped fruits medium acid, juicy. The chimeric "lemon" is a fruit with bright yellow skin, pale orange flesh that looks more like an orange than a lemon. The pulp is not entirely sweet, but it is far from the acidity of a lemon. The other fruit is pale yellow, but definitely more orange, with lemon flavored flesh. In general, it is incredibly interesting: what will grow and how it will taste!

Thomasville

Citranjequat "Thomasville". Citrangequat "Tomasville".

This hybrid was created at the beginning of the 20th century. It first gave fruit in Thomasville, Georgia (Georgia), now it is called that. The fruits are medium in size, elongated or oval in shape, orange to orange-yellow in color. The taste is sour, there are seeds, there are not many of them.

Tree of fairly vigorous growth, with thorns, grows upright. Leaves of variable shape, often trifoliate. The fruits are large, sour, tasty (when fully ripe), so the variety is the most common variety of citranjquats.

Wakiva (Wikiwa)

Wekiwa tangelo. Citrus × tangelo.

Fruits are medium-small, spherical, obovate or pear-shaped; pale yellow color; relatively few seeds. Skin of medium thickness, smooth. The pulp is tender, juicy; the taste is sweet. At favorable conditions the skin is pink-red and the flesh is amber-pink.

The tree grows slowly, but at the same time it is productive; leaves are small, rounded-oval.

It is a hybrid of the grapefruit and the Sampson mandarin and hence the species is a tangelo. It is not commercially significant, but is of interest due to its novelty and pinkish skin color.

The fruits are juicy and sweet with a hint of grapefruit.

They are dwarf trees, grow well in pots, can be kept small, compact, with judicious pruning. The fruits ripen in January.

Unlike other tangelos, Wikiva fruit resembles a pink grapefruit, but tastes more like a tangerine.

Flying dragon

Citrus Poncirus Trifoliata Flying Dragon. Flying Dragon. Latin name: Trifoliata Poncirius Monstrosa.

The unique exotic citrus Flying Dragon is a deciduous, very dwarf tree with an attractive shape, twisted branches and hooked thorns.

The flying dragon, also known as the Japanese bitter orange, is the hardiest close relative citrus fruits. Native to China and Korea, it is a deciduous shrub with twisted green twigs and menacing crooked thorns. The green spiky lace of the branches resembles the shadows and silhouettes of flying dragons.

The fruits of the Flying Dragon are yellow, about 5 cm in diameter, the juice is similar to lemon. In China, the Flying Dragon is used as a compact, impenetrable hedge. The variety is unpretentious.

Suitable as a dwarf rootstock for citrus fruits, causes very early flowering and fruiting. Trees grown on the Flying Dragon rarely exceed 1.5 meters in height and often bear fruit already in the year of sowing.

The fruits of this species ripen in late autumn.

The flying dragon in nature grows up to 2 meters in height, a plant with a moderate growth rate. Trees need very little pruning compared to others. fruit trees. Needs enough sunny place, fertile, well-drained acidic soil, regular deep watering is recommended. The variety is frost-resistant and will survive low temperatures, down to -20C. By spring, fragrant white flowers with five petals adorn the bare stems. Summer green fruits appear among the glossy green leaves. Each leaf consists of three oval leaflets, therefore it is called trifoliate. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, and around this time, the fruits of yellow-gold color ripen. Fruit may remain on the tree through the winter.

Takle

Tacle (Citrus sinensis x Citrus clementina).

While Sicily has been supplying the world with its citrus fruits, its most valuable treasure has been hidden in the Acireale research center for citrus and Mediterranean crops: the Tacle, a new type of citrus that was created over a decade ago.

The tacla fruit looks like a large tangerine or slightly crushed orange and is actually a cross between an orange and a clementine. To be precise, this hybrid stems from the Montreal variety Clementine (which is itself a hybrid) and the Tarocco orange.

Tacle has a sweet taste, the flesh is firm and very juicy, without seeds. Shiny, bright orange peel. It is ideal for fresh consumption and juicing.

Fragrant citrus fruit, excellent thirst quencher, speckled with reddish hues due to the characteristic pigmentation of anthocyanins. The fruit, weighing an average of about 150 g, has a flattened shape. The tacle fruit is harvested from late December to late January and has a distinct taste, similar to a mixture of clementine and Sicilian orange.

Thanks to its characteristic appearance and sweetness, Tacle stands out as a citrus fruit with a pleasant aroma and taste and valuable organoleptic characteristics, vitamin-rich pulp and low fat content. Tasty and healthy!

Pomum Adamo

Pomum Adami Citrus aurata Risso. Adam "s apple, d" Adam, du Paradis, Pomme d "Adam, Pomme du Paradis, Pomo d" Adamo. Adam's apple. Italian variety.

Pomum Adami is a citrus with huge fruits. It has long been called Pomm ď Adama ("Adam's apple"). According to Gallesio (1811) belongs to the group of hybrids "Lumia". It can be a cross between orange tree and cedrato lemon. Marco Polo found this variety in Persia (now Iran) in 1270, the Arabs brought it to Palestine in the 12th century. It was also mentioned in the book History of Jerusalem by the French author Jacques de Vitry in the early 13th century. The book claims that de Vitry saw him in Palestine during the Crusades and Holy War. This variety was also later described by other famous botanists.

According to molecular analysis done at one plant by Italian researchers, the original mother plants are pompelmus, citron and lemon.

The tree grows to medium height and fairly wide, has a globular crown with typically non-thorny branches, or in some cases there are rarely a few thorns on the branches. Large, spear-shaped leaves are oval, sometimes with slightly serrated edges. The flowers are large, highly fragrant, creamy white with a hint of purple. They usually grow singly, but at the tips of young shoots almost exclusively in racemes.

Spherical fruits are quite large, with or without a tubercle, sometimes with a narrow neck. The peel is light lemon-yellow, bitter. The pulp is almost inedible, very sour.

Tsitranszheremo

Microcitrus Citrangeremo.

Australian microcitrus.

This plant is actively growing, seedlings can be used as a rootstock. The plant is compact and grows well.

Citrangeremo is a natural hybrid of Citrange x Eremocitrus glauca. This variety was brought to Europe from Germany. The leaf is small, oblong, reminiscent of a willow leaf.

A variety of Australian origin, should withstand heat and dry air well, compact, great for indoor growing.

Glauka x shekvasha

Microcitrus Glauka X Shekvasha. C. Glauca x Shekvasha.

A hybrid of the Australian desert lime and mandarin.

Glauka easily form hybrids, this is one of them. Shekwasha is a tangerine (Shekwasha, Citrus depressa Hayata, Citrus pectinifera Tanaka).

It grows well, the crown is dense. The tree is very decorative.

The tree is vigorous, with a rounded crown. The fruits are very small, orange in color, flattened, with a very thin and fragrant peel. The pulp is soft, slightly viscous, with a very pleasant taste.

Eremoorange

Natural hybrid of C. glauca (Australian desert lime) x C. sinensis (orange). Eremoorange.

A tree of vigorous growth, gives a good increase. Leaves like microcitruses, from orange - a larger size of leaf blades. Seedlings of this variety grow quickly, have deep taproots.

The fruits are small (2-4.5 cm in diameter), drop-shaped, elongated, the peel is bright yellow.

In the area of ​​Marseille, Eremorange survives in open ground temperatures down to minus 15 degrees.

The fruits have a sharp sour taste, with a strong tangerine aroma and hints of orange. Suitable for making marmalade of the highest quality.

Kumquat Triploid Reale

Kumquat Reale (Fortunella Reale ISA). Fortunella Reale (Fortunella Reale Kumquat, Kumquat Reale ISA, triploid reale). This is a triple hybrid (triploid): a "Monreal" clementine is crossed with a Fortunella Hindsii kumquat, and then the resulting hybrid is crossed again with a Fortunella Hindsii kumquat, so 4x.

ISA - Istituto Sperimentale per l "Agrumicoltura, an institute in Sicily that breeds new citrus varieties.

Fruits of fine dessert taste.

This kumquat is specially bred in order to obtain the outstanding decorative qualities of the plant, continuous flowering and the ability to bear fruit in the first year of life. An ideal variety for growing at home, in an apartment.

Grafted plants bloom in the first year of life. The leaves are similar to kumquat leaves, the crown is compact, the spines are short and thin. The fruits are small, weighing no more than 15 grams, oval, yellow, they stay on the tree for a long time after ripening.

High-yielding variety, remontant. The fruits vary slightly in size and shape.

The taste of fruits is tangerine-kumquat, sweet peel and pleasant sweet and sour pulp. The pulp is sour, juicy; peel with the taste of sweet tangerine, rich, fragrant, so the fruits are eaten with the peel. Seeds are found, but not in all fruits.

From the Montreal clementine, the variety received a good taste, and from the Hindsii kumquat - the ability to constantly bloom profusely.

Reale has outstanding decorative qualities: it blooms continuously. On the tree at the same time there are ripe fruits, ovaries and flowers. The shape of the crown is a bit like a Meyer lemon.

The variety is unpretentious, undemanding to the conditions of detention (suitable even for beginners), very prolific, highly decorative, and also with very tasty fruits. It is highly recommended as a pot culture for indoor maintenance.

Citrus trees are very vulnerable to cold weather, and even frost-resistant varieties need care when frost comes.

For the care of young trees up to the age of four, the most effective method of protection from the cold is to make a mound of clean soil around the trunk of the tree at a height of about 30 cm. Soil is a good insulating material that can protect the tree in frosts down to -9 ° C. It is also an absorbent of sunlight, so remove mulch or any other material covering the ground. You can mound around the trees in the fall before frost hits, remove the mound in the spring after. How will the threat of frosts pass? Another way to protect the trees is to wrap them with seedling protection paper. This is an alternative to creating a mound around the trunk, or you can use both the first and second methods at the same time for additional protection of trees.

To care for older trees, use special winter coatings. Just carefully cover the branches with a special protective material. If the frost is severe, you can place several lamps under the bedspread, or a small heater. However, be extremely careful when placing any heat source under the covers. Keep heat sources away from wood and bedspreads. You can use special "quilts for trees." They are sold already pre-cut specifically for covering a medium-sized tree. On average, these "quilts" help the tree to withstand temperatures 6-8 degrees lower. "Blankets" are used continuously for up to three days. If there is a need to use them for a longer period of time, it is necessary to remove them for the day so that the tree receives some sunlight during the day. Never use plastic covers to protect against the cold, always use "breathable" materials specifically designed to protect foliage.

If your tree has reached a size where the cover is no longer suitable, prepare for frost as follows: First, clear the soil around the tree of mulch to allow the ground to absorb sunlight. In the days leading up to frost, improve the heat absorption properties by irrigating the tree and the area around it. You can also spray the tree with a frost hardening agent that creates a special invisible film on the tree's leaves and branches to help reduce frost damage.

The last way is to spray the tree with water during frost. Mount the sprinkler above the tree and start spraying when the temperature drops to -1°C. The ice formed from the water will protect your tree. However, be prepared for the possibility of branches breaking due to the weight of the ice.

Frost damage on citrus trees

Frost damage on citrus occurs when water inside the fruit, leaves, tree branches, and trunk freezes, rupturing cell membranes. Unlike deciduous trees, which protect themselves from the cold by shedding their leaves in autumn and going dormant, citrus trees continue to grow year-round. An extended period of cold weather even before frost forces citrus trees to prepare for this. This is why sudden changes in temperature - sudden freezes followed by warming - are more detrimental to citrus fruits than a gradual decrease in temperature. However, almost any frost leads to some kind of damage.

No matter what steps you take to protect yourself from the cold, there comes a point where nothing can help and your citrus fruit suffers frost damage. But if the damage is not very serious, efforts and support are required from you so that the tree can be restored. One of the important key points is not to take any steps immediately, but to wait until the damage caused by frost appears. In some cases, the death of a branch can occur even two years after freezing. If you act too quickly, you run the risk of cutting off parts of the tree that can recover from freezing, or vice versa, leaving those parts of the tree that look healthy, but are actually fatally damaged.

Signs of frost damage

Fruit

If the fruit is damaged by frost, the flesh suffers, while the skin may appear intact outwardly. Periodically, spots may appear on the fruits. Severely damaged fruits may fall from the tree; however, this may not happen if the damage is moderate. In any case, over time, the frozen flesh of the fruit will thaw, and the fruit will be empty.

Leaves and branches

Signs of damage on the leaves of citrus trees can be deceiving, as they will be green and springy at first. And only later, when they thaw, they become soft and fall off. In case of minor damage, frost-damaged leaves can recover. However, if the damage is fatal, the leaves will completely lose their structure, dry out and fall off. But leaf fall alone does not indicate the death of the tree. If the tree itself remains healthy, it will recover and growth will resume in the spring. As for branches, damage to branches almost always results in leaf death. In case of severe damage, the leaves will dry out, but may still remain on the branch for some time. However, if the branch is not severely damaged, the leaves will fall off more quickly.

Branches and trunk

Signs of frostbite of branches and trunks are the delamination of the bark and the formation of cracks on it. Lesions can manifest as plant cancer (necrosis fruit plants), which is mistaken for late blight.

Pruning trees damaged by frost

The first step in pruning is to wait until late spring or early summer. This will give time and opportunity to assess the damage. In addition, trees damaged by frost may sprout in early spring, which will soon die off. By postponing the trimming process, you can save time and effort.

When pruning, always remember that it is best to trim the wood where the branches form a fork, making sure you cut off any damage. If young trees have been protected by an embankment, they can survive, recover, and sprout new shoots at the top, even if you have to cut branches above the embankment.

At severe frosts the tree can be damaged all the way to the ground. In such cases root zone may encourage the development of new shoots and the tree is likely to recover. But if it is a graft and the tree is damaged below the bud, new growth will start from the root shoot, not from cuttings. And then it is necessary to decide whether to carry out cuttings or allow new shoots to grow from the roots.