C itriculture has great importance in the agriculture industry worldwide, occupying 1 st position among the fruit crops in Pakistan (Shireen et al., 2018). Mandarin group is most widely cultivated and produced in Punjab, Pakistan, ultimately shares maximum foreign exchange (Khan et al., 2020a).Maximum citrus fruit (> 95%) is being produced by province of Punjab, and proportion of Kinnow (Citrus reticulata blanco) is more tha 70% of total production of citrus fruits (Niaz et al., 2004). Citrus fruits are much conspicuous and delicious with excellent nutritional value and organoleptic properties.
The growth and quality characteristics of citrusAbstract | Citrus fruit production is getting much popularity throughout world, due to its high minerals and vitamin contents. The nutritional quality of citrus fruits primarily depends upon the selection of rootstock. Kinnow 'Mandarin' is a major citrus cultivar being cultivated in Pakistan. The current study aimed to investigate the nutritional status and growth and yield of Kinnow mandarin grafted on four overseas and two indigenous rootstocks in Pakistan. Experiments were conducted at experimental station of Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha from 2016 to 2020. Results revealed over all good adaptability, while no significant difference in juice contents was observed among all the tested cultivars. Physical quality of fruit (weight, firmness, size etc.,), and TSS were significantly affected by varying rootstocks. Cox mandarin was found as best cultivar as imparting maximum weight (180.7 g), size (74.10 mm), TSS (12.0 ⁰B). Overall, cox mandarin budded with Kinnow performed well under local climatic conditions of Sargodha Pakistan.