Kinnow is shared more than 80% in production and exporting among the citrus in Pakistan. Kinnow is known very well because of its good fruit characteristics like uniqueness in size, color, and more juicy content. Kinnow is also known as seedless citrus (but it doesn’t mean that the whole fruit will be empty from seeds from inside but have fewer numbers of seeds). But due to higher susceptibility to different diseases and pests attacks makes it inferior in the export market. In this article, I would like to acknowledge that Kinnow is a well-fit cultivar from the consumer end but from farmer’s point of view, and also exporters are demanding to improve the variety as environment adaptability. There are the following outlines,
- Environment of kinnow
- Problems concerned as a farmer level
- Farmgate citrus fruit rejection
Environment for citrus kinnow
Kinnow is a successful cultivar of species Mandarin (Citrus sinensis) and developed by American horticulturist scientists under the Californian climate which resembles more with Pakistan’s climate as a subtropical zone. This cultivar is no doubt exotic and has specific characteristics but with the passage of time kinnow as the plant and fruit become more vulnerable from the outer environment for that there are many factors being contributed by our environment as well as anthropological activities in Pakistan.
But, climate and season is unchanged universal truth that cannot be changed and avoided as a farmer. From the research point of view, kinnow should be genetically improved so that adaptability and tolerance level should be increased. Different orchard growers should pay attention to growing only one crop and avoiding intercropping in citrus orchards.
Problems at a production level of citrus kinnow
The main reason for poor citrus plants with less vigorous and poor quality citrus fruit comes from poor nursery management. From the plantation of citrus plants, farmers buy poor quality and diseased filled plants from un-reputed nurseries. Plants from such nurseries would be easily susceptible to different pests and diseases like citrus canker, leaf miner, whitefly, citrus psylla, etc.
Unmatchable and exhaustive crops, intercropping makes it less productive to the citrus orchards. The real suggestion and recommendation for intercropping are that if farmers do not want to wait for citrus fruit maiden bearing then vegetables with short-season are more preferable, otherwise, if he can wait for citrus fruits then intercropping is not recommended by agricultural experts.
Rejection of citrus kinnow fruit at the farm gate
Generally, kinnow which is harvested and transferred to the stock and packing house, due to fruit bruises and spots, it gets rejected from them is called farm gate rejection. The fruit which is less attractive aesthetically will not be selected by the exporters. There is a fungus that is more responsible for spotting on the fruit is called melanose.
Conclusions
Kinnow should be improved genetically so that it can tackle disease and pest attacks. Citrus canker is more destructive at the production level and melanose is a major fungal disease for farm gate rejection.