Integrated management of fruit drop in citrus

摘要

Fruit drop is one of the limiting factors in the production of citrus fruits. The citrus trees bear on an average 2.0-2.5 lakh of flowers, however, only small proportion of these reach the harvestable maturity. After fruit set, the trees continuouslyexperience fruit drop at different growth and developmental stages. The fall of fruit reduces the yield and causes economic losses to the orchardists. The intensity of the loss is determined by the stage at which the fruit drop occurs. The article unveils the stages and types of fruit drop in citrus - their causes, and describes how good tree health and management of various biotic and abiotic factors can contribute in reducing the fruit drop.