PEST CONTROL PRACTICES
In the nursery,
no pesticides are used, since plants are
unaffected by scab, anthracnose, and insect
pests. In the grove, trees receive a
single dust application of sulfur; this is
applied sometime between June and October.
Sulfur is used to control russet, but
judging from the small amount of blemished oranges
seen in the market place at Gaza (which
consumes the fruit unsuitable for export), russet is not
the serious problem as it is in other parts
of the world, notably Florida.
Control of scale is attempted by
application of medium oil emulsion, usually
1 percent. The lack of satisfactory results suggests that better control would be obtained if the percentage of oil in the emulsion were increased. The impenetrability of most groves, however, makes proper application a virtual impossibility.
PRODUCTION
AND MARKETING FACTORS
Citrus production
is the main economic pursuit of the Gaza Strip and provides the chief source of income. Approximately 90 percent of the fruit grown is shipped abroad, to European as well as Arabian markets. The volume
of exports for the period 1956-60
is shown in Table 1.
The area devoted
to citrus is at present 18,000 dunums.
This represents a sizable increase from
the 8,000 dunums of two years ago, and
attests to the accelerated pace of citrus
growing. About 10,000 dunums are in
bearing trees.
Harvesting
starts in mid-October and ends in mid-April.
Shemouti oranges are picked as early as the middle of October —
about a month earlier than the same variety
is harvested north of the Armistice
Line. It is claimed that the
achievement of a 7 to 1 ratio of
solids to acid is attained earlier in Gaza
because of favorable climatic conditions and the presence of sandy soils. Picking dates for varieties other than Shamouti are: Valencias — February through April; Sukary
oranges — December; mandarins — January and
February; lemons -- January; grapefruits
— January.
There is
increasing interest in the growing of Valencia’s.
Spaces left by removal of dying trees as
well as new groves are being planted to Valencia’s;
at present thi variety brings
1. the price of Shamout is on the
European market. Valencias ar favored also for
their superior shipping qualities and
because of the feeling that tha they are less
susceptible than are Shamouti to salt injury
and to insect damage. Al though it is not
generally appreciated among growers, Valencia’s,
being budded on sou: orange, are certainly tolerant to
xyloporosis whereas many of the older
Shamouti; plantings on sweet lime are
suffering from xyloporosis.
Prices realized
abroad have generall3 been below
prevailing market levels ant reflect the
attitude among buyers that fruit: from Gaza are
inadequately graded with respect to
ripeness, color, and size. The recent
establishment of a modern packing house of 80-ton/8-hour-day
capacity should do much to remedy
some of these short coming and to
improve receptivity of Gaza citrus.
