PROPAGATION

PROPAGATION

Limes and lemons are propagated by seed, sweet limes are raised by cuttings and layering. Pummelo, Grape fruit, Sweet orange and Mandarins are propagated by budding. Rough lemon is universally employed as a stock except in case of Mandarin for which Sweet lime stock is in common use.

For raising stock plants, seed is extracted from rough lemon which is ready for harvest in late September or early October. For extraction of seeds, tree ripe fruits are selected. They are cut into two halves

SOIL

SOIL

Deep well drained sandy, sandy loams, foams and silt or clay loarns are all suited to Citrus. However, loose open sands, or sandy foams with good physical condition are preferred. Heavy soils containing more clay are avoided, as they drain poorly and lack sufficient aeration. Citrus roots are surface feeders and hence very deep soils are not essential. They do not stand waterlogging. Citrus seems to be tolerant to slightly kalarish land, with a pH up to 8.5. The soils of middle Sind are of medium type. They contain in general clay from 22.07 to 28.93 percent and sand from 67.93 to 71.07 and are classed as Sandy foams. Hence, considered from the point of Citrus requirements, the soils in this tract are quite suitable.

CLIMATE

CLIMATE

The commercial cultivation of Citrus in the Sind area is limited to middle Sind (the districts of Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Tharparkar). The climate of this tract is quite comparable to other commercial citrus centres in the adjoining regions. In the plains of former Punjab and Frontier, citrus centres, the annual rainfall ranges from 13 to 20 inches and the relative yearly humidity from 50 to 54 percent. The highest maximum temperature is 120°F and the lowest 29°F. In the Bombay, Deccan and Khandesh sections in India, the average annual rainfall is 30 inches, the mean relative humidity 51 percent, the highest maximum temperature 110°F and the lowest minimum 36°F. Nagpur, the largest orange growing tract of India, has an annual rainfall of 44 inches and the average relative humidity 53 percent, the highest maximum temperature is I I7'F and the lowest minimum is 43°F. (Webber and Batchelor 1948). The Citrus tract of Sind _ (Vicholo Sind) has a highest maximum temperature of 110.8°F and a minimum of 47.3°F. Mean himidity is 61 percent and the annual rainfall is 7.22 inches. (Pithawala 1955).

The low temperature at which serious damage is caused to Citrus is never reached here. The area is free from prolonged cold spells (at 28°F or below) which affect adversely fruits and young shoots.

Santra, which perhaps requires a drier climate, is found to flourish in Tharusha (District Nawabshah). Though cooler weather in the northern citrus centres of West Pakistan causes unripe fruits to lose their green colour earlier compared to the Citrus centres in the Khairpur and Hyder-. abad Divisions, yet Citrus fruits are ready much earlier in these divisions if the readiness of fruits is judged from juciness in fruits and richness in flavour, due to declining acidity and increasing sugar contents. Further, cool weather seems to cause higher acidity, warmer the weather during ripening time, less acid is the fruit (Chandler 1950). Mild tropical temperature and dry period at the time of ripening seem to be well suited. Sweet oranges and grape-fruits are ready for harvest in the Hyderabad region about two months earlier and the Santras a month earlier than in the Northern Citrus centres of West Pakistan. Since the fruits in the Southern districts ripen during the warmer weather compared to the weather in the Northern districts, they remain green at the time of marketing. Blood red Malta does not develop red colour under the Sind Climate unless the winters are very severe and prolonged. However, on the whole, climatically the area is well suited to Citrus Cultivation.

CONCLUSIONS

CONCLUSIONS

There are many opportunities for increas­ing production and the percentage of marketable fruit in the Gaza Strip. For­tunately, most of the correctives have already been worked out elsewhere and need only to be adapted to local conditions. Other problems unique to the area can be solved through the guidance cf the Ministry of Agriculture.

It is a different matter, however, to say whether a further increase in citrus pro­duction is warrantable at the present time. The principal pr^-oblem facing Gaza's in­dustry is transportation. Partition left this appendage of a former territory without its traditional port facilities. At present exports are limited to the inadequate port of Gaza, where only a few ships a week make call and where vessels must anchor 500 meters offshore. At the port of Gaza, lighters cannot approach the dock closer than 15 meters, and to reach lighters, stevedores must wade waist-deep in salt water that occasionally laps at the boxes of fruit atop their heads. The government is currently considering improvement of port facilities; when these plans materialize, the expansion of Gaza's citrus industry should meet with much greater chances of success.

Before determining the causes of decline of Citrus Industry in this area, it seems necessary to review the clirtliatic and soil conditions, the cultural practices adopted and the prevalance of pests and diseases in the tract. The appraisal would help in the suggestions to be made for improvement.

NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS

NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS

Because of the increasing shortage of barnyard manure and the growing expansion of citrus plantings, nutritional problems are present and mily be expected to get worse. Many groves show foliar symptoms of a deficiency in zinc, iron, and manga­nese. Whenever barnyard manures are supplemented by fertilizers, the mixture consists only of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is not known to what extent elements are tied up in the soil because of high pH values. 

APHIDS

APHIDS

Visits to the Gaza Strip took place during times when aphid populations were below peak levels nevertheless, various species were encountered on citrus. Because of in­terest in aphids as vectors of tristeza, various collections were made and prepared for identification. Toxoptera aurantii (Fonsc.) was found on Citrus sinensis and C. aurantifolia; Aphis gossypii Glov. on C. sinensis; and Aphis craccivora Koch and Myzus persicae (Sulz.) on C. paradisi.

Mediterranean fruit fly. Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) occurs in the Gaza Strip. While damage to fruit does not appear to be excessive, the fly does affect the time of picking. Because of increased damage to the fruit as the season progresses, all fruit must be picked by the middle of April.

Control, measures are desultory; traps are used by some growers, while others apply lindane three or four times a year.

ENTOMOLOGICAL PROBLEMS SCALES SCALES

ENTOMOLOGICAL PROBLEMS SCALES

SCALES

When trees are planted 264 to the acre, pest control obviously becomes difficult. Even at greater spacings, including the prevalent 7 X 7 meters, canopies soon join and make impossible the use of machinery in the rows. Pesticides are applied by station- ing sprayers at the edges of the groves and by "dragging garden-type hoses from the tanks to positions between the rows. In­adequate pressure and faulty coverage result in poor control; in addition, there is the custom of using 1 percent medium oils, when what obviously is needed is a 2 percent oil.

Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.) is the most prevalent scale. In recent years, it appears to have crowded out the "black" scale, Chrysomphalus aonidum (L.). Also present, but only of moderate concern, is Cero­plastes sp.

Rust mite

Present practice calls for the application of one sulfur dust annually to prevent russet. Rust mites are present, the species being Phyllocoptruta Olievora Ashm. The whole citrus-growing area is dusted between June and October. ..Control of russet is obtained in variable degrees; about 10 percent of the fruits on the local narket are russetted.

Applications of sulfur are generally made with knapsack dusters. Deposits are uneven; some leaves are -so heavily coated that appreciable quantites of sulfur persist for as long as half a year, especially during the dry summer months. Heavy residues cause further troubles when oils are later applied on top of them. Much oil-sulfur burning of the fruit was in evidence, and one of the factors responsible for the many recently killed twigs and branches in some groves, as well as the prevailing thinness of the foliage, is probably the toxic interaction of these two pesticides.

Zineb (zinc ethylene bisdithiocar-bamate), a material found in Florida to be exceedingly effective for the control of russet (2), has not been used. This material would provide better control of russet and would not damage the fruit and foliage as does oil and sulfur.

FRUIT ROT

FRUIT ROT

Much trouble has been experienced during the pasf season with a rotting of fruits on the, tree and in transit. Some shipments were reported to have arrived in Europe with 40 percent decay. No examples of this rot were seen during the visits to Gaza, but the following reasons suggest that the trouble is Phytophthora lirown rot (1, 4): (a) fruits were reported to be rotting on the tree shortly after heavy rains that continued for several days during November of 1960; (b) fruits appeared sound on packing but developed decay in shipment; (c) the rot was brown in color, firm in texture, and pungent in odor.

STUBBORN

STUBBORN

One grower mentioned a disease producing acorn-shaped sweet orange fruits with tht rind at the navel end being particularly thin. Twigs were described as being "shaky.' and the growth of the tops so reduced thin: the grower had the trees (6 out of 2,000) removed. This would suggest the preset of stubborn disease. At times, trees were seen that bare some of the early stage symptoms described for stubborn, such as imbricated foliage, rounded and cupped leaves, and poor fruiting, but single ob­servations are not considered adequate to implicate the existence of stubborn virus.

PSOROSIS

separate troubles.

PSOROSIS

While many trees showed the early leaf syrriptoms of psorosis (1, 4), very few were found to exhibit the bark shelling and decline aspects of this virus disease.

TRISTEZA

Tristeza is an important consideration in a country where most trees are on sour orange root-stock. The sudden advent of tristeza virus in combination with an efficient vector like Toxoptera (Aphis) citricidus (Kirk.) could spell havoc, as it did in Argentina, where 20 years after introduction of this nefarious pair, five sixths of the 12 million trees of the country were killed.

A reservoir of tristeza already exists in Israel. Earlier reports (6, 9) showed that the virus was present in introduced varieties, but a later report (7) indicated that the tristeza virus also occurred in 82 out of 8,000 Shamouti orange trees in commercial groves.

A lookout was maintained for trees on sour orange stocks in a state of tristeza-like decline. Trees of lamoon belady (syn. Key lime) were also examined for the foliar vein-clearing symptoms indicative of tristeza. In no cases however were any suspicious symptoms seen.

While Toxoptera citricidus is not known at present in the Mediterranean area, two other species of aphid vectors were recorded from Palestine. One is the previously reported Aphis gossypii Glov., and the other. Toxoptera aurantii (Fonsc.), is reported here for the first time as occurring it Palestine. Neither species, however, is very effective in transmitting tristeza, and under conditions observed in the Gans. Strip, neither appears likely to do much damage. A more threatening prospect is the chance introduction of T. citricidus, either from India or from equatorial Africa.

DISEASE PROBLEMS

DISEASE PROBLEMS

XYLOPOROSIS

The principal disease in groves of the Gaza Strip is xyloporosis. This will come as no surprise to those familiar with citrus pathology at the eastern end of the Mediterranean where Palestine sweet lemon has long been employed as a rootstock. The first observation and the original description of xyloporosis were made in Palestine in the early thirties (8).

Today it is mainly the old groves of Palestine sweet lemon that are affected by xyloporosis. None of the trees on sour orange, which now constitute 80 percent of the acreage, show ill effects from the virus.

Of the 20 percent of the trees that continue on Palestine sweet lemon, many are in a marginal state of productivity. Not all of the depauperate growth, however, can be attributed to xyloporosis. Entire blocks of Shamouti orange trees on Palestine swell lemon have been found to exhibit a uniform depression of growth, with only scattered trees showing the greater degree of stuntiq and the characteristic pitting and pegging d xyloporosis. The general "running-ouf effect, which disposes some growers to the belief that the natural life span of citrus trees is only 25 years, it gets that sweet lime is liable to troubles other than xylopo rosis, and that these troubles are more serious than xyloporosis itself. The fact that sour orange does better in the heavier, wetter soils of the Strip points to the possibility that Phytophthora fungi may be destroying roots of the more susceptible sweet lime (1). Also involved may be a decline that correlates with the presence of vascular honeycombing in the scion (i.e., Shamouti) portion of the trunk immediately above the bud union. Thisss gum-free inverse pitting is found, in the absence of xyloporosis pitting, in the sweet lime stock, and recalls trouble pre­viously described from Egypt by Nour-Eldin and Childs (5). In some blocks of Shamoutis on sweet- lime rootstocks, xyloporosis has been found to affect as high as 15 percent of the trees. In other blocks, many of the affected trees have been removed, so that maximum figures for damage due to xyloporosis are obliterated. More ingenuous than ingenious is the occasional practice of putting two sweet ­lime-rooted trees in each planting hole, thus hopefully providing at least one tree that will not be affected by xyloporosis.

FVOEA

In a block of ten-year-old Clementine mandarin trees on sweet lime rootstock, approximately 10 percent of the trees were found to be in a marked state of stunting and decline. This condition was correlated with a honeycombing (inverse pitting) and gumming in the vascular region of the trunk, beginning at the bud union and progressing upward for a distance of several feet into the framework of the tree. Symp­toms, both external and internal, resemble those found in the fovea disease that affects Murcotts in Florida (3). It is still not known whether fovea _.is a varietal response to xyloporosis or cachexia virus or whether another virus is involved. Five out of the six trees examined showed no xyloporosis pitting in the sweet lime portion of the trunk; this would suggest that xyloporosis and fovea are indeed separate troubles.

PEST CONTROL PRACTICES and PRODUCTION AND MARKETING FACTORS

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.

INCOME CERTIFICATE

INCOME CERTIFICATE

         

This is to certify that total income of SABIR ALI S/O GHULAM RASOOL Resident of Chah Motay wala Mouza Nizampur P.O Sham Kot Tehsil Kabirwala District Khanewal.

                                                                                          Rs. 15,000/- Per Month

__________________ 

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