A Detailed Explanation of the Latest Management Techniques for Citron

Citron is also called zhuyuan or zhuyuanzi, and it is the fruit of a shrub or small tree in the Rutaceae family, genus Citrus. It is currently mainly distributed in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other regions of our country with a relatively mild climate all year round. It has the characteristics of preferring warmth and moisture, fearing frost, and not being cold-tolerant; generally, the planting site is chosen in high-temperature and high-humidity areas. So today the editor's task is to let everyone understand how to carry out field management for citron trees and improve the yield and quality of citron. Let's take a look at the content below.

1. Intertillage and Weeding

After citron is planted, we need to carry out intertillage and weeding at least two to three times each year. Each time we carry out intertillage and weeding, it should be combined with topdressing. The first intertillage is generally carried out before citron buds appear, the second is around the summer solstice, and the last is generally around November, after the citron harvest. Citron is a shallow-rooted plant, so each time we carry out intertillage we must till shallowly, so as not to damage the citron root system and affect the normal growth of the citron. Of course, if conditions permit, it is best to carry out hilling once in winter, as this can ensure the tree vigor of the citron tree and prevent frost damage.

2. Scientific Topdressing

Citron trees need three topdressings per year of cultivation, and the topdressing times should be consistent with the intertillage and weeding times, as this is conducive to nutrient absorption. The first topdressing is mainly based on manure and urine water, to promote the growth of branches and leaves and also to promote flower bud differentiation. The second topdressing is mainly based on rapeseed cake fertilizer, or irrigation with manure and urine water, combined with an appropriate amount of urea and phosphate fertilizer diluted with water for foliar topdressing, which can promote tree vigor growth and also play a role in enlarging the fruit. The last topdressing is also called maintenance fertilizer, and it is generally carried out only after the citron harvest is completed. It is mainly applied as a heap of thick rapeseed cake fertilizer, manure, etc., so as to prepare for a high yield the following year.

3. Flower and Fruit Thinning

In order to ensure the yield and quality of citron and increase the fruit-setting rate of citron, we need to carry out flower and fruit thinning scientifically. Generally, during the full flowering period of citron trees, we should gently knock off the excess male and female flowers, keeping only an appropriate number of flowers on each branch. This can reduce physiological flower drop and thereby increase the success rate of pollination. Next, after fruit setting, in order to avoid physiological fruit drop caused by insufficient nutrient supply, we can remove some weak fruits, deformed fruits, and diseased and insect-damaged fruits, which can ensure the quality of citron fruit to a certain extent.

4. Pruning and Shaping

In order to reduce the damage of pests and diseases to citron and improve the yield and quality of citron, reasonable pruning and shaping of branches and leaves is also essential. First, we need to prune away the relatively messy branches growing on the citron tree; second, we need to reasonably distribute fruiting branches to avoid overly dense growth of branches and leaves; in addition, we need to thin out and remove some weak-growing and diseased or dead branches; finally, we need to control the tree shape well and maintain a certain gap between each plant, so as to effectively reduce the harm of some pests and diseases and also play a role in increasing yield.

5. Pest and Disease Control

The resistance of citron trees is actually fairly good, but their pests and diseases are also relatively frequent. The main disease is sooty mold, which we mainly prevent and control through pruning of branches and leaves. There are many insect pests, generally including leafminer, scale insects, citrus swallowtail, common mormon, aphids, red spider mites, etc., and we can use trichlorfon or dimethoate to control them. For butterfly-type pests, it is best to use phoxim for control, with better results.

During the cultivation of citron trees, we also need to pay attention to water management. In addition, at different growth stages, the points we need to focus on are also different, so scientific management should be carried out according to its growth habits, so as to achieve the most ideal results.