What Is the Price of Bitter Orange Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods

Bitter orange is a medicinal herb listed in the "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China." Its medicinal source is the dried immature fruit of the Rutaceae plant bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) and its cultivated varieties. It is produced in many parts of China, with the products from Hunan and Jiangxi being the best. As a medicine, it has the effects of regulating qi and soothing the middle, and promoting stagnation relief and reducing distension. Below, let us take a look at bitter orange seed prices and planting methods!

How much is a jin of bitter orange seeds?

The price of bitter orange seeds is about 35 to 45 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and market. The original plants of bitter orange commonly include bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) and Yuanjiang bitter orange, etc. They grow fast, have low management requirements, strong sprouting ability, and tolerate pruning. They are suitable for growing in warm climates with abundant sunshine and rainfall, in well-drained sandy or gravelly loam, and are mostly planted beside woods and roads, in front of and behind houses, or on hillsides. In production, sowing propagation, grafting propagation and layering propagation are mostly used.

What varieties of bitter orange are there?

1. Green-coat bitter orange: Green-coat bitter orange is the nearly ripe fruit of the plant trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata). It is semi-spherical, with an orange-brown or green-yellow outer skin. The top side of the fruit has an obvious residual style base. It has a fragrant odor, and the juice sacs taste slightly sour and bitter. It is produced in Fujian, Shaanxi and other places.

2. Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium): Bitter orange is the nearly ripe fruit of the plant Citrus aurantium. The surface is green-brown or green-brownish, with a residual style base on the top side. It has a fragrant odor, and the juice sacs taste bitter and then sour. It is produced in Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places.

3. Xiangyuan bitter orange: Xiangyuan bitter orange is the nearly ripe fruit of the plant Citrus wilsonii. Its appearance is similar to bitter orange, with a brown or tan surface. It has a fragrant odor, and the juice sacs taste sour and then bitter. It is produced in Sichuan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places.

4. Daidaihua bitter orange: Daidaihua bitter orange is the nearly ripe fruit of the plant bitter orange (Citrus aurantium var. amara). It is usually cut horizontally into two semi-spherical halves, with a green-yellow or orange-yellow surface and a brown-yellow cross-section. It has a fragrant odor, and the juice sacs taste bitter and then sour. It is produced in Jiangsu.

Sowing Methods for Bitter Orange

1. Seed collection: Bitter orange seeds are collected around the winter solstice. When reserving seeds for planting, fruits from strong, pest-free trees of prime age should be selected as seed sources. Peel off the skin and pulp of the harvested fruits, dry the surface moisture of the seeds in the shade or in the sun, mix with sand and store in a pit.

2. Sowing time: For the bitter orange seedling bed, choose loose sandy loam. Carry out autumn plowing the previous year, prepare the land and make beds, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. Sowing is usually carried out during the Rain Water and Spring Equinox periods.

3. Sowing method: Bitter orange seedling raising generally uses drilling. Sow 1 row or 3 rows per bed, with a row spacing of 20 to 27 cm. When sowing, scatter the seeds evenly. After sowing, cover with soil and press lightly so that the seeds combine with the soil.

4. Post-sowing management: After sowing bitter orange, some thatch or rice straw can be spread as cover, and water must be sprinkled frequently to maintain appropriate moisture in the seedbed. After the seedlings grow leaves, thin out the dense ones and fill in gaps where seedlings are missing. In the autumn of that year, thinning and transplanting can be carried out.

Planting Methods for Bitter Orange

1. Land selection and fertilization: After bitter orange seedlings have grown for 3 years, choose well-drained sandy fertile soil around fields for planting (generally mostly planted around citrus orchards). Dig holes at a plant spacing of 5 to 6 m. When digging the holes, keep the topsoil and subsoil separately, and apply fertile mud or other slow-release fertilizer as base fertilizer.

2. Transplanting method: When planting bitter orange, the roots should be spread out so that the roots contact the soil surface. In dry land, plant slightly deeper, then scatter the more fertile topsoil into the hole. When half of the filling is done, gently lift the seedling so that the root system spreads out and combines with the soil. After filling in the subsoil, tamp it firmly and water.

3. Earthing up and topdressing: Bitter orange should be earthed up every year from September to November according to tree size: 1000 kg for large trees and 500 kg for small trees. In February of the second year, remove the earth. Apply fertilizer once in early spring and once in early autumn. In early spring, use relatively thin liquid manure; in autumn, compost, lake grass or other slow-release fertilizers are suitable.

4. Pruning and training: Pruning of bitter orange branches is carried out twice a year, once before flowering and once after fruit harvest. Remove branch forks, unnecessary forks, branches that do not receive sunlight, and suckers. In short, the principle is to prune so that the canopy is open and sparse.

5. Harvesting and processing: Bitter orange is best picked around Great Heat. Select and pick green, not yet ripe fruits. On a sunny day, cut them horizontally into halves, spread them out piece by piece. When drying, keep the pulp facing upward, and be sure not to let them touch ash or water. After drying until half dry, turn them over and dry the peel until fully dry.

Pest and Disease Control for Bitter Orange

1. Canker disease

[Harm] Leaves, twigs and fruits can all be affected. In the south, it generally begins to occur from late March to early October, with peak occurrence from May to July. Young trees are more susceptible than old trees.

[Control] In winter or before the disease occurs in early spring, cut off diseased branches and leaves and burn them on site. Before spring buds sprout, spray 1:2:200 Bordeaux mixture once every 15 days, for a total of 5 to 6 sprays, and also control citrus leafminer.

2. Scab disease

[Harm] It harms young and tender tissues such as leaves, fruits and new shoots. The disease is generally severe from late May to mid-June, and tender leaves are the most susceptible.

[Control] Cut off diseased branches and leaves, gather and burn them, and strengthen cultivation management. When spring buds sprout and when flowers fall, spray 0.8:1:100 Bordeaux mixture once each time, or spray 50% Tuzijun (thiram) 500 times liquid.

3. Fungal disease

[Harm] When the disease occurs, dark brown, very thin mold spots appear on leaves, fruits and twigs, eventually forming a velvety black mold layer. This affects photosynthesis, and diseased trees gradually weaken, bloom less, bear small fruits, have poor quality, and rot easily.

[Control] Actively eliminate conditions for the breeding of scale insects, whiteflies and aphids. Prune appropriately to facilitate ventilation and light penetration and strengthen tree vigor.

4. Longhorn beetles

[Harm] The larvae bore into branches, trunks and even roots. In severe cases, they bore out tunnels, causing entire branches or the whole plant to die, and even destroying the orchard.

[Control] Pay attention to catching and killing the pests and eliminating eggs. Depending on the size of the borehole, use a cotton swab dipped in 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or 90% trichlorfon solution, insert it into the borehole, and seal all openings with mud to suffocate and kill them.

5. Scale insects

[Harm] Adults, nymphs and larvae suck sap on branches and leaves, causing branches and leaves to turn yellow, leading to branch death, leaf drop and fruit drop, and even causing branches and the whole tree to die.

[Control] In winter and spring, prune and trim, cut off infested branches, carry them out of the orchard and burn them. From mid-June, use tea-seed cake and pine-resin soda mixture once every half month; in summer add 10 to 15 times water, and in spring and winter add 8 to 10 times water before spraying.

6. Citrus leafminer

[Harm] It damages summer and autumn shoots.

[Control] In winter and spring, clean the orchard, sweep up fallen leaves, remove damaged leaves, and kill overwintering pupae. During the peak occurrence period, spray 25% phosmet 800 times or 50% phosphamidon 1000 times liquid to protect the shoots.