University of Georgia (UGA) County Extension Coordinator Jake Price recently reported on the Nov. 19 harvest of fruit from six Owari satsuma trees on X-639 rootstock. The trees were part of a pruning field trial.
Price said three pruned trees yielded 380, 527 and 457 pounds of fruit, respectively; three unpruned control trees yielded 569, 596 and 418 pounds, respectively.
“Approximately 50% of the tree volume was removed in the pruned trees, but the yields were still higher than I expected,” Price stated. “We may need to prune more canopy next year.”
The majority of the fruit was still very green and not very sweet, he noted.
“The very warm October and early November temperatures that we experienced may be a big factor in the fruit quality this year,” Price stated. “Hurricane Helene may also factor into the equation.” See Georgia Citrus Crop Outlook Following Hurricane Helene.
“Satsuma fruit quality is poor in tropical regions and that is one reason why they are not grown in Florida,” Price stated. “This raises the question: Are we getting too warm in southern Georgia now to grow satsumas consistently?”
“In the past few years, growers have been shifting to other citrus varieties besides satsumas, and this may be a good thing,” Price stated. “Being that we do have between 2,500 and 3,000 acres of satsumas alone, we are trying to find ways to improve fruit quality by pruning trees and thinning fruit.”
Price reported that Angelos Deltsidis, UGA assistant professor and post-harvest Extension specialist, is experimenting with ethylene to degreen satsumas so they can be harvested earlier when they are still firm. It will take a couple more years to obtain data on pruning, thinning and the use of ethylene, he added. Deltsidis will present his findings from the use of ethylene at the January Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah.
Source: Georgia Citrus Association
Share this Post
Sponsored Content