Standardization of micro budding technique in citrus

A novel and economical propagation technique known as micro budding was standardized in citrus, for rapid production of citrus budgrafts through out the year and getting the marketable budlings earlier by 9 to 12 months depending on the rootstocks. The micro budding success was almost at par with conventional budding, which will be further refined. Sprouting and growth of microbud was faster than in conventional budding. A comparative trial was conducted in different green houses to evaluate the performance of micro budded plants of Citrus reticulata cv. Nagpur mandarin. The observations on growth performance of micro budded plants revealed that micro budding can be performed throughout the year on 5 – 6 months old commercial rootstocks unlike in conventional budding. The overall performance (micro budding success and growth) of micro budding on two commercial rootstocks was better.