Performance of sweet orange clones (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck cv. Sathgudi) on laterite soils of Andhra Pradesh

Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) Cv. Sathgudi is the main cultivar for the South Indian citrus industry, with a few clones and selections available for growers. Furthermore, it may perform in different ways considering tree yield and fruit quality because of agroecological conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate clones of Sathgudi sweet orange under in red laterite soils of rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Six clones were identified from Ananthapur, Prakasam and Nalgonda, districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were planted along with popular local check Sathgudi sweet orange. All trees were budded on Rangpur lime (C. limonia L. Osbeck) and the orchard was established on during 2010 with spacing of 6 m x 6 m. The experimental design was randomized block design with seven clones, three replications and two trees per treatment. Growth parameters, yield fruit characteristics and greening disease incidence were evaluated for five years from 2017-2021. TS6 is best suitable to Andhra Pradesh climatic conditions with maximum mean fruit yield (232 fruits/plant, 32.52 kg/plant, 9.01 tons/ha) and also there is an increase of 9.57 % in fruit yield over control (Sathgudi). Consumer acceptability is also high for this clone in this region.