Role of agraselaemical sprays on enhancing the seedling growth of Citrus sp*

Abstract

Citrus is one of the most important fruit crop and ranking third in India. Among several species and varieties of Citrus, mandarin finds its premier position in Maharashtra, Kamataka, Northeastern States, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among the mandarins grown in the country, 3 cultivars occupy the place of prominence, ie 'Nagpur Santara', 'Khasi Mandarin' and 'Coorg Mandarin'. Most of the mandarins are raised through budded plants using a variety of rootstocks. Work carried out at Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Chettalli during 2001-03 shows that the most suitable rootstocks for 'Coorg mandarin' are 'Rangpur Time', 'Troyer Citrange' and 'Trifoliate Orange'. In the production of planting materials for 'Coorg Mandarin' the time required for the seedlings to attain the suitable size for budding may be as long as 2 years. Shortening this time would benefit nurserymen by reducing various inputs and their cost and also facilitate year round multiplication of rootstocks in the production of bucllings.