Climatic and Altitudinal Variation in Physicochemical Properties of Citrus sinensis in India

Abstract

C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck is grown in large-scale, in-home gardens of traditional agroforestry systems in the Garhwal Himalaya. The present investigation of C. sinensis was conducted on the basis of twenty-six populations in different home gardens located in different geographical variables. The aim was to understand variations in physicochemical properties, viz., fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, peel thickness, peel weight, juice sacks, juice weight, seeds/fruits, rudimentary seeds/fruits, seed weight, total soluble solids, citric acid, ascorbic acid and sugar content. The results of the study revealed that the physicochemical properties of C. sinensis were significantly varied among the populations. The fruit weight was the most variable among the morphological characteristics, and vitamin C among the nutritive parameters. The average fruit weight varied from 96.64 to 296.86 g/fruit. The other study traits were found to oscillate between 7.73 and 12.76 °Brix (total soluble solids); 3.04 and 5.96% (citric acid); 31.45 and 86.45 mg/g−1 (vitamin C) and 4.65 and 9.27% soluble sugar. Geographical variables (altitude, latitude and longitude, temperature and rainfall) have influenced the physicochemical parameters of C. sinensis significantly. Amongst the physicochemical properties, fruit weight and vitamin C were the most variable parameters and could be used for the improvement of C. sinensis. These variations in the C. sinensis population have enabled great advances in better understanding the variability in the physicochemical properties of fruit and response to biotic and abiotic stresses.