In Punjab, citrus fruits which include Kinnow, Malta, Grapefruit and Galgal are of main economic importance. According to area and yield, Kinnow comes first followed by Malta, Lemon and Galgal. More than half of the area under Kinnow in the state is in the Hoshiarpur, Firozpur, Fazilka and Faridkot districts. Malta cultivation is especially in the dry Sanju region of Punjab which includes Firozpur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda, and Mansa. 100 gm juice of citrus fruit contains 25 to 60ml vitamin C.
Air Water And Land
Citrus plants cannot withstand cold for long periods of time due to the hot and humid climate. If the low temperature of 2 to 0 degree centigrade remains for a long time then it is harmful for the lemon plant. Too high a temperature is also not good for citrus fruits. In these conditions the leaves dry up and many leaves fall. In areas that remain hot during the growing season, the fruit of Malte ripens quickly and the amount of sweetness in the fruit is also high.
Citrus plants can be grown almost throughout Punjab. If good irrigation facilities are available, citrus fruits can be cultivated successfully in the dry areas of Punjab. Citrus plants do best in deep, well-aerated soils that are free from hard rock or calcium carbonate surfaces in the root zone.
Lemon plants do not grow well in saline and Kalrathi lands. Due to the high amount of lime in these lands, the leaves of the plant turn yellow and there is deficiency of phosphorus, manganese and zinc. Those lands which have beans or the surface of water is high and fluctuating, are not suitable for the cultivation of citrus plants. Those lands in which EC is up to 0.5ml/cm, calcium carbonate is up to 5 percent, lime content is up to 10 percent and PH is up to 8.5, are suitable for the cultivation of citrus plants. Soil with PH of 5.5 to 7.5 is best for cultivating citrus plants.
Varieties of Malte
- Valencia(1968): Fruit medium in size, oval, skin deep golden yellow, ample juice, somewhat sour, aromatic coffee and 2 to 7 seeds. This variety ripens in February-March and gives a yield of 38.9 kg per plant.
- Mousumi (1962): Fruits are small to medium, slightly round in shape, skin is soft and with long stripes, round marks on the bottom, pulp is sweet, yellow or white, juice is less sour and one fruit contains 20 to 25 seeds. The fruit ripens in November and the average yield of the plant is 41.3 kg. Plants planted on pectinifera roots survive better than others.
- Jaffa (1962): Fruit is of medium to large size, round in shape, color orange-yellow to orange-red, sour and sweetness mixed together, good aroma and seeds are 8 to 10. This variety ripens in the month of December. And the average yield is 54 kg per plant.
- Bloodred(1962): Fruits medium to large, round or slightly oblong, skin thin, dark orange in colour, hard, anus red when ripe, aromatic, sweet and sour well mixed, seeds 8 to 10 and ripening time from December. It is January. Calliuptra Rooted and grafted plants grow better than others. The yield of this variety is 42.3 kg per plant.
Melting of plant parts touching the ground
The attacked plants start rotting from below, do three spraying of 50gm streptocycline + 25 gm copper sulfate, first in October, second in December and third in February, dissolved in 500 liters of water. Spraying of Bordeaux paste (2:2:250) or 50 percent copper oxychloride (0.3%) can also be done.