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Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation
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Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 8529

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Katsuya Ichinose

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Guest Editor
National Agricultural Research Organization, Tsukuba 305-8517, Japan
Interests: entomology; entomopathogen; insecticide; insect-plant-interaction; pest management; plant pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bo Xiong

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Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: cultivation; fruit quality; bioactive compounds; resistant physiology; photosynthetic metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Citrus, a highly significant fruit crop and globally traded agricultural product, holds substantial economic value. The improvement in Citrus fruit quality through cultivation techniques is not only a vital objective of scientific research, but also crucial assurance for the sustainable development of the Citrus industry. Researchers have undertaken a range of innovative investigations, encompassing fertilizer and water management, flower and fruit management, shaping and pruning, pest and weed control, biotic and abiotic stress, and rootstock–scion interaction. These studies have provided robust and efficacious technical support for enhancing Citrus yield and quality. This special issue of Plants will highlight the innovative techniques and methods in Citrus cultivation, and analyze their underlying mechanisms through physiological, biochemical or transcriptional approaches, and explore new regulatory pathways of cultivation techniques for the formation of high-quality citrus fruit.

Dr. Katsuya Ichinose
Dr. Bo Xiong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cultivation
  • fruit quality
  • stress
  • stock
  • rootstock-scion interaction
  • secondary metabolite
  • pest management

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2718 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach for Comparing Selected Metabolites in Citrus Leaves and Fruits Across Datasets
by Ryan C. Traband, Xuesong Wang, Mariano Resendiz, Megan Meng, Yoko Hiraoka, Qiong Jia, Rendell Chang, Ethan Eurmsirilerd, Tracy Kahn, Peggy A. Mauk, Amancio De Souza, Anil Bhatia, Haiyan Ke, Donald Merhaut, Mikeal L. Roose, Zhenyu Jia and John M. Chater
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101406 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 373
Abstract
Citrus fruits are valued not only for their nutritional benefits but also for their rich phytochemical content. Metabolomics has emerged as a comprehensive technique for assessing the chemical composition of fruits. The botanical connection between leaves, flowers, and fruits is reflected in both [...] Read more.
Citrus fruits are valued not only for their nutritional benefits but also for their rich phytochemical content. Metabolomics has emerged as a comprehensive technique for assessing the chemical composition of fruits. The botanical connection between leaves, flowers, and fruits is reflected in both their structure and chemical composition, particularly in the flow of nutrients between plant organs. We introduced a new logarithm ratio-based approach to compare metabolite profiles between fruits and leaves. We hypothesize that this method allows for the analysis of multiple citrus metabolomic profiles to reveal known and novel correlation patterns, reflecting the dynamic connections between metabolic sources. To test this hypothesis, we leveraged comprehensive leaf metabolomic profiles from over 200 accessions in the Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection and reviewed published metabolomics data for fruits and juices of matching citrus types. By employing logarithm-transformed metabolic ratios within each dataset, we accounted for systematic differences across metabolomic platforms, achieving an unbiased analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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17 pages, 5157 KiB  
Article
Variety Effect on Peelability and Mechanisms of Action of Late-Ripening Citrus Fruits
by Ya Yuan, Ziyi Huang, Yihong Wang, Lijun Deng, Tie Wang, Defa Cao, Ling Liao, Bo Xiong, Meiyan Tu, Zhihui Wang and Jun Wang
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091349 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 409
Abstract
Peelability, a crucial commercial trait for fresh-eating citrus, has received limited research attention regarding its underlying mechanisms. This study investigated three late-maturing citrus cultivars, namely ‘Qingjian’ (QJ), ‘Mingrijian’ (MRJ), and ‘Chunjian’ (CJ), analyzing their peelability development using texture analysis and exploring the physiological [...] Read more.
Peelability, a crucial commercial trait for fresh-eating citrus, has received limited research attention regarding its underlying mechanisms. This study investigated three late-maturing citrus cultivars, namely ‘Qingjian’ (QJ), ‘Mingrijian’ (MRJ), and ‘Chunjian’ (CJ), analyzing their peelability development using texture analysis and exploring the physiological and biochemical factors influencing peeling difficulty. The results showed that peelability improved with fruit maturation, reaching its peak at full ripeness, with the following order of peeling difficulty: QJ (hardest) > MRJ (intermediate) > CJ (easiest). At full maturity, QJ (the most difficult to peel) exhibited more regularly shaped peel cells with fewer intercellular spaces, lower intracellular organic matter accumulation, and higher levels of cell wall polysaccharides, calcium (Ca), and abscisic acid (ABA). These characteristics may be linked to the lower relative expression of soluble sugar (TS)-related genes (CCR4A, SPP1) and the titratable acid (TA)-related gene (CsCit1), as well as the higher relative expression of ABA biosynthesis genes (NCED1, NCED2). Correlation analyses demonstrated that citrus peel firmness and adhesion strength are significantly associated with multiple growth and developmental characteristics, including fruit morphometric parameters, peel cellular architecture, intracellular organic compound content, cell wall polysaccharide levels and related degradative enzyme activities, calcium concentrations, and endogenous phytohormone profiles. These findings provide valuable insights for studying peelability mechanisms and improving fruit quality in citrus breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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16 pages, 3338 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Postharvest Treatments on Fruit Quality, Sucrose Metabolism, and Antioxidant Capacity of ‘Newhall’ Navel Oranges During Storage
by Bo Xiong, Linlv Han, Yinghong Ou, Wenjia Wu, Jialu Wang, Junfei Yao, Yisong Li, Siyu Chen, Taimei Deng, Hongzhen Chen, Chenming Wang, Qingqing Ma, Yujing Fan, Yixuan Li and Zhihui Wang
Plants 2025, 14(5), 802; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050802 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 833
Abstract
During the post-harvest storage of citrus, the flavor of fruit gradually fade. In this study, we investigated the effects of different treatments—control check (CK), heat treatment (HT), salicylic acid treatment (SA), and 1-methylcyclopropene treatment (1-MCP)—on the quality of ‘Newhall’ navel oranges, particularly focusing [...] Read more.
During the post-harvest storage of citrus, the flavor of fruit gradually fade. In this study, we investigated the effects of different treatments—control check (CK), heat treatment (HT), salicylic acid treatment (SA), and 1-methylcyclopropene treatment (1-MCP)—on the quality of ‘Newhall’ navel oranges, particularly focusing on sucrose metabolism and related gene expression during storage. Combining the experimental data, we compared the three different treatments with CK. The results showed that the oranges subjected to HT had a significantly higher flavonoid content (26.40 μg) and total phenolic content (19.42 μg) than those used for the CK at the late storage stage, and was also the most effective in slowing the decline in sugar, titratable acid and other indexes, followed by SA, with 1-MCP performing poorly. Quantitative results showed that the three treatments contributed to the increase in sucrose content by elevating the expression of the SPS1 and SPS2 genes involved in sucrose synthesis compared to the CK. However, no clear pattern was observed between the genes involved in sucrose catabolism (SUS1 and SUS3) and sucrose content. These results provided a rationale for the selection of post-harvest treatments to extend the storage life and maintain the quality of ‘Newhall’ navel oranges, with broader implications for the citrus industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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15 pages, 4901 KiB  
Article
Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning for Huanglongbing Detection on Leaf-Symptoms
by Ruihao Dong, Aya Shiraiwa, Katsuya Ichinose, Achara Pawasut, Kesaraporn Sreechun, Sumalee Mensin and Takefumi Hayashi
Plants 2025, 14(3), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030451 - 3 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1080
Abstract
Huanglongbing is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus worldwide. Infected trees die due to the absence of practical cures. Thus, the removal of HLB-infected trees is one of the principal HLB managements for the regulation of disease spread. Here, we propose [...] Read more.
Huanglongbing is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus worldwide. Infected trees die due to the absence of practical cures. Thus, the removal of HLB-infected trees is one of the principal HLB managements for the regulation of disease spread. Here, we propose a non-destructive HLB detection method based on hyperspectral leaf reflectance. In total, 72 hyperspectral leaf images were collected in an HLB-invaded citrus orchard in Thailand and each image was visually distinguished into either any HLB symptom appearance (symptomatic) or no symptoms (asymptomatic) on the leaf. Principal component analysis was applied on the hyperspectral data and revealed 16 key wavelengths at red-edge to near-infrared regions (715, 718, 721, 724, 727, 730, 733, 736, 930, 933, 936, 939, 942, 945, 957, and 997 nm) that were characteristically differentiated in the symptomatic group. Seven models learnt on the spectral data at these 16 wavelengths were examined for the potential to separate these two image groups: random forest, decision tree, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, gradient boosting, logistic regression, linear discriminant. F1-score was employed to select the best-fit model to distinguish the two categories: random forest achieved the best score of 99.8%, followed by decision tree and k-nearest neighbor. The reliability of the visual grouping was evaluated by nearest neighbor matching and permutation test. These three models separated the two image categories as precisely as PCR results, indicating their potential as alternative tool instead of PCR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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21 pages, 3776 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Micronutrients and Their Deficiency Effect on the Root Morphology and Architecture in Citrus Rootstock
by Gaofeng Zhou, Yiping Fu, Mei Yang, Yanhong Li and Jing Zhang
Plants 2025, 14(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020158 - 8 Jan 2025
Viewed by 644
Abstract
Roots play essential roles in the acquisition of water and minerals from soils in higher plants. However, water or nutrient limitation can alter plant root morphology. To clarify the spatial distribution characteristics of essential nutrients in citrus roots and the influence mechanism of [...] Read more.
Roots play essential roles in the acquisition of water and minerals from soils in higher plants. However, water or nutrient limitation can alter plant root morphology. To clarify the spatial distribution characteristics of essential nutrients in citrus roots and the influence mechanism of micronutrient deficiency on citrus root morphology and architecture, especially the effects on lateral root (LR) growth and development, two commonly used citrus rootstocks, trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf., Ptr) and red tangerine (Citrus reticulata Blanco, Cre), were employed here. The analysis of the mineral nutrient distribution characteristics in different root parts showed that, except for the P concentrations in Ptr, the last two LR levels (second and third LRs) had the highest macronutrient concentrations. All micronutrient concentrations in the second and third LRs of Ptr were higher than those of Cre, except for the Zn concentration in the second LR, which indicates that Ptr requires more micronutrients to maintain normal root system growth and development. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that B and P were very close in terms of spatial distribution and that Mo, Mn, Cu, and Fe contributed significantly to PC1, while B, Cu, Mo, and Zn contributed significantly to PC2 in both rootstocks. These results suggest that micronutrients are major factors in citrus root growth and development. The analysis of root morphology under micronutrient deficiency showed that root growth was more significantly inhibited in Ptr and Cre under Fe deficiency (FeD) than under other micronutrient deficiencies, while Cre roots exhibited better performance than Ptr roots. From the perspective of micronutrient deficiency, FeD and B deficiency (BD) inhibited all root morphological traits in Ptr and Cre except the average root diameter, while Mn deficiency (MnD) and Zn deficiency (ZnD) had lesser impacts, as well as the morphology of the stem. The mineral nutrient concentrations in Ptr and Cre seedlings under micronutrient deficiency revealed that single micronutrient deficiencies affected both their own concentrations and the concentrations of other mineral nutrients, whether in the roots or in stems and leaves. Dynamic analysis of LR development revealed that there were no significant decreases in either the first or second LR number in Ptr seedlings under BD and ZnD stress. Moreover, the growth rates of first and second LRs in Ptr and Cre did not significantly decrease compared with the control under short-term (10 days) BD stress. Altogether, these results indicate that micronutrients play essential roles in citrus root growth and development. Moreover, citrus alters its root morphology and biological traits as a nutrient acquisition strategy to maintain maximal micronutrient acquisition and growth. The present work on the spatial distribution characteristics and micronutrient deficiency of citrus roots provides a theoretical basis for effective micronutrient fertilization and the diagnosis of micronutrient deficiency in citrus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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13 pages, 5545 KiB  
Article
The Effects of a New Citrus Rootstock Citrus junos cv. Shuzhen No. 1 on Performances of Ten Hybrid Citrus Cultivars
by Wen He, Jiufeng Chai, Rui Xie, Yang Wu, Hao Wang, Yan Wang, Qing Chen, Zhiwei Wu, Mengyao Li, Yuanxiu Lin, Yunting Zhang, Ya Luo, Yong Zhang, Haoru Tang and Xiaorong Wang
Plants 2024, 13(6), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060794 - 11 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2085
Abstract
The importance of rootstock in citrus production lies in its crucial role in determining tree growth, environmental stress tolerance, and fruit quality. Citrus junos Siebold ex Tanaka cv. Shuzhen No. 1, a recently developed rootstock, demonstrates excellent graft compatibility and abiotic stress tolerance. [...] Read more.
The importance of rootstock in citrus production lies in its crucial role in determining tree growth, environmental stress tolerance, and fruit quality. Citrus junos Siebold ex Tanaka cv. Shuzhen No. 1, a recently developed rootstock, demonstrates excellent graft compatibility and abiotic stress tolerance. The objective of this study was to assess ten hybrid citrus cultivars grafted onto two C. junos rootstock selections, with the aim of determining the potential for industrial utilization of the new citrus rootstock. All graft junctions are mature and well established. Vigorous growth characterized all ten citrus cultivars on Shuzhen No. 1, with the largest tree’s height reaching 280.33 cm (Wogan scion) and the widest scion’s diameter being 67.52 cm (Chunjian scion). However, the scion-to-rootstock diameter ratio was the lowest at 0.62 (Chunxiang scion). C. junos rootstock selections significantly affected fruit weight (five of ten scions) and fruit color (seven of ten scions) but had negligible impact on peel thickness (nine of ten scions). Furthermore, rootstock type had a significant influence on fruit quality. In conclusion, our findings indicate strong graft compatibility between all scions and C. junos rootstocks, which can impact overall size and fruit quality. Based on these results, Shuzhen No. 1 is recommended as a valuable citrus rootstock. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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16 pages, 6447 KiB  
Article
Physiological Mechanisms of Citrus Fruit Cracking: Study on Cell Wall Components, Osmoregulatory Substances, and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities
by Shengjia Huang, Xinxia Yang, Tie Wang, Hang Li, Lijun Deng, Xiaoyi Bi, Juan Hu, Yan Gong, Yunjie Li, Zeyu Qin, Yuan Yao, Guochao Sun, Ling Liao, Mingfei Zhang, Siya He, Lingping Jiang and Zhihui Wang
Plants 2024, 13(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020257 - 16 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2151
Abstract
Fruit cracking affects both the yield and economic efficiency of citrus; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, this study focused on resistant and susceptible cultivars to identify the mechanisms underlying fruit cracking. The results showed that in ‘Mingrijian’, pectin morphological transformation and [...] Read more.
Fruit cracking affects both the yield and economic efficiency of citrus; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, this study focused on resistant and susceptible cultivars to identify the mechanisms underlying fruit cracking. The results showed that in ‘Mingrijian’, pectin morphological transformation and hemicellulose and lignin degradation in the pericarp were important contributing factors. During the critical fruit-cracking period (115–150 days after flowering), the water-soluble pectin, protopectin, and lignin contents in the pericarp of ‘Daya’ presented inverse changes relative to those in ‘Mingrijian’, thus enhancing the mechanical properties and resistance of pericarp. From 115 to 150 days after flowering, the soluble sugar content in the pulp of ‘Mingrijian’ increased rapidly by 97.35%, aiding in pulp water absorption and expansion. Moreover, the soluble protein content in the pericarp of ‘Mingrijian’ exhibited a declining trend and was lower than that of ‘Daya’, thus affecting the overall metabolism. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the pericarp of ‘Mingrijian’ gradually decreased from 115 to 180 days after flowering, while the peroxidase (POD) activity remained at a low level, resulting in weaker antioxidant capacity and lower environmental resistance. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of citrus fruit cracking, laying the foundation for preventive and control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Techniques for Citrus Cultivation)
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