Citrus Rootstocks

Authors: Bowman, Kim; JOUBERT, JOHAN - Citrus Research International (CRI)

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2020
Publication Date: 1/24/2020
Citation: Bowman, K.D., Joubert, J. 2020. Citrus Rootstocks. Book Chapter. 105-127. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812163-4.00006-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812163-4.00006-1

Interpretive Summary: A review chapter on citrus rootstocks has been prepared for a book to be entitled 'The Genus Citrus'. It has been clearly demonstrated that the rootstock variety of the citrus tree can have a strong positive or negative influence on the field performance of a citrus tree. Rootstock breeding programs have made good progress in developing rootstocks with better field performance, but complex factors in different production areas result in large differences in rootstock preference between different regions and countries. This chapter documents the major factors important in rootstock selection throughout the world, summarizes citrus rootstock use on a country-by-country basis, and provides a description of each of the major world rootstocks that were identified. The chapter provides a thorough current summary of critical rootstock traits and important citrus rootstocks throughout the world citrus industries.

Technical Abstract: Citrus crops are grown in more than one hundred countries, and are marketed in every country worldwide, having major commercial significance in the United States. It has been clearly demonstrated that the rootstock variety of the citrus tree can have a strong positive or negative influence on the field performance of sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin trees, including quantity of fruit, quality of fruit, size of the tree, and ability of the tree to tolerate diseases, pests, cold, and a wide range of other damaging environmental conditions. Rootstock breeding programs have made good progress in developing rootstocks with better field performance, but complex factors in different production areas result in large differences in rootstock preference between different regions and countries. This chapter documents the major factors important in rootstock selection throughout the world, summarizes citrus rootstock use on a country-by-country basis, and provides a description of each of the major world rootstocks that were identified. Of the 21 rootstocks identifed as current major world rootstocks, ten were naturally occurring selections, and eleven were hybrids produced in breeding programs. Among those eleven hybrid rootstocks produced by citrus breeding programs and of major world importance, one was the product of the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) Spain breeding effort, one came from the Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops breeding effort in South Africa, one from a breeding project in New South Wales (Australia), one from University of California, and seven were the product of the USDA-ARS citrus breeding project. The chapter provides a thorough current summary of critical rootstock traits and important citrus rootstocks throughout the world citrus industries.