Dr. D. Srinivas Reddy is the Senior Scientist at Dr. YSR Horticultural University in Tirupati, Andhrapradesh. His interest is Entomology-Integrated Pest Management, Biological Control.
Sweet orange is commercially grown citrus species in India and India ranks third in the production of orange after banana and mango fruits. It can be grown on wide variety of soils, but medium –light loam soils with pH of 6.0-8.0 are suitable for its best growth. The main varieties of sweet orange in India being cultivated on commercial scale are Blood Red, Mosambi and Satgudi. Blood red is the most important variety in Haryana. Punjab and Rajasthan. Mosambi is most popular in Maharashtra whereas Satgudi is extensively grown in Andhra Pradesh. Availability of quality planting material is of utmost importance in orange cultivation and the best season of planting is June to August. Leguminous crops like soybean, gram, groundnut, cow peas, french bean, peas etc., may be grown in orange orchards. The important insect-pests mainly citrus psylla, citrus thrips, leaf miner, fruit sucking moth, mites and diseases viz. phytophthora gummosis, citrus tristeza virus, citrus greening (HLB-Huang Long Bing), citrus canker should be managed effectively for higher yields.