Orange (Citrus Reticulate)
Orange is a citrus fruit which is considered as a genus from China. It is grown in tropical and subtropical areas of the country on a variety of soils, but well-drained medium or light loams with slightly heavier sub-soils are considered to be the most suitable. The principal varieties include Nagpur, Coorg, Desi, Laddu, Lahore, Khasi, Emperor and Sikkim. The plant starts bearing fruits after 8 years of its plantation. The annual production of oranges in the country is about 13.7 lakh tones.
Organge is mainly grown in Nagpur district of Maharashtra; East and West Nimar districts of MadhyaPradesh; Coorg district of Karnataka; Waynad district of Kerala; the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu; Khasi and Jaintia districts of Meghalaya; Daijeeling district of West Bengal; Kullu and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh; Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh; Kumaun and Dehradun districts of Uttaranchal; Lushai Hill area of Assam; Gurudaspur district of Punjab; Jammu and Kashmir; Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Its cultivation is carried on up to the height of 600 m in the western Himalayas but in the Nilgiri Hills the height varies from 600 to 1500 metres. Almost entire production of oranges in the country is utilized for internal consumption.
