UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

OFFICE OF 

PREVENTION, PESTICIDES

AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES

August 14, 2007

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Crop Grouping – Part V: Analysis of the USDA IR-4 Petition to Amend 

the Crop Group Regulation 40 CFR § 180.41 (c) (10) and Commodity

Definitions [40 CFR 180.1 (g)] Related to the Crop Group 10 Citrus. 

MRID 468340-01.

FROM: Bernard A. Schneider, Ph.D., Senior Plant Physiologist

Chemistry and Exposure Branch 

Health Effects Division (7509P) 

THRU: William Donovan, Ph.D. and Michael Doherty, Ph.D., Chairpersons

HED Chemistry Science Advisory Council (ChemSAC)

Health Effects Division (7509P) 

TO: Barbara Madden, Minor Use Officer

Risk Integration, Minor Use, and Emergency Response Branch 

(RIMUERB) 

Registration Division (7505P)

cc: IR-4 Project, Hong Chen, Jerry Baron, Dan Kunkel, Van Starner

REQUEST:

Dr Hong Chen, Crop Grouping Project Coordinator, USDA Interregional 

Research Project No. 4 (IR-4), State Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers University 

has submitted a petition (May 11, 2006) on behalf of the IR-4 Project, and the Citrus 
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Fruits Workgroup of the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee (ICGCC) to 

amend the Crop Group Regulation 40 CFR § 180.41 (c) (10) Crop Group 10, Citrus 

Fruits Group, and Commodity Definitions 40 CFR 180.1 (h) for citrus fruits and 

tangerines. 

The above mentioned Citrus crop group petition requested the following five 

amendments:

1. Amend the name of the crop group in 40 CFR 180.41 (c) (13) from “Crop Group 10, 

Citrus Fruits Group (Citrus spp., Fortunella spp.)”, to “Crop Group 10, Citrus Fruits 

Group”.

2. Amend the existing crop group in 40 CFR 180.41 (c) (10) that consists of the following 

12 commodity entries:

1. Calamondin, Citrus mitis x Citrofortunella mitts

2. Citrus citron, Citrus medica

3. Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp.[includes chironja, tangelo, tangor]

4. Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi

5. Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

6. Lemon, Citrus jambhiri, Citrus limon

7. Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia

8. Mandarin (tangerine), Citrus reticulata

9. Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium

10. Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis

11. Pummelo, Citrus grandis, Citrus maxima

12. Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu

To an expanded crop group that consists of the following 27 commodity entries with 

updated scientific names:

1. Australian desert-lime, Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) Swingle 

2. Australian finger-lime, Microcitrus australasica (F. Muell.) Swingle

3. Australian round-lime, Microcitrus australis (A. Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle

4. Brown River finger-lime, Microcitrus papuana Winters

5. Calamondin, Citrus madurensis Lour.

6. Citrus citron, Citrus medica L.

7. Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp., Eremocitrus spp., Fortunella spp., Microcitrus spp., 

and Poncirus spp.

8. Grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi Macfad.

9. Japanese summer grapefruit, Citrus natsudaidai Hayata

10. Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

11. Lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.

12. Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle

13. Mediterranean Mandarin, Citrus nobilis Loureiro var. deliciosa Swingle

14. Mount White-lime, Microcitrus garrowayae (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

15. New Guinea wild lime, Microcitrus warburgiana (F. M. Bailey) Tanaka
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16. Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium L.

17. Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

18. Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.

19. Russell River-lime, Microcitrus inodora (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

20. Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marcow.

21. Sweet lime, Citrus limetta Risso

22. Tachibana orange, Citrus tachibana (Makino) Tanaka

23. Tahiti Lime, Citrus latifolia Tan.

24. Tangelo, Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore

25. Tangerine (Mandarin), Citrus reticulata Blanco

26. Tangor, Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis

27. Trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

3. Amend the representative commodities from the current crop group which are sweet 

orange, lemon, and grapefruit to orange or tangerine/mandarin, lemon or lime, and 

grapefruit in the proposed expanded group:.

4. Establish the following three new subgroups under the Citrus fruit group as follows:

Subgroup 10A: Orange Subgroup 10A (rep crops: Orange or tangerine/mandarin)

1). Calamondin, Citrus madurensis Lour.

2). Citrus citron, Citrus medica L.

3). Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp., Eremocitrus spp., Fortunella spp., Microcitrus spp.,

and Poncirus spp.

4). Mediterranean Mandarin, Citrus nobilis Loureiro var. deliciosa Swingle

5). Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium L.

6). Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

7). Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marcow.

8). Tachibana orange, Citrus tachibana (Makino) Tanaka 

9). Tangerine (Mandarin), Citrus reticulata Blanco

10). Tangor, Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis

11). Trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

Subgroup 10B: Lemon/Lime Subgroup 10B (rep crop: Lemon or lime)

1). Australian desert-lime, Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) Swingle

2). Australian finger-lime, Microcitrus australasica (F. Muell.) Swingle

3). Australian round-lime, Microcitrus australis (A. Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle

4). Brown River finger lime, Microcitrus papuana Winters

5). Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

6). Lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.

7). Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle

8). Mount White lime, Microcitrus garrowayae (F. M. Bailey) Swingle
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9). New Guinea wild lime, Microcitrus warburgiana (F. M. Bailey) Tanaka

10. Russell River-lime, Microcitrus inodora (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

11).Sweet lime, Citrus limetta Risso

12). Tahiti Lime, Citrus latifolia Tan.

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

Subgroup 10C: Grapefruit Subgroup 10C (rep crop: Grapefruit)

1). Grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi Macfad.

2). Japanese summer grapefruit, Citrus natsudaidai Hayata

3). Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.

4). Tangelo, Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

5. Delete the Citrus fruits Commodity Definition and revise the Tangerines Definition in 

40 CFR 180.1 (g), and establish Commodity Definitions for Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, 

and Orange as described below: 

1). Grapefruit Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide 

chemicals in or on Grapefruit apply to the following commodities: Grapefruit, 

Japanese summer grapefruit; Pummelo, Tangelo, and varieties and/or hybrids of 

these.

2). Lemon Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals 

in or on Lemon apply to the following commodities: Australian desert-lime, 

Australian finger-lime, Australian round-lime, Brown River finger lime, Calamondin, 

Kumquats, Lemon, Lime, Mount White lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell Riverlime, Sweet lime, Tahiti Lime, and varieties and/or hybrids of these.

3). Lime Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in 

or on Lime apply to the following commodities: Australian desert-lime, Australian 

finger-lime, Australian round-lime, Brown River finger lime, Kumquats, Lemon, 

Lime, Mount White lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell River lime, Sweet lime, 

Tahiti Lime, and varieties and/or hybrids of these.

4). Orange Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in 

or on Orange apply to the following commodities: Calamondin, Citrus citron, 

Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, Sour oranges, Sweet oranges, Tachibana 

orange, Tangerine (Mandarin), Tangor, Trifoliate orange, and varieties and/or hybrids of 

these.

5). Tangerines Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals 

in or on Tangerine apply to the following commodities: Tangerines (Mandarins or 

Mandarin oranges), Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, and varieties and/or 

hybrids of these.
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Each of these proposals will be reviewed in the following analysis:

BACKGROUND:

The current established Crop Group 10, Citrus fruits Group in 40 CFR 180.41 

include 12 Citrus and Fortunella commodity entries in the botanical family of Rutaceae

(40CFR40 Part 180.41(10), May 17, 1995. Three representative commodities for this 

group are sweet orange, lemon, and grapefruit. There are also two Crop Definitions in 40 

CFR 180.1 (g), Citrus fruits and Tangerines, which include commodities and their 

hybrids within the Citrus Fruits Group. 

The Citrus Fruits Group and the two crop definitions have been successful in 

establishing several tolerances on citrus fruits. Since this group was established in 1995, 

the world production of citrus fruits has increased. Based on FAO agriculture statistics, 

the total hectare for citrus fruits has increased by over one million hectares from 1995 to 

7,605,363 in 2005 and the total production has increased from 93,799,450 Mt (metric 

ton) in 1995 to 105,431,984 Mt in 2005 as the world total (FAO 2005, see Table 5). 

Some “minor” citrus fruit commodities have also become more popular today than they

were 10 years ago. There are several “orphan citrus crops” grown commercially, 

cultivated in small scale or harvested wild, and are sold and consumed in the U.S. and/or 

other regions or countries. Many of these are economically important, or have great 

potential to be grown in larger scale in the future due to their nutritional value and 

increased market demand. It is important to update this crop group to include 

commodities that recognized by growers, researchers and market experts. Without doubt 

the inclusion of these commodities in crop groups will benefit growers and consumers, 

save time and tax payer’s money on residue studies, save time and money for government 

agencies to review residue data, and facilitate the establishment of import tolerances. 

During the USDA/IR-4 Crop Grouping Symposium in Washington, DC, October 

2002, the Oilseeds Workgroup, Chaired by IR-4 Coordinator Michael Braverman and 

Co-Chaired by Nancy Dodd, William Donovan, Maria Rodriquez, and Jonathan Crane, 

University of Florida and Edith Lurvey, IR-4 recommended adding over 20 citrus fruit 

commodities to the citrus fruit group. The recommendations from the Symposium was 

further discussed and developed within the Citrus Fruit Workgroup of the International 

Crop Grouping Consulting Committee (ICGCC), which consists of more than 200 U.S. 

and international crop or regulatory experts from agriculture commodity groups, 

universities, agrichemical industry, IR-4 Project, and regulatory agencies representing 

over 40 countries. Another important aspect is the harmonization with the Codex crop 

classification. The Codex Classification of foods and animal feeds for Citrus Fruits 

Group is also undergoing revision. The IR-4/EPA Crop Grouping Working Group and 

the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee (ICGCC) are making every effort 

to collaborate with the revision of the Codex crop classification (see Table 28 for citrus 

fruits crop groups established by Codex, proposed by this petition, and listed by EU 

regulation.
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This IR-4 his petition proposes “Citrus fruits Group 10” with 27 commodity

entries. Besides the commodities in the genera Citrus and Fortunella, several

commodities in genera Eremocitrus, Microcitrus, and Poncirus have also been included. 

Comparing with many other crop groups, commodities in this group are all closely 

related as they are all in the same botanical family and share similar morphological and 

cultural characteristics. Commodities and their varieties, cultivars and/or hybrids 

proposed in this group have included all the commodities in the Codex Classification of 

Citrus Fruits Group and EU Crop List of Citrus Fruits with several additions. 

Commodity entry “Citrus fruits” has been deleted from the group since it is rather a 

collective name of many citrus fruit commodities instead a specific commodity entry. 

Representative commodities selected for this crop group, orange or tangerine/mandarin, 

lemon or lime, and grapefruit, are revised from the existing citrus crop group, and are 

comparable with the commodities that the subgroups are based on in Codex Citrus Fruits 

Group, and MRL consideration are based on in EU List. In the EU Crop List of 

Regulation oranges and mandarins are also listed as representative crops large and small 

citrus fruits, respectively (Muller 2006a). The expanded Citrus Fruits Group and the 

representative commodities proposed in this petition would facilitate the harmonization 

of the US and the Codex crop classification systems. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Each of the five proposals and recommendations will be discussed below, followed 

by a series of other recommendations on terminology, database development, and 

harmonization with CODEX. The EPA would like to commend the valuable and high 

quality input of the ICGCC, all its members, and the Workgroup Chairperson Dr Hong 

Chen, as well as Dr. Yuen-Shaung, Biologist and Jessie Cordova, Information Technical 

Specialist, EPA for their input and development of various databases in this report and 

Dr. Paul Schwartz, USDA, Office of Minor Use Pesticides for his advice and peer 

review.

IR-4 Proposal 1:

1. “Amend the name of the crop group in 40 CFR 180.41 (c) (10) from “Crop Group 10, 

Citrus Fruits Group (Citrus spp., Fortunella spp.)”, to “Crop Group 10, Citrus Fruits 

Group”.

HED Recommendation for Proposal 1:

I recommend that ChemSAC concur to amend the Crop Group Regulation [40 CFR 

180.41 (c) (10)] to revise the name of the Citrus fruit crop group to delete references to 

Citrus spp. and Fortunella spp.
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IR-4 Proposal 2:

2. “Amend the existing crop group in 40 CFR 180.41 (c) (10) that consists of the 

following 12 commodity entries:”

1. Calamondin, Citrus mitis x Citrofortunella mitts

2. Citrus citron, Citrus medica

3. Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp. [includes chironja, tangelo, tangor]

4. Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi

5. Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

6. Lemon, Citrus jambhiri, Citrus limon

7. Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia

8. Mandarin (tangerine), Citrus reticulata

9. Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium

10. Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis

11. Pummelo, Citrus grandis, Citrus maxima

12. Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu

To an expanded crop group that consists of the following 28 commodity entries with 

updated scientific names:

1. Australian desert lime, Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) Swingle 

2. Australian finger lime, Microcitrus australasica (F. Muell.) Swingle

3. Australian round lime, Microcitrus australis (A. Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle

4. Brown River finger lime, Microcitrus papuana Winters

5. Calamondin, Citrus madurensis Lour.

6. Citron, Citrus medica L.

7. Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp., Eremocitrus spp., Fortunella spp., Microcitrus spp., 

and Poncirus spp.

8. Grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi Macfad.

9. Japanese summer grapefruit, Citrus natsudaidai Hayata

10. Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

11. Lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.

12. Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle

13. Mediterranean Mandarin, Citrus nobilis Loureiro var. deliciosa Swingle

14. Mount White lime, Microcitrus garrowayae (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

15. New Guinea wild lime, Microcitrus warburgiana (F. M. Bailey) Tanaka

16. Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium L.

17. Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

18. Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.

19. Russell River lime, Microcitrus inodora (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

20. Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marcow.

21. Sweet lime, Citrus limetta Risso
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22. Tachibana orange, Citrus tachibana (Makino) Tanaka

23. Tahiti Lime, Citrus latifolia Tan.

24. Tangelo, Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore

25. Tangerine (Mandarin), Citrus reticulata Blanco

26. Tangor, Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis

27. Trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.

28. Uniq fruit, Citrus aurantium Tangelo group

And varieties, cultivars and/or hybrids of these

HED Recommendation for Proposal 2:

Based on similarities and characteristics of the Rutaceae or Rue plant family which 

includes all the citrus fruits, cultural practices, edible food and animal feed portions, 

residue levels, geographical location, pest problems, established tolerances, and for 

international harmonization purposes, I recommend that ChemSAC concur to amend the 

Citrus Crop Group 10 from twelve commodities to 28 commodities with the inclusion of 

Uniq fruit, which is a cross between tangerine and pummelo also called Ugli® fruit 

mostly imported from Jamaica. 

A comparison of established tolerances on citrus fruit oilseed commodities also 

supports that residue levels will be similar between members of the crop group and 

subgroups (See Tables 19, 20, 21, and 22). The common name for Citrus citron should 

be changed to Citron to simplify its tolerance expression. The scientific name for Citrus 

hybrids, Citrus spp. and Fortunella spp. should be revised to include the following genus: 

Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp., Eremocitrus spp., Fortunella spp., Microcitrus spp., and

Poncirus spp. Also, varieties and/or hybrids of these should be changed to, “varieties, 

cultivars and hybrids, of these commodities” to avoid all confusion with terminology

regarding whether they are varieties cultivars or hybrids of citrus. 

IR-4 Proposal 3:

3. “Amend the representative commodities from the current crop group which are sweet 

orange, lemon, and grapefruit to orange or tangerine/mandarin, lemon or lime, and 

grapefruit in the proposed expanded group:”.

HED Recommendation for Proposal 3:

I recommend ChemSAC concur to adopt orange or tangerine/mandarin, lemon or 

lime, and grapefruit as the representative commodities for the amended Citrus Fruit Crop 

Group 10. These three representative commodities account for > 99 % of the harvested 

acres for the members of the amended Citrus Fruit Group. The representative 

commodities are based on similarities in fruit and cultural practices and geographical 

locations, as well as their high production (both acres and yield) and consumption.
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IR-4 Proposal 4:

4. “Establish the following three new subgroups under the Citrus fruit group as follows:

Subgroup 10A: Orange Subgroup 10A (rep crops: Orange or tangerine/mandarin)

1). Calamondin, Citrus madurensis Lour.

2). Citrus citron, Citrus medica L.

3). Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp. and Fortunella spp.

4). Mediterranean Mandarin, Citrus nobilis Loureiro var. deliciosa Swingle

5). Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium L.

6). Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

7). Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marcow.

8). Tachibana orange, Citrus tachibana (Makino) Tanaka 

9). Tangerine (Mandarin), Citrus reticulata Blanco

10). Tangor, Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis

11). Trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

Subgroup 10B: Lemon/Lime Subgroup 10B (rep crop: Lemon or lime)

1). Australian desert lime, Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) Swingle

2). Australian finger lime, Microcitrus australasica (F. Muell.) Swingle

3). Australian round lime, Microcitrus australis (A. Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle

4). Brown River finger lime, Microcitrus papuana Winters

5). Kumquat, Fortunella spp.

6). Lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.

7). Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle

8). Mount White lime, Microcitrus garrowayae (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

9). New Guinea wild lime, Microcitrus warburgiana (F. M. Bailey) Tanaka

10). Russell River-lime, Microcitrus inodora (F. M. Bailey) Swingle

11). Sweet lime, Citrus limetta Risso

12). Tahiti Lime, Citrus latifolia Tan.

And varieties and/or hybrids of these

Subgroup 10C: Grapefruit Subgroup 10C (rep crop: Grapefruit)

1). Grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi Macfad.

2). Japanese summer grapefruit, Citrus natsudaidai Hayata

3). Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.

4). Tangelo, Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore

5) Uniq fruit, Citrus aurantium Tangelo group

And varieties and/or hybrids of these”
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HED Recommendation for Proposal 4A – Orange subgroup 10A:

I recommend that ChemSAC concur to establish three new subgroups, and the first 

subgroup will be the Orange subgroup 10A with orange or tangerine/mandarin being the 

representative commodity. 

This subgroup is based on the botanically recognized horticultural group which 

combines the oranges and includes the sweet orange types that are the most commonly

grown citrus in the world as well as the tangerines or mandarins that have over 100 

cultivars and are increasing in popularity because they are easy to peel and eat out of 

hand and some are processed into juice. They are very similar to the sweet oranges. 

They are also likely to have similar pest problems. This subgroup will include the 

seedless mandarin like clementines and various tangerine hybrids such as tangor a hybrid 

of mandarin and orange (‘Murcott’) and tangelos which are hybrids of mandarin and 

grapefruit (‘Minneola’). 

The twelve members of this subgroup will include:

Calamondin, Citron, Citrus hybrids, Mediterranean Mandarin, Orange, sour, Orange, 

sweet, Satsuma mandarin, Tachibana orange, Tangelo, Tangerine (Mandarin), 

Tangor, Trifoliate orange, and varieties, cultivars, and/or hybrids of these crops.

HED Recommendation for Proposal 4B – Lemon/Lime Subgroup 10B:

I recommend that ChemSAC concur to establish the second new subgroup, which 

will be the Lemon/lime subgroup 10B, with lemon or lime being the representative 

commodity. 

This second Crop subgroup is based on the recognized horticultural group that 

includes lemons and limes. Lemons are widely used for their acid juice content, slices 

and for processing into juices. Limes have a distinctive flavor and aroma and are small 

fruited such as the Key lime or large fruited types such as Tahiti lime that are marketed as 

fresh seedless fruit. The Key limes are small, round, and seedy, and turn yellow under 

Mediterranean conditions, while the Tahiti limes are larger, green, and shaped like 

lemons. The sweet limes are not as popular because they lack a distinctive taste. 

The EPA Crop Production Regions reported in the OPPTS 860.1000 Residue 

Chemistry Guidelines are Region 3 and 10 with most of the acreage in Region 3. 

However, due to Hurricane Andrew in 1992, citrus greening, and citrus canker the lime 

and lemon industries in Florida has practically disappeared and production statistics in 

Florida for lemons and limes has not been reported since 2002. There are less than 800 

acres of lemons and limes left in Florida. 
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The twelve commodities in this subgroup will be Australian desert lime, 

Australian finger lime, Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, Kumquat, 

Lemon, Lime, Mount White lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell River-lime, Sweet 

lime, Tahiti Lime, and varieties, cultivars, and/or hybrids of these commodities. 

HED Recommendation for Proposal 4C – Grapefruit Subgroup 10C:

I recommend that ChemSAC concur to establish the third new subgroup, which will 

be the Grapefruit subgroup 10C, with grapefruit being the representative commodity. 

The grapefruit are distinct enough based on size and use to be the made into a third 

subgroup. This third grapefruit subgroup is also based on a widely recognized 

horticultural class, which include several commodities that are grouped based on their 

rind or flesh colored pulp pigments. The common or white fleshed grapefruit have the 

‘Marsh’ seedless as the main cultivar and ‘Duncan’ as the seeded variety and the 

pigmented varieties that are either pink or red fleshed is also seedless. Pummelo are also 

included in the grapefruit group and the pummelo or shaddock species originates from 

Southeast Asia where it is as common as grapefruit is in the U.S. They are much larger 

and thicker-peeled than grapefruit, and have a milder flavor. Utilization of all these 

grapefruit citrus fruit crops is similar in that they are grown for their fresh fruit, juice, 

molasses, syrups, oil, essence, and marmalade. The representative commodity for this 

proposed subgroup is the grapefruit. Uniq fruit is also added since it is a distinct type of 

grapefruit grown mostly in Jamaica. Also, varieties and/or hybrids of these should be 

changed to, varieties, cultivars, of these commodities” will avoid all confusion with these 

terms, and the tangelo being a cross between tangerine and grapefruit will be added both 

to the Orange/tangerine subgroup 10A and the Grapefruit subgroup 10C. 

The five commodities in this subgroup will be Grapefruit, Japanese summer 

grapefruit, Pummelo, Tangelo, and Uniq fruit, and varieties, cultivars, and/or hybrids of 

these commodities. 

IR-4 Proposal 5 for Commodity Definitions:

5. In 40 CFR 180.1 (g) delete the Citrus fruits Commodity Definition item 5a; and revise 

the Tangerine Definition item 5b, and establish new Commodity Definitions for 

Grapefruit (5c); Lemon (5d); Lime (5e); and Orange (5f) as described below: 

a). Citrus fruits Commodity Definition: Citrus fruits, Grapefruit, lemons, limes, tangelos, 

tangerines, citrus citron, kumquat and hybrids of these. 

b). Tangerines Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals 

in or on Tangerine apply to the following commodities: Tangerines (Mandarins or 

Mandarin oranges), Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, and varieties and/or 

hybrids of these.
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c). Grapefruit Commodity Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for 

pesticide chemicals in or on Grapefruit apply to the following commodities: Grapefruit, 

Japanese summer grapefruit; Pummelo, Tangelo, Uniq fruit, and varieties and/or hybrids 

of these.). 

d). Lemon Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in 

or on Lemon apply to the following commodities: Australian desert lime, Australian 

finger lime, Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, Calamondin, Kumquats, 

Lemon, Lime, Mount White lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell River-lime, Sweet 

lime, Tahiti Lime, and varieties and/or hybrids of these.

e). Lime Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in or 

on Lime apply to the following commodities: Australian desert lime, Australian finger

lime, Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, Kumquats, Lemon, Lime, Mount 

White lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell River lime, Sweet lime, Tahiti Lime, and 

varieties and/or hybrids of these.

f). Orange Definition: Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in 

or on Orange apply to the following commodities: Calamondin, Citrus citron, 

Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, Sour oranges, Sweet oranges, Tachibana 

orange, Tangerine (Mandarin), Tangor, Trifoliate orange, and varieties and/or hybrids of 

these. 

HED Recommendation for Proposal 5a Citrus Fruit Commodity Definition:

a). Citrus fruits Grapefruit, lemons, limes, tangelos, tangerines, citrus citron, 

kumquat and hybrids of these. 

I recommend ChemSAC reject the established commodity definition [40 CFR Part 

180.1(g)] and proposed updated commodity definition for citrus fruits. It is essentially a 

repeat of the commodities in the Citrus fruit group 10, and while it may be useful for 

labeling citrus fruits is no longer a tolerance term, because we have an expanded citrus 

fruit group and several other commodity definitions such as tangerine are more specific 

to certain citrus. The term citrus fruits should not be used for setting a tolerance.

HED Recommendation for Proposal 5b Tangerine Commodity Definition:

I recommend establishing a revised Tangerine commodity definition under 40 CFR 

Part 180.1(g) as follows: 

Tangerine..................................Tangerine (mandarin or mandarin orange), clementine, 

Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, tangelo, tangor, and cultivars, varieties, or 

hybrids of tangerines with other fruits. 

This will help in clarifying what other citrus fruits the tangerine will cover. 
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HED Recommendation for Proposal 5c Grapefruit Commodity Definition:

I recommend establishing a new a Grapefruit commodity definition under 40 CFR 

Part 180.1(g) as follows: 

Grapefruit..................................Grapefruit, Japanese summer grapefruit, pummelo, 

shaddock, tangelo, Uniq fruit, and cultivars, varieties, or hybrids of grapefruit with other 

fruits. 

This will also clarify what commodities are covered by grapefruit tolerances and 

follows the EPA Commodity Reviewer’s Guide approved by ChemSAC, 2006. The 

inclusion of cultivars, varieties and hybrids will leave no doubt which specific related 

varieties are covered. 

HED Recommendation for Proposal 5d Lemon Commodity Definition:

I recommend establishing a Lemon commodity definition under 40 CFR Part 

180.1(g) as follows:

Lemon..................................Lemon, lime, and cultivars, varieties, or hybrids of lemon 

with other fruits. 

This commodity definition is mainly to show lemons also can cover limes. The 

list of many of the limes is not necessary for lemon because they are included in the lime 

commodity definition. 

HED Recommendation for Proposal 5e Lime Commodity Definition:

I recommend establishing a Lime commodity definition under 40CFR Part 180.1(g) 

as follows: 

Lime..................................Lime, Australian desert lime, Australian finger lime, 

Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, lemon, Mount White lime, New Guinea 

wild lime, Russell River lime, Sweet lime, Tahiti lime, and varieties and/or hybrids of 

these limes with other fruits.
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HED Recommendation for Proposal 5f Orange Commodity Definition:

I recommend establishing an Orange commodity definition under 40 CFR Part 

180.1(g) as follows: 

Orange.................................Orange, sweet orange, sour orange, tachibana orange, 

tangelo, trifoliate orange, and cultivars, varieties and/or hybrids of these oranges with 

other fruits. 

Additional HED Recommendations/Conclusions:

Recommendation 6:

The ICGCC considered whether white sapote should be added to the Citrus fruit 

group 10 and decided it would be better placed in a Tropical fruit – inedible peel group 

that will be considered at a future date. This will help harmonize with CODEX that 

classifies white sapote in the “Assorted tropical/subtropical fruits – inedible peel.” The 

original review was conducted in 1998 (Schneider, 1998b) and included in the 2006 

Reviewer’s guide. It will be removed from the next revision of the Reviewer’s Guide. 

Recommendation 7:

Guidance for HED SOP 99.6 - “Classification of Food Forms with Respect to 

Level of Blending” issued August 20, 1999, and HED SOP 2000.1 – “Guidance for 

Translation of Field Trial Data from Representative Commodities in the Crop Group 

Regulation to Other Commodities in Each Crop Group/Subgroup” issued September 12, 

2000 can be updated to reflect the amendment to the Citrus fruit group 10.

Recommendation 8:

Guidance on expressing tolerance terminology for the Citrus fruit crop group 10 

and the three proposed subgroups (Orange subgroup 10A; Lemon/lime subgroup 10B; 

and the Grapefruit subgroup 10C) are discussed under the “Tolerance expression 

guidance section of this analysis.

Recommendation 9:

The Health Effects Division Dry Matter and Seeding Rate Database prepared by

Dr’s. Yuen-Shaung NG and B. A. Schneider, was updated on June 2006 and updated 

June, 2007 in Table 37 for the Citrus Fruit Group.
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Recommendation 10:

New lookup and preferred EPA terms for the members of the Citrus Fruit Crop 

Group are listed in the EPA Food and Feed Commodity Vocabulary section of this report 

and these terms should be added to the updated EPA Food and Feed Commodity

Vocabulary website. 

ANALYSIS OF THE USDA IR-4 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH AN AMENDED 

CITRUS FUIT GROUP 10

BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPOSED COMMODITIES:

Citrus fruits are all members of the family Rutaceae. The family Rutaceae or Rue 

family has six subfamilies of which the orange family is contained in the Aurantioideae. 

Within this subfamily is the tribe Citrinae of which there are three closely related genera, 

the Citrus, Fortunella, and the Poncirus. The genera Microcitrus and Eremocitrus are 

genera native from Australia. There are over 100 genera and 200 species in the Rutaceae

family. 

Citrus fruits were first introduced into the U.S. in Florida by the Spanish explorers 

and colonists in the 16th century. Citrus fruits are grown worldwide in arid subtropical 

and humid tropical areas with adequate moisture and suitable soils and lack of frost. The 

citrus is grown in a narrow region in the U.S. that extends from Northern California south 

into southern California; eastward through the low elevation areas of Arizona, into 

southern Texas along the Gulf Coast and south through Florida. Many other countries 

like Japan, China, India, and Mexico have important local varieties that are important in 

their markets. 

The citrus fruit belt follows the equator and spreads on both sides at 

approximately 35° north latitude and 35° south latitude. Citrus fruits produced

commercially in the U.S. are of 5 major and 3 minor kinds. Major kinds are lemon

(Citrus limon), sweet orange (C. sinensis), Mandarin orange (C. reticulata), grapefruit (C. 

x paradisi), and the lime (C. aurantiifolia). Minor fruits are pummelo (C. maxima), sour 

or Seville orange (C. aurantium), and the citron (C. medica). All are produced on 

relatively small, evergreen trees or tall shrubs. Grapefruit trees are the largest, and limes 

the smallest stature trees of the group. Trees may reach 20 – 30 ft in height, but most 

cultivated trees are < 15 ft. Stems are often armed with long thorns, particularly the 

limes, and in all types when young. Leaves are relatively thick with winged petioles of 

various widths depending on species for example grapefruit has wide leaves and 

tangerine has narrow leaves. Citrus trees normally take four years before they can set 

fruit. All citrus are injured by winter temperatures below about 25° F. Ichang papeda is

known as a subzero citrus (Citrus ichangensis) is known as a most extraordinary plant 

which grows wild in southwestern China, reportedly surviving subzero temperatures. 

The fruit is oblong in shape, much like a lemon, with rough, pale orange rind and meaty 

flesh packed with seeds. 
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Citrus can grow well in a wide range of soils; however they are highly sensitive to 

overly moist conditions. Citrus need grow best when the rainfall is at least 1200 mm. 

The leaves and the peel of the fruit contain oil vesicles. Most are trees or shrubs with 

evergreen leaves with white and fragrant flowers, and most cultivars are self-pollinated. 

Some are parthenocarpic (e.g., 'Tahiti' lime, and some Navel oranges and tangelos). 

Cross pollination is necessary only for some tangerines and tangerine hybrids. Citrus 

fruits range in size from 2.5 cm for calamondin or kumquats to more than 12 - 18 cm in 

diameter grapefruit or pummelo. 

The fruit of the citrus are so important that they have received a special name - a 

hesperidium. A hesperidium is basically a leathery rinded berry. This fruit is unique to 

six genera in the Rutaceae family. These genera are: Citrus, Fortunella, Poncirus, 

Microcitrus, and Clymenia. The endocarp is the edible portion, divided into 8 - 18 

segments or occasionally up to 18 for grapefruit and pummelo, 6- 8 for trifoliate orange 

and 3 – 5 for kumquat that separated by thin septa, each containing up to 8 seeds, but 

usually only one. Seeds vary in number depending upon cultivar from zero to 40 – 50 for 

grapefruit. Citrus fruits are either seedy or seedless. Seedless are those citrus with < 2 

seeds/fruit. Each segment is composed of juice vesicles ("pulp"), with long stalks 

attached to the outer wall, containing juice, which may vary from sweet to very acid. The 

citrus fruits can range in size from < 2.5 cm for calamondin and kumquats to more than 

12 – 18 cm diameter for grapefruit and up to 30 cm for pummelo and some citrons.

Citrus fruits have three fundamental parts: the flavedo which is the external colored 

part of the peel, the albedo which is the white internal part of the peel, the pericarp 

containing the flavedo and albedo, and the pulp that is subdivided into segments and 

vesiacs that contain the juice and seeds called the endocarp (Figures 1 and 2). Most fruit 

peels are relatively thick, consisting of a white, spongy endocarp, and with the surface 

epidermis containing numerous oil vesicles (see Figures 1 and 2). The fruit peel has 

many oil glands. The outer layer of the fruit is the rind or peel and includes the flavedo 

or epicarp as the outer colored portion, and the albedo the inner colorless or sometimes 

tinted like pink in grapefruit portion. The flavedo is rich in pigments (chloroplasts and 

chromoplasts) consists of the epicarp (a single layer), hyprodermis (first colorless layer 

under the epicarp), outer monocarp, and the oil glands. Both the hypodermis and 

monocarp layers contain essential oil glands. Oil glands range in size from 10 to 100 μm 

or more. The internal part of the rind is the albedo which ranges from 1 – 2 mm thick in 

some fruit such as the ‘Honey’ tangerine and a centimeter or thicker in grapefruit. This 

layer is attached to the flavedo layer. Pectin is manufactured from the albedo layer. 

Most citrus fruits rinds are considered inedible because of the oil content, except for 

kumquats which have a sweet rind and pulp. Citrus peel is also scraped in small amounts 

and added to some dishes to provide a zest. The approximate composition of an orange is 

shown in Table 1 below:
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Table 1. Approximate Composition of an Orange.

Component Percent Notes

Juice 40.0 – 50.0 %

Albedo 15.0 – 20.0 %

Fiber 0.5 – 1.0 %

Dry Matter 5.0 – 12.0 %

Juice pH pH 3.5 The pH is due primarily to 

the organic acid – citrus 

acid.

Considering citrus fruit grouping, the size has the oranges as medium – small to 

medium size, with tangerines being small to medium, the grapefruits medium large to 

large, the lemons medium - small, acid limes being very small to small, pummelos large 

to very large, citrons medium - large to very large. The size within these types can vary

widely based on varietal differences.

Figures 1 and 2. Cross Section of a Citrus Fruit.
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CITRUS HYBRIDIZATION:

All citrus fruits will cross or hybridize with each other producing literally hundreds 

of cultivars and hybrids. Many such crosses have been made by plant breeders and some 

have originated by chance. As a result, we now have in commerce Mandarin orange x

grapefruit crosses called tangelos, sweet orange x Mandarin crosses called tangor, and 

others. A description of the citrus hybrids is in the ‘Comparison of Citrus Fruit Cultural 

Practice’ section of this report. There are also hybrids among Citrus species and between 

Citrus, Eremocitrus, Microcitrus, and Poncirus or Fortunella, that have been produced 

either naturally or through controlled breeding. A series of prefixes and suffixes is used 

to denote the parents of such hybrids: Some examples of citrus hybrids include:

Cicitrange (citrange x trifoliate orange)

Citradia (sour orange x trifoliate orange)

Citrandarin (tangerine × trifoliate orange)

Citrangedins (citrange × kumquat x calamondin)

Citrangelo (citrange x grapefruit)

Citrangequat (citrange × kumquat)

Citrangeremos (citrange × Australian desert lime)

Citrange (sweet orange × trifoliate orange)

Citrangor (sweet orange × citrange)

Citremon (trifoliate orange x lemon)

Citrumelo (trifoliate orange x grapefruit) 

Citrumquat (trifoliate orange x kumquat)
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Eremolemon (Australian desert lime × lemon)

Eremoradias (Australian desert lime × sour orange)

Eremorange (Australian finger lime x × sweet orange)

Faustrimedin (Australian finger lime x calamondin x kumquat) 

Lemonage (lemon × sweet orange)

Lemondarin (lemon × mandarin)

Lemonime (lemon × limes)

Lemonquat (lemon x kumquat)

Limequat (lime × kumquat)

Orangelo (sweet orange x grapefruit)

Orangequat (Satsuma orange x kumquat) 

Ortanique (tangelo x tangor)

Procimequat (limequat x kumquat)

Segentranges (trifoliate orange x sour orange)

Sydney hybrid (Australian finger lime x Australian desert lime)

Tangor (tangerine x sweet orange) 

Tangelo (tangerine x grapefruit) 

Tangtangelo (tangerine x tangelo)

Tangelolo (tangerine x grapefruit)

HORTICULTURAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE CITRUS:

The citrus fruits are commonly arranged into four separate groups for horticultural 

purposes based on fruit characteristics. These are: the (1) oranges; the (2) tangerines or 

mandarins; the (3) grapefruit and pummelo; and the (4) common acid groups which 

include the citron, lemon and lime. They are marketed as fresh or desert fruits such as 

the sweet oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines, and as processed products such as juice, 

syrups, candid, rind oil or essence. There is a wide range of citrus of regional or local 

significance that may have potential to become important commodities in trade 

seasonable. Also, considering citrus fruit grouping, the size of the fruit generally has the 

oranges as medium – small to medium size, with tangerines being small to medium, the 

grapefruits medium large to large, the lemons medium-small, acid limes being very small 

to small, pummelo to large to very large, citrons medium - large to very large. The size 

within these types can vary widely based on varietal differences. Shapes of the citrus 

fruits vary and range from round through subglobose and oblate to obovoid on one 

extreme and from broadly pyriform to ovoid, oblong, elliptical, and cylindrical on the 

other (See Figure 3 for the citrus fruit shapes). Oranges are usually round, tangerines are 

oblate, grapefruits and pummelos are subglobose, lemons are elliptical, and the limes 

oval, while citrons are highly variable but mostly cylindrical and some pummelos may be 

pyriform (See Figure 3). 
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Figure 3. Citrus Fruit Shapes. 

.

The first horticultural group is the oranges which includes the sweet orange types 

that are the most commonly grown citrus in the world. The ‘Valencia’ is the main sweet 

orange cultivar grown worldwide. Navel oranges are also widely grown as a seedless 

orange and used for either fresh fruit or processing into juice. Blood or pigmented 

oranges are popular in Mediterranean countries for their flavor and rind, flesh, and juice 

pigments. The term "orange" is used rather loosely, sometimes for fruits that look like 

oranges but are not C. sinensis. Examples include: 'Temple' and ‘Page' oranges 

(tangerine hybrids), Satsuma mandarin (a cold hardy variant of tangerine), and trifoliate 

orange (Poncirus trifoliata).

The second horticultural group includes the tangerines or mandarins that have over 

100 cultivars and are increasing in popularity because they are easy to peel eaten out of 

hand and some are processed into juice. They are very similar to the sweet oranges. This 

group includes the seedless Clementine and various tangerine hybrids such as tangor a 

hybrid of mandarin and orange (‘Murcott’) and tangelos which are hybrids of mandarin 

and grapefruit (‘Minneola’). 
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The third horticultural group includes lemons and limes. Lemons are widely used 

for their acid juice content, slices and for processing into juices. Limes have a distinctive 

flavor and aroma and are small fruited such as the Key lime or large fruited types such as 

Tahiti lime that are marketed as fresh seedless fruit. The Key limes are small, round, and 

seedy, and turn yellow under Mediterranean conditions, while the Tahiti limes are larger, 

green, and shaped like lemons. The sweet limes are not as popular because they lack a 

distinctive taste. Kumquats are also listed with lemons and limes were originally 

classified with citrus genus, but kumquats were then moved to their own genus

(Fortunella spp.). They are evergreen shrubs or small trees (8 - 15 ft), native to southern 

China, but can be grown around the world into subtropical areas. Unlike citrus fruits, the 

peel of the fruit is edible, and usually sweeter than the pulp. Citron is a lemon-like fruit 

that may be the original species of modern lemons and limes. The peel is very thick, and 

the white, spongy portion of the peel is edible. 

The fourth horticultural group is the grapefruit which have several groups based on 

their rind or flesh colored pulp pigments. The common or white fleshed have the ‘Marsh’ 

seedless as the main cultivar and ‘Duncan’ as the seeded variety and the pigmented 

varieties that are either pink or red fleshed are also seedless. Cultivars include “Flame’, 

‘Star Ruby’, ‘Rio Red', and ‘Ruby Red’. Pummelos are also included in the grapefruit 

group. This, the largest citrus fruit, is known in the western world mainly as the principal 

ancestor of the grapefruit. Grapefruit is thought to be a hybrid of pummelo and sweet 

orange that occurred naturally somewhere in the Caribbean between the time of 

Columbus' voyages and its introduction to Florida in 1809. The pummelo or shaddock

species originates from Southeast Asia where it is as common as grapefruit is in the U.S. 

It is much larger and thicker-peeled than grapefruit, and has a milder flavor. 

The three proposed subgroups are based on the above four horticultural classes with 

the oranges and tangerines combined into one group and lemons and limes in another. 

The grapefruit are distinct enough based on size and use to be the third subgroup. 

Utilization of all these citrus fruit crops is similar in that they are grown for their fresh 

fruit, juice, molasses, syrups, oil, essence, and marmalade. The representative 

commodities for the proposed subgroups are the same as the current crop group (sweet 

orange and lemon and grapefruit) except that choices are given for orange or tangerine 

and lemon or lime.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITRUS FRUIT CROPS

Understanding how the citrus fruit crops grow and develop is a key part of 

developing a pest control strategy for optimum fruit yield and quality and a helpful 

reference for analysis of residue field trials by EPA scientists. Proper timing of pesticide 

applications, based on crop growth stage and pest growth cycle can improve a product’s 

efficacy and prevent crop injury and yield losses. Pesticide labels often use crop growth 

stages and codes to identify when to apply a pesticide. Some of the recognized growth 

stages for the citrus fruits are discussed in the below Table 2 as well as selected growth 
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stages for pesticide spray schedules in Florida for insect pests (Table 3) and plant 

diseases (Table 4).

Table 2. Selected Growth Stages of Citrus (Citrus spp.). BBCH Identification 

Codes (Adapted from Agusti et al., 1995).

BBCH Code Principal Growth Stage General Description

00 Sprouting/Bud development Dormancy: leaf and inflorescence 

buds undifferentiated, closed and 

covered by green scales. 

01 Sprouting/Bud development Beginning of bud swelling.

09 Sprouting/Bud development Green leaf tips visible. 

10 Leaf development First leaves separating: green scales 

open, leaves emerging.

11 Leaf development First leaves visible.

19 Leaf development First leaves fully expanded.

31 Shoot development Beginning of shoot growth; axes of 

developing shoots visible.

39 Shoot development Shoots about 90% of final length. 

51 Inflorescence emergence Inflorescence buds swelling: buds 

closed, light green scales visible.

53 Inflorescence emergence Bud burst: scales separated floral tips 

visible.

55 Inflorescence emergence Flowers visible still closed (green 

bud).

56 Inflorescence emergence Flower petals elongating; sepals 

covering half corolla (white bud).

59 Inflorescence emergence Most flowers with petals forming a 

hollow ball.

60 Flowering First flowers open.

65 Flowering Full flowering, about 10% of flowers 

open.

69 Flowering End of flowering, all petals fallen.

71 Development of Fruit Fruit set, beginning of ovary growth, 

beginning of fruitlets abscission. 

72 Development of Fruit Green fruit surrounded by sepal 

crown.

74 Development of Fruit Fruits about 40% of final size.

79 Development of Fruit Fruits about 90% of final size.

81 Maturity of fruit Beginning of final fruit coloring 

called color break.

83 Maturity of fruit Fruit ripe for picking, has not 

developed variety specific color.

89 Maturity of fruit Fruit ripe for consumption, fruit has 

typical taste and firmness, beginning 

of senescence and fruit abscission.

91 Senescence, beginning of dormancy Shoot growth complete; foliage fully 

green (91).

93 Senescence, beginning of dormancy Beginning of senescence and 

abscission of older leaves.

97 Senescence, beginning of dormancy Winter dormancy period. 
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Table 3. Selected Growth Stage Timing for Control of Insect Pests of Citrus 

(Citrus spp.) for Pesticide Spray Schedules in Florida. (From Shipp, 2002 and 

Browning, 2007). 

Timing Citrus Crop Comments

Pre-bloom

Jan.15 - Feb. 15 

Satsuma

Grapefruit

Temple

Valencia

Round Oranges 

For control of spider mites and 

rust mites. 

Post-Bloom

Satsuma mandarin when 

75% petals have fallen, 

other oranges when pea size. 

All citrus

For control of scale, thrips, 

mealybugs, mites, aphids, and 

whiteflies. 

Post-Bloom

80% petal fall 

All citrus For mite, leafminer, and thrips 

control. 

April All citrus Broadcast control for Fire ants 

when ants are actively foraging.

June 15 - July 15 All citrus

For control of scale, thrips, 

mealybugs, mites, aphids, and 

whiteflies.

Aug. 14 - Sept. 15 All citrus 

For control of scale, thrips, 

mealybugs, mites, aphids, and 

whiteflies.

Oct. 15 - Nov. 15 All citrus For mite, leafminer, and fire ant 

control.
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Table 4. Selected Growth Stage Timing for Control of Plant Disease Pests of Citrus 

(Citrus spp.) for Pesticide Spray Schedules in Florida. (From Shipp, 2002, and 

Browning, 2007). 

Time Citrus Crop Comments

Pre-bloom 

Satsuma

Grapefruit

Temple

For control of Scab and 

Melanose..

Bloom All citrus

Post-Bloom All citrus

For control of Scab and 

Melanose. Do not use in full 

bloom or where shrimp or 

crawfish may be affected. Make 

first application at pea-size fruit, 

and the second 14 - 21 days 

later. Time applications to 

follow rain, if possible. May

require 200 - 300 gallons per 

acre for large trees. 

June 15 – July 15 All citrus For control of Scab and 

Melanose. 

Oct. 15 – Nov. 15 All citrus 

For control of Brown rot, apply

foliar spray when disease 

conditions develop.

Soil Treatment 

All citrus, 

including new 

plantings and 

nursery stock 

Control of Phytophthora foot rot. 

Rate depends on tree size.

Climate and Soils Affect Citrus Adaptation to Certain Regions:

Citrus fruits are adapted to a wide variety of soil types and conditions from almost 

pure sand in central Florida, to organic muck near the Everglades, to loamy, heavy, high 

pH soils in the San Joaquin Valley of California, tolerant of high or low pH and salinity.

Citrus species generally do not tolerate soil flooding for more than a few days without 

injury. In the United States citrus are grown in a narrow area from northern and southern 

California, east through the low elevation deserts of Arizona, into southern Texas, along 

the Gulf Coast and south into Florida. Most citrus perform best in subtropical climates, 
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where there is a slight change of season but little or no chance of freezing weather. Cold 

hardiness is the major limiting factor for citrus production in subtropical areas. Flowers 

and fruit are killed at about 28° F. Leaves and stems are killed by a few minutes at 20°F -

28°F, depending on stage of acclimation, species, and age of tissue. Cold hardiness 

varies with the following list from least to most cold-hardy: citron, lime, lemon, 

grapefruit and pummelo, most tangerine, sour orange, Satsuma mandarin, kumquat, and 

trifoliate orange. Flowering is induced following emergence from quiescence, and 

sometimes by relief from drought. Most citrus are self pollinated and cross pollination is 

necessary for only some of the tangerines and tangerine hybrids. Internal and external 

quality differs greatly between humid subtropical and Mediterranean climates with the 

temperature and humidity being the main environmental factors controlling quality. One 

change affects the thickness of the peel since they become thicker and have more pebbly 

or rough texture in Mediterranean climates than in subtropical climates. The peel color is 

best in Mediterranean climates in California and Arizona due to cool winters enhancing 

chlorophyll destruction and fewer pests that blemish the peel. The juice content is higher 

in subtropical than Mediterranean climate, and the acid content is higher and sugar 

content generally lower in Mediterranean than subtropical climates, due to warmer 

temperatures during ripening. Acids break down faster when the nights are warm, and 

warmer day temperatures allow greater photosynthesis. Therefore, the sugar: acid ratio is 

higher in Florida, and fruit is said to be richer in flavor. Within arid climates, rate of fruit 

maturation is faster in hot, desert areas of California and Arizona than in the cooler, 

coastal areas. On-tree storage is generally better in Mediterranean than subtropical 

climates. ‘Valencia' oranges maintain color and quality well into the summer if left on 

trees in California, but not in Florida.

U.S./NAFTA AND WORLD PRODUCTION AND GEOGRAPHICAL 

DISTRIBUTION OF THE CITRUS FRUIT COMMODITIES: 

Proposed members of the citrus fruit crop group find widespread distribution 

throughout the world. Citrus fruits are the largest fruit crop produced in the world. Table 

5 provides a list of the hectares and production in metric tons from various countries that 

are members of the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee (ICGCC) as 

countries that grow grapefruit, pummelo, lemon, lime, and oranges. Based on FAO 

agriculture statistics, the total hectare for citrus fruits has increased from 6,733,019 ha in 

1995 to 7,605,363 in 2005 and the total production has increased from 93,799,450 Mt 

(metric ton) in 1995 to 105,431,984 Mt in 2005 as the world total (FAO 2005, see Table 

5). Worldwide, the orange is by far the most harvested citrus at 47% followed by lemon 

and limes at 10.6% and by grapefruit at 3.5%. The average yields in Mt/ha for the major 

citrus fruits is 13.96 for grapefruit, 15.5 for lemon, and 16.6 for oranges. In the 

Mediterranean climates in Spain, Italy, and California, production of lemons dominates; 

whereas in the tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, Brazil, and Florida lime 

production dominates. The United States has 5.5% of the total citrus hectares and about 

9.8% of the total production (MT) and produces 13% of the orange world supply, 24% of

the grapefruits and 5% of the lemons and limes. 
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Table 5. Major Citrus Fruits Production in 2005 

(FAO 2005; NAGASAWA 2006a, NAGASAWA 2006b)

Countries/ 

regions

Grapefruit & 

Pomelos

Lemons & 

Limes

Oranges Citrus fruits 

Total

Africa 36,333 ha1

463,373 Mt

2

51,512 ha

813,231 Mt

374,261 ha

5,030,211Mt

1,392,117 ha

11,625,666 Mt

C. America 18,381 ha 

345,897 Mt

150,500 ha

2,039,067Mt

421,493 ha

5,101,231Mt

631,386 ha

7,920,195 Mt

NAFTA 63,000 ha

1,172,151 Mt

168,005 ha

2,570,390 Mt

630,000 ha

12,236,080 Mt

920,585 ha

16,792,611 Mt

S. America 24,436 ha

359,412 Mt

157,366 ha

3,042,463 Mt

1,010,987 ha

20,418,307 Mt

1,342,477 ha

26,194,100 Mt

Asia 101,721 ha

1,199,642 Mt

327,323 ha

4,320,033 Mt

1,133,860 ha

13,861,195 Mt

3,180,502 ha

37,146,921 Mt

Australia 800 ha

12,000 Mt

1,200 ha

35,000 Mt

22,000 ha

500,000 Mt

28,230 ha

643,000 Mt

Europe 2,810 ha

50,200 Mt

74,285 Ha

1,467,035 Mt

263,280 ha

5,902,655 Mt

504,412 ha

10,237,513 Mt

Japan 529 ha

10,086 T

285 ha

4,020 T

68,210 ha

1,298,557 Mt

81,100 ha

1,504,702 Mt

New Zealand 70 ha

1,600 Mt

360 ha

3,700 Mt

600 ha

6,000 Mt

2,930 ha

29,800 Mt

U.S. 50,000 ha

914,440 Mt

27,000 ha

745,500 Mt

300,000 ha

8,266,270 Mt

397,080 ha

10,317,200 Mt

World Total 262,817 ha

3,667,862 Mt

806,008 ha

12,554,879 Mt

3,598,389 ha

59,858,474 Mt

7,605,363 ha

105,431,984 Mt

In the U.S citrus fruits are widely consumed with the per capita consumption in 

2004 for the following citrus fruits reported as grapefruit at 7.9 lb (48% juice), lemon at 

6.7 lbs of lemons (54% juice), lime at 2.6 lb (28% juice), oranges and temples at 78.8 lbs 

(86% as juice), and tangerines and tangelos at 3.9 lbs of tangerines (28% juice). Citrus 

fruit juice consumption at single strength gallon/capita/year include grapefruit at 0.24 gal, 

lemon at 0.14 gal, lime at 0.03 gal, and oranges at 5.4 gal (USDA ERS, 2005; Buzby, J., 

2005). Based on the USDA CSFII 1994 – 1996, 1998 survey, using two day individual 

consumption for determined oilseed consumption (g/day) is listed in Table 6 Americans 

derive about 26% of total Vitamin C from citrus fruits, the highest proportion from any

single food group (Reiger, 2005). Per capita consumption of citrus is higher than any 

other fruit crop when juice and fresh consumption are combined. Consumption over the 

past 30 years has been constant for most citrus fruits, except lime which has increased 

and grapefruit, which has decreased. The dietary value of the citrus fruits, per 100 gram 

edible portion is listed in Appendix I: Tables A – E. 

 

1

ha = hectare

2 Mt = Metric ton
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Table 6. Consumption of the Citrus Fruits Based on USDA CSFII 

1994 – 1996, 1998 survey.

COMMODITY CONSUMPTION (g/day) 

Citron 0.0067

Citrus hybrids 0.045

Grapefruit 2.83

Grapefruit, juice 3.09

Lemon 0.27

Lemon, juice 2.26

Lemon, juice, babyfood 0.00068

Lime 0.05

Lime, juice 0.41

Lime, juice, babyfood 0.00006

Orange 6.60

Orange, juice 58.0

Orange, juice, babyfood 0.026

Orange, peel 0.004

Tangerine 0.038

Tangerine, juice 0.16

IMPORTS/EXPORTS OF THE CITRUS FRUITS:

Despite the U.S. being a major producer of citrus fruit (Tables 5 and 7) significant 

amounts of some of the citrus fruits are still imported. The amount of a commodity can 

vary widely from year to year based on differences in U.S. production, weather effects, 

and consumer demand. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Trade Statistics (FATUS) 

reported that in 2005 over 4,322 MT of fresh tangerines were imported from other 

countries with Mexico accounting for 93% and Chile for 6%. Mandarins as clementines

were imported at over 90,641 MT with 69.5 from Spain, Republic of South Africa at 

66%, 12% from Mexico, and 8.4% from Chile. Over 69,030 MT of fresh oranges were 

imported from Republic of South Africa at 41%, Australia at 40% and 16% from Mexico. 

Over 279,300 MT of Tahiti limes were imported from Mexico at 98.6% and Guatemala at 

0.6%. Greater than 99% of the grapefruit 1,403 MT imported in 2005 was from Mexico. 

Fresh lemons were imported from Chile at 58.8%, Mexico at 36.1% and Spain at 2.8% 

and totaled 34,651 MT. Over 97% of the fresh limes were imported from Mexico at 

27,838 MT. Over 76% of the grapefruit juice was imported from Mexico. Argentina and 

Mexico accounted for over 99% of the imported lemon juice and Mexico accounted for 

over 92% and Argentina for 7% of the imported lime juice. All imported grapefruit juice 

was from Mexico in 2005. Over 1,200,000 kl of orange juice was imported from Brazil 

at 65%, 17% from Mexico, and 8% each from Belize and Costa Rica.
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The U.S. is also a major exporter of citrus fruit commodities. For example, in 2005

(USDA FATUS) approximately 44,368 MT of fresh temple oranges was exported with 

the Republic of Korea accounting for 39%, Japan for 19%, Taiwan for 10% and Hong 

Kong and Mexico both at 9%. Exports of lemons, limes, and grapefruit juice have not 

been reported since 2001. Mandarins were exported at over 6,700 MT to Republic of 

Korea at 49% and Canada at 40%. Over 12,800 MT of fresh Tangerines were exported 

with 63% to Canada and 3% to Japan. Exports of oranges at over 534,000 MT were to 

Canada at 32%, Republic of Korea at 19%, Japan at 14%, Hong Kong at 12%, and 

Peoples Republic of China at 6%. Grapefruits were e exported at over 256,309 MT to 

Japan at 44 %, Republic of Korea accounting for 17%, Canada at 14%, and France and 

the Netherlands at 7%, respectively. Frozen orange juice concentrate was exported at 

more than 151,000 KL to the Netherlands, 18% to Belgium-Luxembourg, 13% to the 

Republic of Korea, and 8% to Japan. 

U.S. CITRUS FRUIT PRODUCTION AND GEOGRAPHICAL PRODUCTION:

Production in the U.S. is based on the USDA 2006 Agricultural Statistics, FAO 

Statistics, 2005, USDA ERS 2005 Citrus Fruits 2005 Summary, USDA NASS Crop 

Production, 2006, and the U.S. Agricultural Census, 2002: According to the 2002 

AgCensus citrus were grown on over 1,279,324A. The planted acreages for the citrus 

fruits in the United States are listed in Table 7. Orange and grapefruit acres account for 

90% of the whole citrus fruit group. Oranges have the highest acreages at 998,871A or 

78% of the total citrus group. Yields of Florida frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) 

for 2006-7 season was forecasted to be 1.58 gallons/box at 42° Brix. Florida produced all 

of the limes in the USA, but hurricane and plant disease damage has all but eliminated 

the Florida industry. Acreage estimates showed 1,000 acres in 2002 and less than 400 in 

2003. The yields per acre of oranges averages 15,000 lb/A, grapefruit 16,700 lb/A, 

tangerine 10,600 lb/A, and lemon 13,500 lb/A. Maps showing the harvested acres of the 

major citrus fruit crops are found in Appendix II, Figures 1 to 4. 
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Table 7. U.S. Citrus Fruit Planted Acres in 2002 (AgCensus, 2002) and Domestic 

Production for 2006 (USDA NASS, 2006b). 

CITRUS FRUIT PLANTED ACRES 

(A)

PERCENT OF 

TOTAL CITRUS 

ACREAGE

Domestic Citrus 

Production 

(MT) 2006

Orange 998,871 78.0 % 8,101,160

Grapefruit 157,358 12.0 % 1,117,650

Lemon 81,021 6.0 % 854,570

Tangerine 

(Mandarin)

 31,419 2.0 % 378,300

Tangelo 14,534 1.0 % 57,150

Lime 1,491 0.1 % NR** 

TOTAL 1,279,324 99.0 %

*Based on Food and Feed Crops of the United States and the USDA Agricultural Statistics, USDA 

NASS, 2006, and USDA AGCENSUS, 2002. 

** NR – Not Reported.

The U.S. bearing acres and production utilization (fresh + processed) is shown in 

Table 8 for oranges, Table 9 for tangerines, Table 10 for grapefruits, Table 11 for 

lemons, and Table 12 for limes, and Table 13 for kumquats, respectively (USDA 

AGCensus, 2002, NASS Crop Production, 2006). 

The percent of the total produce sales for the citrus fruits sold in grocery store for 

the years 2004 – 2005 is shown in Table14 (The Packer, Fairchild, 2006).

Table 8. United States Orange Bearing Acres and Utilized Production – 2005 – 2006

(USDA AGCensus, 2002, USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005, USDA NASS, 2006b). 

Orange production includes early, midseason, and Navel varieties and also 

Valencia**. 

State Bearing Acres - 

2002

Utilized Production 

(1,000 boxes)*-

2006 - 2007

Percent of Utilized 

Production

AZ 5,804 350 0.2%

CA 229,242 46,000 24.5

FL 680,327 140,000 74.4

LA 192

TX 9,313 1,780 0.9

Total 925, 635 A 188,130

* Net lb/box = AZ and CA – 75; FL – 90; and TX – 85.

** Valencia accounts for 44 % of the total orange crop.

Tangelo production (700,000 boxes) and temple oranges (1,000 are reported only

for Florida.
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Table 9. United States Tangerine Bearing Acres and Utilized Production – 2005 –

2006 (USDA AGCensus, 2002, USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005, USDA NASS, 2006b).

State Bearing Acres Utilized Production 

(1,000 boxes)* -

2006 – 2007

Percent of 

Utilized 

Production

AZ 2,605 400 5 %

CA 7,087 3,800 43

FL 19,025 4,600 52

HI 51

LA 113

TX 158

Total 29,040 A 8,800

* Net lb/box = AZ and CA – 75; FL – 95.

Table 10. United States Grapefruit Bearing Acres and Utilized Production – 2005 –

2006 (USDA AGCensus, 2002, USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005, USDA NASS, 

2006b).

State Bearing Acres Utilized Production 

(1,000 boxes)* -

2006 – 2007

Percent of 

Utilized 

Production

AZ - 100 0.3 %

CA 14,541 5,700 14.8

FL 113,929 26,000** 67.5

TX 18,966 6,700 17.4

Total 149,416 A 38,500

* Net lb/box = AZ and CA – 67; FL – 85; and TX – 80.

** FL production for colored seedless is 17,000 boxes and white seedless is 9,000 boxes.

Table 11. United States Lemon Bearing Acres and Utilized Production – 2005 – 2006 

(USDA AGCensus, 2002, USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005, USDA NASS, 2006b).

State Bearing Acres Utilized Production 

(1,000 boxes)* -

2006 – 2007

Percent of Utilized 

Production

AZ 14,721 2,800 12 %

CA 57,675 19,700 88

FL 762

TX 84

Total 73,275 22,500

* Net lb/box is 76.
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Table 12. United States Lime Bearing Acres – 2002 – 2003 

(USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005).

State Bearing Acres Percent of Bearing 

Acres

CA 494 39.0 %

FL 644 51.0

Total 1258 A

Table 13. United States Kumquat Bearing Acres – 2002 – 2003 

(USDA AG STATISTICS, 2005).

State Bearing Acres Percent of Bearing 

Acres

CA 116 61 %

FL 73 39 %

Total 189 A

Table 14. The Packer (Fairchild, 2006) list the percent of the total grocery store 

produce sales for the citrus fruits sold for the years 2004 – 2005. 

Commodity Percent of Total 

Produce Sales -

2004

Percent of 

Total Produce 

Sales - 2005

Notes

Citrus specialties 0.1 0.1 Includes Tangelo, 

tangerine, Satsuma 

mandarin, Clementine, 

Minneola, temple orange, 

honey and murcott

orange.

Grapefruit 0.7 0.6 Includes white, pink, and 

red varieties.

Lemon 0.9 1.0

Lime 0.6 0.6

Orange 2.5 2.5
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Specific Citrus Fruit Crop Production:

Australian desert lime:

The Australian desert lime is native to Australia. It is a true citrus, with blue-grey

leaves and prickles along the branches. These limes are common in the southern and

western Darling Downs, especially in Brigalow, or cleared Brigalow County. Limes also

grow further west, e.g., in the Longreach, Blackall and Tambo districts where they are

often found along creek lines and on slightly scalded country areas.

Australian finger lime:

The Australian finger lime is native to Australia and is found wild as an understorey shrub in the Australian rainforests of Queensland and northern New South Wales. 

It grows naturally in heavy shade in areas of high rainfall, but also appears at the edge of 

cleared forest where there is more sunlight.

Australian round lime:

The Australian round lime is native to Australia and occurs as a shrub or tall narrow 

tree, with glossy, dark-green leaves, on the more open and drier rainforest margins of 

southeast Queensland, from Brisbane northwards. 

Brown River finger lime:

The brown river finger lime is native to tropical Asia. It is a curious citrus-like 

shrub growing naturally in the transition area between eucalyptus savanna and tropical 

rainforest at the Forestry Station, Brown River, and Central District, Papua New Guinea. 

Calamondin:

The Calamondin is widely grown in India and throughout southern Asia and Malaysia 

and an important citrus juice source in the Philippine Islands. It is also grown in 

California and Arizona and popular in Florida and Texas

Citron:

This citron is a citrus fruit in which the peel or rind makes up most of the fruit volume. 

The origin is unknown but seeds were found in Mesopotamian excavations dating 

back to 4000 B.C. The Etrog, used by Jewish people in rites of the Feast of the 

Tabernacles, is a small citron a little larger than lemons. Commercial citron culture 

and processing began in California in 1880. In the U.S. there were 1,018 acres with 

1,514 tons from Puerto Rico and it is adapted to EPA Crop Production Region 13. 

Other production regions are in the Mediterranean region.
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Citrus hybrids:

A number of citrus hybrids, in addition to tangelos and calamondin are listed 

separately and have been developed by plant breeding. These include Tangors which are 

a hybrid between Mandarin orange x sweet orange, and are generally intermediate in 

characteristics. Some of these other citrus hybrids are Citrange (sweet orange × trifoliate 

orange) and the orangelo (sweet orange x grapefruit).

Grapefruit:

In 2006, about 1,117,650 metric tons were produced from 157,358 bearing acres (USDA 

NASS 2006). The top three grapefruit states reported Florida (113,929 bearing 

acres), California (14,541), and Texas (18,966) (See Table 10). The EPA Crop 

Production Regions are 3, 6 and 11.

Japanese Summer Grapefruit:

Japanese summer grapefruit is cultivated in India and Japan. There is no reported 

production yet in the U.S. 

Kumquat:

Kumquats are believed native to China and in 1712 kumquats were included in a list of 

plants cultivated in Japan. They have been grown in Europe and North America since 

1850, mainly as ornamental dooryard trees and as potted specimens in patios and 

greenhouses. They are grown mainly in California, Florida and Texas and to a lesser 

extent in Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Surinam, Colombia and Brazil. There is limited 

cultivation in Australia and South Africa. Kumquats are small, citrus-like fruits, which

will hybridize readily with citrus. The fruits are small and deeply colored, produced on 

small, evergreen trees that are somewhat hardier than citrus. Fruit shape is round or 

distinctly oval, the latter being about 1 inch in diameter by 2 inches long. The rind is thin 

and edible, so the whole fruit may be eaten out of hand. In the United States, kumquats 

are grown mainly in home gardens as ornamentals. Fortunella obovata is cultivated in 

SE China, it is also known as Fukushu kumquat, and sometimes ‘Changshou’ kumquat.

The ‘Fukushu’ kumquat bears edible round to obovate fruits, with an acidic pulp and a 

sweet rind. It is a relatively vigorous tree with more rounded leaves than other kumquats.

Flowers are simple, white and very fragrant. The fruit is round to obovate. F. polyandra

is native to Asia. The various kumquats are distinguished as botanical species rather than 

as cultivars. The following cultivars are those most utilized for food: 'Hong Kong', or 

‘Hong Kong Wild’ (F. Hindsii Swing.), called chin chü, shan chin kan, and chin tou; 

'Marumi', or ‘Round Kumquat’ (F. japonica Swing. syn. Citrus maduremis Lour.);

'Meiwa', or ‘Large Round Kumquat’ (F. crassifolia Swing.), called ninpo or neiha 

kinkan; 'Nagami', or ‘Oval Kumquat’ (F. margarita Swing.). Kumquats are available 

from November to March from Southern California and Florida. They are grown in EPA 

Field Trial Crop Production Regions 3 and 10.
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Lemon:

The acidic lemons are the only type grown for commercial purposes in the U.S. and 

with ‘Eureka’ and ‘Lisbon’ cultivars in California and Arizona. Florida grows the 

Sicilian types. The true home of the lemon is unknown, though some have linked it to 

northwestern India. In 2006 over 854,570 MT were produced on 81,021 A (USDA 

NASS, 2006). In 2006, the top two states reported as California (57,675 bearing acres) 

and Arizona (14,721 A). Due to hurricanes and plant diseases, lemon acreage in Florida 

has declined from over 1986 A in 1986 to less than 800 A in 2002. The EPA Field Crop 

Production Regions are Region 3 and 10 with 97% of the acreage in Region 10. 

Lime:

EPA Crop Production Regions include Region 3 and 10 with most of the acreage in 

previously grown in Region 3. Limes grow on relatively small, much branched citrus 

trees. Fruits are of several types. The Mexican or Key lime is near round 1 to 2 

inches diameter, with thin rind and acid pulp. Tahiti limes are larger, 2 to 21/2 inches 

diameter and usually seedless. Low acid or sweet limes are available and grown in 

some countries, but rarely in the U.S. Limes have been crossed with other types of 

citrus. Cultivars of Tahiti lime are ‘Bearss’, ‘Idemor’, and ‘Pond’. Tahiti limes are 

harvested 8 to 12 times per year with the peak period July to September. The Tahiti 

lime is presumed to be a hybrid of the Mexican lime and citron. It is widely

cultivated in tropics and subtropics, probable origin tropical Asia. The Mexican lime 

is native to the Indo-Malayan region. Largest importer of Tahiti limes is from 

Mexico. The tree, its foliage, and the form and size of the fruit resemble the Tahiti 

lime. Sweet lime is thought to be a hybrid between lime (Mexican-type), and a sweet 

lemon or sweet citron. Production in U.S. is limited to culture in California, and 

other production regions are in West Indies, Central America, India, northern 

Vietnam, Mediterranean Region and tropical America. The only major EPA Field 

Crop Production Region is Region 10. The EPA Crop Production Regions were 3 

and 10 with most of the acreage in Region 3. However, due to Hurricane Andrew in 

1992, poor fruit prices, and trees lost to citrus canker the lime industry in Florida has 

practically disappeared and production statistics in Florida for limes has not been 

reported since 2002. Yields of limes were about 16,000 lb/A. 

Mediterranean mandarin:

The Mediterranean mandarin is widely cultivated in subtropics, origin from cultivars in 

Italy. Its principal importance is in the Mediterranean basin and it is classified as a 

tangerine. The fruits are generally small and seeded. 
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Mount white lime:

The mount white lime is native to tropical Asia and Australia. The species is endemic to 

foothills and upland rainforest of the Cook District, Mt White on Cape York Peninsula in

Australia and Goodenough Island in Papua New Guinea. It grows in deciduous vine 

thickets as an under-storey shrub and has been recorded at a height of 15 m. Due to its 

limited distribution, this species is now classified as rare and is protected under the 

Queensland Nature Conservation Act.

New Guinea wild lime:

The New Guinea wild lime is native to tropical Asia. This New Guinea species is very

clearly from the other species of Microcitrus, and this is the only species of the genus

outside of Australia, and it occurs nearly a thousand miles away from M. garrawayi, the

Australian species of Microcitrus growing nearest to New Guinea

Orange, sour:

The sour orange is native to southeastern Asia. The sour orange was widely used as a 

rootstock for other varieties prior to the appearance of the Tristizia virus disease, which 

affects trees on this rootstock. It is still used in areas where Tristizia is not important. The 

Bergamot oranges are grown in Mediterranean areas for oil, belong in this group. They

are not grown commercially in the U.S. There are no orchards of sour orange, but 

numerous plantings of a few trees serve as seed sources for rootstocks. The sour orange 

flourishes in subtropical, near-tropical climates, yet it can stand several degrees of frost 

for short periods. Generally it has considerable tolerance of adverse growing conditions. 

It is grown in EPA Crop Production Regions 3, 6, and 10. 

Orange, sweet:

Sweet oranges are the most important of the subtropical citrus fruits. Although 73 

varieties are recognized (Reuther, 1967) the major production in U.S. consists of six 

varieties: ‘Valencia’, ‘Washington Navel’, ‘Hamlin’, ‘Parson Brown’, ‘Pineapple and 

Temple’. ‘Valencia’ has few seeds is available from Florida, California, Arizona and 

Texas. Navel is seedless and available from Arizona, California, and Texas, ‘Hamlin’ is 

nearly seedless and ‘Pineapple’ is seedy. Blood orange (pigmented orange or Sanguine 

orange) has few seeds with deep burgundy interior and available from California. 

Chinese navel oranges are also grown in California. The ‘Jaffa’ or ‘Shamouti’ is a 

popular eating sweet orange which is easy to peel and has no navel and it is grown in the 

western U.S. In 2006 the total orange production in the U.S. was planted on 998,871 

acres and produced 8,101,160 MT (USDA NASS). In 2002, the top four states for 

‘Navel’ and ‘Valenica’ oranges were reported as Florida (680,327 bearing acres), 

California (229,242 A), Arizona (5,804 A) and Texas (9,313 A). Tangelos were 

produced on 14, 534 A. The sweet oranges are grown in the EPA Field Crop Production

Regions 3, 6 and 10.
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Orange, trifoliate

The genus Poncirus is closely related to the citrus, but the small, thorny trees are 

not evergreen but deciduous. Trees are considered hardier than citrus. They will 

hybridize with citrus, and such hybrids have been made in efforts to increase 

hardiness in edible citrus fruits. Poncirus is grown as an ornamental dooryard tree in 

areas too cold for citrus, and occasional trees may be maintained by nurserymen as 

seed sources. Fruit appears valueless in the U.S., but can be used for flavoring or 

marmalade in other countries. The trifoliate orange is important as a rootstock for 

citrus, especially in Japan, although the fruit is scarcely edible. It is used as a male 

parent in production of citrange (sweet orange x trifoliate orange) rootstocks. It has a 

deciduous habit in cooler areas, and can tolerate more freezing than any other citrus 

relative. It is native to northern China, and is grown as far north as Philadelphia in 

the Eastern US.

Pummelo:

The pummelo is an important fruit in the Orient, but only scattered trees are found in 

the United States. The pummelo is tropical or near-tropical and flourishes naturally at 

low altitudes close to the sea. It is native to southeastern Asia and all of Malaysia; grows 

wild on river banks in the Fiji and Friendly Islands. The variety ‘Tresca’ is grown in 

Florida, where it is marketed as grapefruit. ‘Oro blanco’ is a cross between pummelo and 

grapefruit. Pummelos are available from California (mid-January through midFebruary). In 1995, almost 500 acres were produced in the San Joaquin Valley of 

California. The pummelos are grown in EPA Field Crop Production Regions 3 and 10.

Russell river lime:

The Russell river lime is native to Australia. It has a limited distribution in the north of 

Queensland, Australia, growing in lowland rainforest at the foot of the Bellenden Ker 

range, not far from Cairns. This new species of Citrus is well worthy of cultivation for its 

fruit, which is juicy and of equal flavor with the West Indian Lime.

Satsuma mandarin:

Satsuma mandarin probably originated in Japan, it is widely cultivated in tropics 

and subtropics. This is one of the most important types of citrus grown world-wide, 

especially in China and Japan. It is also produced in California from mid-October to 

January. It is commonly called mikan in Japan, satsuma mandarin in the United States 

and the UK, and clementine or tangerine in Canada. It is less commonly called satsuma 

tangerine or satsuma orange. The tree is believed to have originated from a mutation in 

Japan, recorded as early as 1429. In the UK, mikan are commonly eaten at Christmas. In 

Canada, they are a popular snack at any time of the year, and fruit grown in Morocco are 

commonly sold in supermarkets.
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Tachibana orange:

The tachibana orange is native to Asia and is also grown in the U.S. and are 

adapted to the U.S. plant hardiness zones 7 – 11. 

Tahiti lime:

The Tahiti lime tree origin is still unknown, but it is presumed to be a hybrid of the 

Mexican lime and citron, or, less likely, the lemon. Florida had produced over 90% of 

the national crop, but production has declined because of hurricane damage and 

devastating diseases. The Tahiti lime is hardier than the Mexican lime and better 

adapted to the mainland of Florida.

Tangelo and Uniq Fruit:

The tangelo is a hybrid produced by crossing grapefruit and tangerine oranges. . Some 

cultivars are ‘Minneola’ (‘Honeybell’), ‘Orlando’, ‘Nova’, ‘Early K’ (Sunrise 

tangelo), and ‘Sampon’. The ‘Uniq’ or ‘Ugli®’ tangelo of Jamaica is believed to be a 

chance hybrid between mandarin orange and grapefruit. EPA Crop Production Region

includes Region 3 and some in Region 10.

Tangerine:

Tangerines are characterized by a loose skin which separates readily from the pulp, and 

by segments which separate readily from each other. Tangerines are grown in all 

citrus areas of the U.S. Two main types are grown in the U.S. are the Satsuma group, 

characterized by a small tree hardier than other citrus, and early ripening fruit of 

yellow or light orange color; and the tangerine group, characterized by deep orange 

color and later ripening. Some Satsuma plantings are along the Gulf States, in areas 

too cold for other citrus. ‘Dancy’ is the leading variety of Tangerine and Owari of 

Satsuma. About ten other varieties occur occasionally. Clementine is a cultivar of C. 

reticulata. Tangerine cultivars are ‘Dancy’, ‘Algerian’, ‘Fairchild’, ‘Honey’

(Murcott), ‘Robinson’, and ‘Sunburst’. Mandarin cultivars are ‘Royal mandarin’, 

‘Honey’, ‘Satsuma’, ‘Clementine’, and ‘Kara’. The U.S. production in 2006 was 

378,000 MT on 31,419 planted acres (USDA NASS, 2006). In 2002 the top 3 

tangerine producing States were reported as Florida (19,025 bearing acres), California 

(7,087 A), and Arizona (2,605 A). Tangerines are grown in EPA Crop Production 

Regions 3 and 10 with 66% of the acreage in Region 3.
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Tangor:

Tangors are deliberate or accidental hybrids of the mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and the 

sweet orange (C. sinensis). Varieties include 'King' (King of Siam), it was believed to 

be originated in Malaya. They are most similar to tangerines.

COMPARISON OF CITRUS FRUIT CULTURAL PRACTICES:

General Planting Design, Training, and Pruning (adapted from Rieger, 2006 and 

USDA Crop Profiles, 2003):

In the nursery, citrus scions and rootstock are grafted together. A scion is the 

detached shoot or twig containing buds from a desired citrus tree, used in grafting. Since 

a plant produced from seed from any commercial citrus will have a prolonged period of 

juvenility (eight to twelve years), commercial production is delayed since no flowers are 

produced. Consequently, since the 1800’s, this juvenility has been overcome by taking 

budwood from the desired scion and budding or grafting it into the stem of a young 

seedling of a different variety, the rootstock. Rootstock is selected for tolerance to 

pressures such as pests or cold, in addition to how well it influences the final tree’s vigor, 

size, and fruit quality. Citrus fruit trees are generally, small, spreading evergreen trees or 

small shrubs. The citrus orchards are usually in rectangular arrangements which 

eventually become tall hedge rows with the tree spacing typically 20 x 25 ft for grapefruit 

and navel oranges, 15 x 20 ft for oranges and tangerines, and 12 - 15 x 18 - 20 ft for limes 

and smaller citrus cultivars. Tree densities vary from about 100 - 110 trees/acre for 

grapefruit, 87 – 116 trees/A for lemon, 290 – 294 trees/A for kumquat, and 130 - 140 

trees/acre for sweet orange. A common spacing pattern for commercial citrus is 15-feet 

square, which equates to 194 trees per acre. While spacing greater than this has been 

used historically, the recent trend has been toward higher density planting, even to the 

extent that the mature tree canopies ultimately form a continuous hedgerow. Higher 

density plantings also maximize the use of land, water, and energy.

Bearing citrus trees are mechanically hedged to keep row middles open for 

harvesting operations and allow maximum light penetration. The trees are hedged and 

topped after harvest. They are topped to a height that allows pickers to access all fruit 

with 20-foot ladders. Small branches from the hedging are left in row middles and 

eventually mulched into the soil. Hand pruning is only done after catastrophic incidents

like a hurricane. 

Grapefruit trees are the largest in height and limes are the smallest. Very little 

training of the trees is needed. Young trees may be topped at 30 inches to induce 

branching, and stripped of trunk sprouts and suckers for the first 2 years. They may be 

defruited for a year or two to induce vegetative growth. Trees may reach 20 - 30 ft in 
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nature but cultivated trees are maintained to less than 15 ft. At maturity, trees are 

mechanically hedged and topped to form hedges about 12 ft tall and wide. Almost no 

hand pruning is done. Mature citrus orchards in Yuma, Arizona seen from the air look 

like parallel hedgerows. Grapefruit orchards in the Indian River district of Florida are 

hedged and topped mechanically to control size.

Specific Individual Citrus Cultural Practices:

Australian desert lime:

The Australian desert lime is a true citrus, with blue-grey leaves and prickles 

along the branches. It is usually found growing on clay or heavy clay soils, often as 

clumps of short bushes up to 2 – 3 m in height. They are occasionally found as single 

large trees to 5 – 6 m in height. Older trees have a weeping appearance and have few, or 

no, prickle. The fruit can be picked when still green, and has a pleasantly refreshing and 

tangy taste. Desert lime fruit is extremely popular and becoming very well known within 

the bush food industry. The fruit is used in a variety of sauces and jams. Fruit is also used 

within restaurants. The plant has even been investigated overseas as a potential source of 

drought hardy rootstock for citrus trees. C. gracilis is a close relative of the native 

Australian citrus varieties formerly classified as Microcitrus and Eremocitrus. Is was 

described as armed straggling tree to 4 m high, often coppicing and suckering; bark 

cracks into irregular squares; flowers usually solitary; and the fruit are spherical and 

about 8 cm diameter.

Australian finger lime:

The Australian finger Lime is found wild as an under-storey shrub in the 

Australian rainforests of Queensland and northern New South Wales. It grows as a tall 

shrub or small tree naturally in heavy shade in areas of high rainfall, but also appears at 

the edge of cleared forest where there is more sunlight. The fruit is cylindrical, up to 10

cm long and can be green, yellow, red, purple or black when ripe. Oil seeps from the rind 

into the pulp, giving the fruit a very acidic flavor and lingering turpentine-like aftertaste. 

The pulp is usually greenish yellow although there is a variety - Sanguinea - that is red 

fleshed. Unlike other citrus the Fingerlime flesh consists of tiny, slightly sticky globules, 

which burst open in the mouth. The taste is quite acidic and slightly lime-like. Its spiny

foliage makes it an attractive Australian ornamental.

Australian round lime:

The Australian round lime occurs as a shrub or tall narrow tree, with glossy, dark-green 

leaves, on the more open and drier rainforest margins of southeast Queensland. The 

round fruits, about 2 cm to 5 cm in diameter have a thick, green to lemon-colored skin 

and pale green pulp. It looks very similar to a small, bumpy lime.
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Brown River finger lime:

The brown river finger lime is a curious citrus-like shrub, growing naturally in the 

transition area between eucalyptus savanna and tropical rainforests. The fruits are 

cylindrical, slightly curved, abruptly beaked at apex and abruptly narrowed at base, 5-

8 cm long, 1.0 - 1.3 cm thick at broadest part, green to yellow at full maturity, 3-5-

celled, each cell usually containing 5 seeds. The brown river tree lime is a shrub 

ranging from 1.0 – 2.4 m tall. It has been successfully grown in the U.S.

Calamondin: 

The calamondin originated in China and was introduced into Florida around 1900 as an 

acid orange. It grows wild in Asia and the Philippines and closely resembles the 

mandarin with its small, oblate shape and flattened or depressed ends. The 

calamondin is a small, slightly oblate fruit, 3 - 3.5 cm long, and generally not more 

than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, with a deep orange color and weighs 17.2 g/fruit. The 

tree is relatively hardy for a citrus and may reach 20 feet in height. It is rather widely 

grown as an ornamental. Fruit is somewhat intermediate between the kumquat and 

tangerine and is orange red in color with 2 – 5 small seeds. Peel is tender, thin, and 

edible like the kumquat, and separates from the flesh like a tangerine when fully

mature. The fruit makes an excellent marmalade, and an acceptable acid drink. The 

crop blooms to maturity in 8 to 12 months. The fruit maybe made into marmalade or 

juice. It is grown in EPA Production Region 10. 

Citron: 

The citrus citron or citron is a citrus fruit in which the peel or rind makes up most of the 

fruit volume. The sweet or Corsican citron fruit is large and elliptical in shape with a 

diameter 3 to 5 inches, length 4 to 7 inches, and the rind about 1 inch thick. The acid 

citrons are similar in size, shape and rind thickness. The citron is borne by a slowgrowing shrub or small tree reaching 8 to 15 ft (2.4 - 4.5 m) high. The leaflets are 

evergreen, the flower buds are large and white or purplish, the fragrant flowers about 1 

1/2 in (4 cm) wide pinkish or purplish on the outside, with 30 to 60 stamens. The fruit is 

fragrant, mostly oblong, obovoid or oval but highly variable. Various shapes including 

smooth or rough fruits sometimes occur on the same branch. The Buddha hand is 

thought to be a mutant variety that flower carpels fuse ands resemble fingers. The peel is 

yellow when fully ripe, usually rough and bumpy but sometimes smooth, mostly very

thick, fleshy, tightly clinging. Pulp pale-yellow or greenish divided into as many as 14 or 

15 segments, firm, not very juicy, acid or sweet, containing numerous monoembryonic 

seeds. Bloom to harvest takes 8 to 10 months. The citron tree blooms nearly all year, but 

mostly in spring and the spring blooms produce the major part of the crop. The citrus 

citron is highly sensitive to frost, and it does not enter winter dormancy as early as other 

Citrus species. Foliage and fruit easily damaged by very intense heat and drought. 

Citron trees are grown readily from cuttings taken from branches 2 to 4 years old and 
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quickly buried deeply in soil without defoliation. The trees begin to bear when 3 years 

old and reach peak production in 15 years; die in about 25 years. 

Citrus hybrids:

A number of citrus hybrids, in addition to tangelo, tangor, Uniq fruit, and calamondin 

listed separately, and have been developed by plant breeders. These include (1) 

Tangors (‘King Orange’, ‘Tankan’ mandarin) are: Mandarin orange x sweet orange, 

and are generally intermediate in characteristics. Several varieties are grown to a 

limited extent. Temple, generally listed as a sweet orange, is probably of such 

parentage. (2) The citranges are crosses of trifoliate orange and sweet orange.

Several varieties are in cultivation to a limited extent. The juice is tart, and makes an 

acceptable drink. Trees are hardier than lemons or limes. Fruit varies from > 2 1/2 

inches in diameter, and is rather thin-skinned. (3) Citrangequats are crosses of 

citranges and kumquats. These trees are relatively hardy. Fruits are useful for drinks 

and marmalade. It is a trigenic hybrid cross between the trifoliate orange, sweet 

orange, and kumquat. In Florida, it is grown as the ‘Thomasville’ variety. It is pearshaped, with a blaze-orange rind that is quite pebbly. The flesh is golden and seedy 

and it has a acidic flavor unless fully mature, when it becomes sweet enough for 

eating fresh. (4) Citrangedins are hybrids of citrange and calamondin. The one 

named variety is hardy, and suitable for culinary use. (5) Limequats (x citrofortunella

sp.) are crosses of lime and kumquat, and resemble limes except they are much 

hardier. (6) Lemandarin (Citrus limonia Osbeck) (‘Rangpur’ lime, Mandarin lime, 

‘Otaheite’ orange) are crosses of lemon and tangerine. (7) Natsudaidai and small or 

medium sized tangelos are possibly cross of mandarin and shaddock. (8) Tangelolo is 

cross of grapefruit and tangelo. (9) Chironja is a cross of sweet orange and grapefruit 

as an orangelo which is sweeter than a grapefruit and grown in Puerto Rico. (10) Oro 

blanco is a cross of pummelo and grapefruit. (11) Calamondin is a cross of kumquat 

and tangerine. (12) Tangelos (Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore) (Uniq 

fruit, Ugli® fruit) are a cross of grapefruit and tangerine, (13) Lemonquat is a cross 

between lemon and kumquat, and (14) Procimequat is a cross between the ‘Eustic’

limequat and the ‘Hong Kong’ kumquat. None of the above hybrids, except tangors, 

tangelos, Uniq fruit, calamondin, oro blanco, and chironja, are in commerce, but are 

useful for home gardens in areas too cold for other citrus. Citranges are important as 

rootstocks for other kinds of citrus. Some of the citrus have been discovered by

breeders and some have originated by chance. As a result, we now have in commerce 

Mandarin orange x grapefruit crosses called tangelos, sweet orange x Mandarin 

crosses called tangor, and others. 

Grapefruit: 

Grapefruit is one of the important citrus fruits. The tree tends to be more vigorous than 

orange, especially when young, with larger and thicker leaves. In the early years of 

growing, the customary citrus rootstocks were utilized. Cultural method is similar to that 

of the orange except that wider spacing is necessary. Fruit is near round to oblate, 3 to 4 

1/2 inches in diameter with a rather thick rind. Varieties may be seeded or seedless, and 
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flesh may be white, red or pink. Fruit sets in small clusters on vigorous trees. Cultivars 

are Red type (‘Henderson’, ‘Ray’, ‘Rio red’, ‘Flame’, ‘Star ruby’, ‘Marsh ruby’) and 

White type (Marsh seedless). The grapefruit tree reaches 15 to 20 ft (4.5 - 6 m) or even 

45 ft (13.7 m) with age, has a rounded top of spreading branches. The twigs normally

bear short, supple thorns. The evergreen leaves are ovate. Flowers are white, 4-petalled. 

The fruit is nearly round or oblate to slightly pear-shaped, 4 to 6 in (10 - 15 cm) wide 

with smooth, finely dotted peel, up to 3/8 in (1 cm) thick, pale-lemon, sometimes blushed 

with pink, and aromatic outwardly; white, spongy and bitter inside. The center may be 

solid or semi-hollow. The pale-yellow, nearly whitish, or pink, or even deep-red pulp is 

in 11 to 14 segments with thin, membranous, somewhat bitter walls, very juicy, acid to 

sweet-acid in flavor when fully ripe. While some fruits are seedless or nearly so, there 

may be up to 90 seeds about 1/2 in (1.25 cm) in length. Unlike those of the pummelo, 

grapefruit seeds are usually polyembryonic. The number of fruits in a cluster varies 

greatly; a dozen is unusual but there have been as many as 20. Grapefruit bloom to 

harvest varies from 8 to 14 months, depending on location. In Florida, all commercial 

cultivars reach legal maturity in September or October if sprayed after blooming with 

lead arsenate to reduce acidity. Grapefruit yields range from 8,000 lb/A in Arizona to 

38,000 lb/A in Florida. 

Japanese summer grapefruit:

The Japanese summer grapefruit is cultivated mostly in India and Japan.

Kumquat:

Kumquats are small, citrus-like fruits that will hybridize readily with citrus, but are not 

now classified botanically as citrus. The fruits are small and deeply colored, 

produced on small, evergreen trees that are somewhat hardier than citrus. Fruit shape 

is round or distinctly oval, the latter being about 1 inch in diameter by 2 inches long. 

Rind is thin and edible, so the whole fruit may be eaten out of hand. In the United 

States, kumquats are grown mainly in home gardens as ornamentals. Clusters of the 

highly colored, attractive fruits are frequently placed in gift packages for the 

ornamental effect. A few trees may be found in citrus orchards, especially of growers 

catering to gift package trade. Whole fruits, except for seeds, are sometimes made 

into marmalade. F. obovata is cultivated in SE China, it is also known as Fukushu 

kumquat, and sometimes ‘Changshou’ kumquat. The ‘Fukushu’ kumquat bears 

edible round to obovate fruits, with an acidic pulp and a sweet rind. It is a relatively

vigorous tree with more rounded leaves than other kumquats. Flowers are simple, 

white and very fragrant. The fruit is round to obovate. Fortunella polyandra is native 

to Asia. The various kumquats are distinguished as botanical species rather than as 

cultivars. The following are those most utilized for food: 'Hong Kong', or ‘Hong 

Kong Wild’ (F. Hindsii Swing.), called chin chü, shan chin kan, and chin tou; 

'Marumi', or ‘Round Kumquat’ (F. japonica Swing., syn. Citrus maduremis Lour.);

'Meiwa', or ‘Large Round Kumquat’ (F. crassifolia Swing.), called ninpo or neiha 

kinkan; 'Nagami', or ‘Oval Kumquat’ (F. margarita Swing.). The kumquat tree is 

slow-growing, shrubby, compact, 8 to 15 ft (2.4 - 4.5 m) tall, the branches light-green 
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and angled when young, thornless or with a few spines. The apparently simple leaves 

are alternate, lanceolate, 3.25 - 8.6 cm long, dark-green, glossy above, sweetly

fragrant, white flowers are borne singly or 1 to 4 together in the leaf axils. The fruit 

is oval-oblong or round, 1.6 - 4 cm wide; the edible peel is golden-yellow to reddishorange, with large, conspicuous oil glands, fleshy, thick, tightly clinging, the outer 

layer spicy, and the inner layer sweet; the pulp is scant, in 3 to 6 segments, not very

juicy, acid to subacid containing small seeds or sometimes none; they are green 

within. Kumquats are believed native to China. In 1712, kumquats were included in 

a list of plants cultivated in Japan. They have been grown in Europe and North 

America since the mid-19th Century, mainly as ornamental dooryard trees and as 

potted specimens in patios and greenhouses. They are grown mainly in California, 

Florida and Texas; to a lesser extent in Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Surinam, Colombia 

and Brazil. In South India, they can be grown only at high elevations. There is 

limited cultivation in Australia and South Africa. Season: bloom to harvest: 8 to 10 

months. Cultivation: As other kumquats, the ‘Fukushu’ kumquat should be relatively 

frost hardy. It needs well-drained soil. Generally propagated by cuttings, air layers, 

or grafted. Kumquats are available November to March in the marketplace and are 

grown in Southern California and Florida. Other production regions: Native to China, 

also grown in Central and South America and South India. 

Lemon:

Lemons are one of the important acid citrus fruits. Young lemon trees grow rapidly,

and tend to be more spreading than oranges or grapefruit. Trees are slightly less hardy 

than oranges. Fruits are generally oval in shape, about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 

1/2 to 4 3/4 inches long. Most are picked when they reach a certain size and are still 

green in color. The peel is 6 – 10 mm thick with the pulp is pale-yellow and in 8 – 10

segments. They may be stored up to several months prior to marketing. Major harvest 

is during the spring months, while major demand is during mid and late summer.

Acidic lemons are the only type grown for commercial purposes in the U.S. and with 

Eureka and Lisbon cultivars in California and Arizona. Florida grows the Sicilian types 

of lemons (‘Avon’, ‘Harney’ and ‘Villofranco’). The lemon prefers a soil pH ranging 

from 5.5 – 6.4. Lemon trees are not adapted to mechanical harvesting. The true home 

of the lemon is unknown, though some have linked it to northwestern India. The tree 

reaches 10 to 20 ft (3 - 6 m) in height and usually has sharp thorns on the twigs. Leaves 

are alternate, mildly fragrant flowers may be solitary or there may be 2 or more 

clustered in the leaf axils. Bloom to harvest is from 9 to 14 months, depending on 

temperatures. Florida lemons were picked from mid-July to October for shipping fresh, 

and the balance in November was harvested for processing. The lemon is more 

sensitive to cold than the orange and less able to recover from cold injury. In the U.S. 

Florida lemon orchards are repeatedly destroyed by freezes. Lemons are grown in both 

dry and humid atmospheres, the latter being a disadvantage mainly in the processes of 

curing and storing. The lemon tree has the reputation of tolerating very infertile, very

poor soil. The rough lemon is widely grown from seed. The 'Meyer' lemon is easily

reproduced by rooting large cuttings in the nursery and planting them directly in the
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grove. They fruit 2 to 3 years sooner than the budded trees and have a long life, 

remaining in full production for over 30 years, perhaps much longer. Lemon trees 

should be spaced 25 ft (7.6 in) apart each way. One tree can produce 500 – 600 lemons 

a year. Lemon yields range from 16,000 lb/A in Arizona to 32,000 lb/A in California. 

One thousand lemons yield between 1 - 2 lb oil, and lemon juice yields are from 6.7 –

8.6 % citric acid. 

Lime:

Limes grow on relatively small, much branched citrus trees. Fruits are of several types. 

The Mexican or Key lime fruit is near round to egg shaped 1 to 2 inches diameter, 

with thin rind and acid pulp. Tahiti limes are larger, 2 to 2 3⁄4 inches in length and 1 

7/8 – 2 1⁄2 inches in diameter (4.7 – 6.3 cm) and usually seedless. Low acid or sweet 

limes are available and grown in some countries, but rarely in the U.S. The lime is 

considered the most tropical of all the citrus fruits. Limes have been crossed with 

other types of citrus to make hybrids. Cultivars of ‘Tahiti’ lime are ‘Bearss’, 

‘Idemor’, and ‘Pond’. Tahiti limes are harvested 8 to 12 times per year with the 

peak period July to September. The Tahiti lime is presumed to be a hybrid of the 

Mexican lime and citron. It is widely cultivated in tropics and subtropics, probable 

origin tropical Asia. Lime groves are planted in rows 20 – 25 ft (6 – 3.7 m) apart 

and hedged to a width of 6 – 8 ft (2 – 3 m). The Mexican or Key lime is native to 

the Indo-Malayan region. The tree is exceedingly vigorous, may be shrubby or 

range from 6 1/2 to 13 ft (2 - 4 m) high, with many slender, spreading branches, and 

usually has numerous, very sharp, auxiliary spines to 3/8 in (1 cm) long. The 

evergreen, alternate leaves are pleasantly aromatic, densely set. Faintly fragrant or 

scentless flowers white but purple-tinged when fresh, and 20-25 bundled white 

stamens with yellow anthers. The fruit, borne singly or in 2's or 3's (or sometimes 

large clusters), at the twig tips, is round, obovate, or slightly elliptical, 1 to 2 in

(2.5-5 cm) in diameter. Peel is green and glossy when immature, pale-yellow when 

ripe, somewhat rough to very smooth, 1/16 to 1/8 in (1.5 - 3 mm) thick. Pulp is 

greenish-yellow in 6 to 15 segments which do not readily separate, aromatic, juicy, 

very acid and flavorful, with few or many small seeds, green inside. The Tahiti 

lime can yield 400 – 3500 lb fruit/year, and good groves will produce 30,000 –

40,000 fruit/A/year. Bloom to harvest: 9 months for Mexican limes; 12 months for 

Tahiti lime type. Seedlings will begin to fruit in 3 to 6 years and reach full 

production in 8 to 10 years. The Tahiti lime tree grows to 20 ft tall (5 m) but can be 

pruned to any size. The fruits ripen and fall 4 to 6 months after flowering. The key

lime will drop off the tree when they ripen and do not have to be picked. Trees 

grown from air layers or cuttings tend to fruit the first year and then cease fruiting 

until they have attained some growth. On the Florida Keys, the trees produce some 

fruits more or less the year around, but there are two main seasons – May/June and 

November/December. The trees are best set 25 ft (7.5 m) apart each way, which 

allows for 70 trees per acre (28/ha). The EPA Crop Production Regions are 3 and 

10 with most of the acreage in Region 3. However, due to Hurricane Andrew in 

1992 and citrus canker the lime industry in Florida has practically disappeared and 

production statistics in Florida for limes has not been reported since 2002. Yields 

of limes at that time were about 16,000 lb/A. 
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Lime, sweet:

The sweet lime tree and its foliage, and the form and size of the fruit resemble the Tahiti 

lime. Sweet lime is thought to be a hybrid between lime (Mexican-type), and a sweet 

lemon or sweet citron It is propagated from cuttings. The EPA Crop Production Region 

10 is the only growing region for sweet limes in the U.S.

Mediterranean mandarin:

The Mediterranean mandarin is a small tree 2 - 6m in height; it has a rounded crown, 

frequently without thorns. The leaves are narrowly elliptical or lanceolate, 4 – 8 cm long 

and 1.5 – 4 cm wide and light green in color. The petioles have a very short wing. The 

flowers are white and fragrant. The fruits are small, 5 - 7.5 cm in diameter, with thin skin 

which comes off easily; they are slightly flattened and orange in color. 

Mount white lime:

The mount white lime is native to tropical Asia and Australia. The species is endemic 

to the foothills and upland rainforest of the Cook District, Mt White on Cape York 

Peninsula in Australia and Goodenough Island in Papua New Guinea. It grows in 

deciduous vine thickets as an under-storey shrub and has been recorded at a height of 

15m. Due to its limited distribution, this species is now classified as rare and is protected 

under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. It is similar to the finger lime, but 

has broader leaves. The flowers are single, auxiliary and the tree bears fruit from April to 

November. The fruits are also 'finger-shaped', with a green skin and greenish-white pulp 

on maturity. The fruit have fewer cells than the finger lime, a thicker skin (up to 2mm) 

containing large oil glands and weigh an average of 25g and re oblong in shape. Oil 

glands large, giving a tuberculose appearance to the fruits; ultimately these glands sink, 

and the fruit appears then to be lacunose; rind very thin; cells 4 or 5; pulp of a sharp 

agreeable acid; seeds 3-angular, white, free, with more or less very short hairs, about 3 

lines long and 2 lines thick in the center.

New Guinea wild lime:

The New Guinea wild lime has small globular fruits, the elongate-elliptical, crenulate 

leaves, and the narrowly subcrenulate-margined, very short petioles separate this New 

Guinea species very clearly from the other species of Microcitrus. This is the only

species of the genus outside of Australia, and it occurs nearly a thousand miles away 

from M. garrawayi, the Australian species of Microcitrus growing nearest to New 

Guinea. The fruit has a deep green rind covers a pale green flesh and the interior pulp 

has several seeds. It has no individual segments. This is the only species of the genus 

Microcitrus outside of Australia. 
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Orange, sour:

The sour orange is similar to the sweet orange in tree and fruit appearance, but is

characterized by a very acid pulp and by a hollow axis or core in the fruit. Cut fruits 

and crushed leaves have a characteristic, very strong odor. Fruit is too acid for fresh 

use but is used for marmalade. Sour oranges are thought to be a hybrid between the 

pummelo and the tangerine. The sour orange was widely used as a rootstock for other 

varieties prior to the appearance of the Tristizia virus disease, which affects trees on 

this stock. It is still used in areas where Tristizia is not important. The Bergamot 

oranges, grown in Mediterranean areas for oil, belong in this group. They are not 

grown commercially in the U.S. There are no orchards of sour orange, but numerous 

plantings of a few trees serve as seed sources for rootstocks. Yuzu is a distinctive 

hybrid citrus fruit most likely a variety of bitter orange. It is one of the most coldresistant of the citrus fruits; it grows wild in Tibet and the interior of China. It is 

cultivated on a small scale in parts of China and Japan. The yuzu tree bears fruit from 

late autumn, and the sight of ripe golden you suggests to the Japanese that winter is 

approaching. The fruit is the size of a mandarin orange and has a thick uneven skin 

and paler flesh containing many seeds. It smells something like a lime, but its 

fragrance is unique. The Japanese often wrap several of the fruits in cheesecloth and 

float them in a hot bath so they will give off a relaxing scent. Other sour orange trees

range in height from less than 10 ft (3 m) to 30 ft (9 m) is more erect and has a more 

compact crown than the sweet orange. It has smooth, brown barks, green twigs, 

thorns from 1 in to 3 1/8 in (2.5 - 8 cm) long. The evergreen leaves are aromatic, 

alternate, on broad-winged petioles much longer than those of the sweet orange. The 

highly fragrant flowers, borne singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils, are about 1 

1/2 in (3.75 cm) wide, with 5 white, slender, widely-separated petals surrounding a 

tuft of up to 24 yellow stamens. From 5 to 12 % of the flowers are male. The fruit is 

round, oblate or oblong-oval, 2 3/4 to 3 1/8 in (7 - 8 cm) wide, rough-surfaced, with a 

fairly thick, aromatic, bitter peel becoming bright reddish-orange on maturity and 

having minute, sunken oil glands. There are 10 to 12 segments with bitter walls 

containing strongly acid pulp and from a few to numerous seeds. The center becomes 

hollow when the fruit is full-grown. The bloom to harvest varies from 8 to 12 months. 

The sour orange flourishes in subtropical, near-tropical climates, yet it can stand 

several degrees of frost for short periods. Generally it has considerable tolerance of 

adverse conditions, but the ‘Bergamot’ orange is very sensitive to wind and extremes 

of drought or moisture. Sour oranges are sometimes used in marmalades and 

liqueurs. Unlike its sweet relative, the sour orange does well on low, rich soils with a 

high water table and is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions. Sour orange trees 

volunteer readily from self-sown seeds. As generally grown for rootstock for sweet 

oranges, they are raised in nurseries for 1 or 2 years and then budded. Growth of the 

seedlings, especially in diameter, has been expedited by weekly applications of 

gibberellic acid to the stems, making it possible to bud them much earlier. 
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Orange, sweet:

Sweet oranges are the most important of the citrus fruits. Varieties vary from early 

ripening, about 8 months from bloom to late, up to 16 months from bloom. There are 

three main groups: (1): the normal fruited, without navels and with light orange colored 

flesh; (2) the navel oranges, with a distinct navel development at the stylar end; and (3) 

blood oranges with red flesh and juice. The latter are little grown commercially in the 

U.S. Sweet oranges vary in size from 2 inches upward in diameter, are generally round 

to oblong in shape, and have a medium thick and tough rind. Although 73 varieties are 

listed by Webber in 1967, the major production in U.S. is mainly based on six varieties: 

‘Valencia’, ‘Washington Navel’, ‘Hamlin’, ‘Parson Brown’, ‘Pineapple’ and ‘Temple’.

‘Valencia’ has few seeds and available from Florida, California, Arizona and Texas. 

‘Navel’ is seedless and available from Arizona, California, and Texas, ‘Hamlin’ is nearly

seedless and ‘Pineapple’ is seedy. Blood orange (pigmented orange, Sanguine orange) 

has few seeds with deep burgundy interior and available from California. Chinese navel 

oranges are grown in California. The ‘Jaffa’ (‘Shamouti’) is a popular eating sweet 

orange which is easy to peel and has no navel. It is grown in the western U.S The sweet 

orange bloom to harvest time varies from 8 to 16 months depending on variety and area 

of production. The only variety of oranges in Florida that usually has two crops of fruit 

on the tree after bloom is the ‘Valencia’. Flowering of oranges in Florida begins in 

March. While the orange will often come true from seed because of nucellar embryos, 

the common means of assuring the reproduction of cultivars of known quality is by

budding onto appropriate rootstocks. A spacing of 25 x 25 ft (7.5x7.5 m) was standard in 

the past. However, many orange groves today are being close-planted and hedged to 

facilitate both manual and wide enough to accommodate mobile machinery for fertilizing, 

spraying, pruning and harvesting. Common spacing for oranges in Florida is 15 feet 

square to 194 trees/A. Orange trees are self-forming and do not need to be shaped by

early pruning. Bearing citrus trees are mechanically hedged to keep row middles open 

for harvesting operations. Yields of oranges range from 10,000 lb/A in Arizona to over 

30,000 lb/A in Florida. Majority of oranges in Florida are produced by practices that 

maximize fresh fruit production even though 90 % of those harvested are processed for 

juice. 

Orange, trifoliate:

The genus Poncirus is closely related to citrus, but the small, thorny trees are 

deciduous. Trees are hardier than citrus, in mid-winter enduring temperatures to near 0 

degrees F. Fruits are globose, up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and very acid and bitter. 

Poncirus will hybridize with citrus, and such hybrids have been made in efforts to 

increase hardiness in edible citrus fruits. Trifoliate orange seedlings are used as 

rootstocks for citrus, particularly for Mandarin oranges. Hybrids of Poncirus with sweet 

orange, called Citranges are now widely used as rootstocks. Poncirus is grown as an 

ornamental dooryard tree in areas too cold for citrus, and occasional trees may be 

maintained by nurserymen as seed sources. Fruit appears valueless in the U.S., but may 

be used for flavoring or marmalade in other countries. Bloom to maturity varies from 8 

to 10 months. The commercial root stock group variety is ‘Rubidoux’ hybrid cultivated 
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variety is ‘Carrizo’ and are very widespread. The ornamental variety is ‘Flying Dragon’

or the ‘Japanese hiryo’, this plant was introduced to the US in 1915. Although it bears 

large and fragrant blossoms in the spring, it is mostly considered a curious monstrosity

with its severe-looking limbs and jagged thorns. The botanical variety is ‘Monstrosa of 

Tokutaro Ito’ and bears golf-ball sized fruit having a rough orange rind. Its flesh is pale 

yellow with six to eight sections and many seeds

Pummelo:

Pummelo are important fruits in the Orient, but only scattered trees are found in the 

United States. Quality of the fruit has been disappointing in this country as compared to 

that of grapefruit, which the pummelo resembles. The fruit is oblate to globose in shape 

and of large size, 4 to 7 inches, or more, in diameter. The rind is generally thick over 

one-half inch or more. Juice vesicles separate from peel and segment fibers readily. The 

variety ‘Tresca’ is grown in Florida, where it is marketed as a grapefruit. ‘Oro blanco’ is 

a cross between pummelo and grapefruit. The pummelo is tropical or near-tropical and 

flourishes naturally at low altitudes close to the sea. It is native to southeastern Asia and 

all of Malaysia; grows wild on river banks in the Fiji and Friendly Islands. The pummelo 

tree may be 16 to 50 ft (5 - 15 m) tall, with a somewhat crooked trunk 4 to 12 in (10 - 30 

cm) thick, and low, irregular branches. Its growing season is similar to the grapefruit. 

Pummelo may flower 2 to 4 times a year. The main crop matures in November but it is 

said that fruits that ripen at other seasons have fewer seeds and superior quality. In 

Florida, the fruits ripen from November to February and there may be a small crop in the 

spring. Most of the pummelo in the Orient are grown from seed. The seeds can be stored 

for 80 days at 41oF (5oC) and 56 – 58% relative humidity. In Thailand and elsewhere in 

Southeastern Asia growers like the swampy land, dig the ditches and canals for drainage 

and as routes of transportation, and build the raised beds for the orchards. In the 3 to 5 -

year period before the beds are ready for the pummelo trees, quick crops such as bananas, 

sugarcane and peanuts are grown on them.

Russell River lime:

The Russell river lime has a limited distribution in the north of Queensland, 

Australia, growing in lowland rainforest at the foot of the Bellenden Ker range, not far 

from Cairns. This new species of Citrus is well worthy of cultivation for its fruit, which 

is juicy and of equal flavour with the West Indian Lime. In general appearance the tree 

resembles the orange, having the same dark green foliage. The fruit is described as 

oblong or elliptical, somewhat lemon-shaped, 5 - 6.5 X 3 - 3.5 cm and green when ripe.

Satsuma mandarin:

The Satsuma mandarin is one of the most important types of citrus grown worldwide, especially in China and Japan. The tree is believed to have originated from a 

mutation in Japan, recorded as early as 1429. It is also produced in California from midOctober to January. It is commonly called mikan in Japan, satsuma mandarin in the 

United States and the UK, and clementine or tangerine in Canada. It is less commonly

called satsuma tangerine or satsuma orange. Its fruit is sweet and usually seedless, about 
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the size of a mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), smaller than an orange. The skin can be 

peeled easily. Fruits are usually larger than other tangerines. This fruit is grown 

primarily for the fresh market. 

Tachibana orange:

The tachibana orange grows to about 8 - 10 ft. (2.4 - 3 m) tall. Whitish blooms. 

Evergreen leaves are aromatic and shiny glossy-textured and the flowers are white. It is 

hardy to USDA Zones 7 – 11. It is a cold hardy type of loose-skinned fruit, and is 

described by the plant taxonomist Tanaka as a very primitive type of native citrus of 

Japan. It blooms in mid spring to early summer.

Tahiti lime:

The Tahiti lime is a moderately vigorous growing tree that is medium to large, up to 15 

to 20 ft (4.5 - 6 m), with nearly thornless, widespread, drooping branches. The leaves are 

broad-lanceolate, with winged petioles; young shoots are purplish. Flowers, borne off 

and on during the year but mainly in January, are slightly purple-tinged. The fruit is oval

to oblong or short-elliptical, usually rounded at the base, occasionally ribbed or with a 

short neck; the apex is rounded with a brief nipple; 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 in (4.0 - 6.25 cm) wide, 

2 to 3 in (5.0 - 7.5 cm) high; peel is vivid green until ripe when it becomes pale-yellow; 

smooth, thin, tightly clinging; pulp is light greenish-yellow when ripe, in 10 segments, 

tender, acid, but without the distinctive bouquet of the Mexican lime; usually seedless, 

rarely with one or a few seeds, especially if planted among a number of other Citrus 

species. The Tahiti lime flowers have no viable pollen. The origin of the Tahiti lime is 

still unknown, but it is presumed to be a hybrid of the Mexican lime and citron, or, less 

likely, the lemon. Florida has produced over 90% of the national lime crop. Tahiti limes 

are harvested 8 to 12 times a year and once a month in winter, but 70% of the crop 

matures from May to fall. The peak period is July to September. The Tahiti lime is 

hardier than the Mexican lime and better adapted to the mainland of Florida. The 

plantings in southern Florida are on limestone. Those grown further north are on deep 

sand. The soil must be well drained. In lowland areas subject to standing water, lime 

trees are planted on elevated beds. Spacing may be as close as 10 or 15 ft (3 - 4.5 m) in 

rows 20 ft (6 m) apart, which permits about 150 to 200 trees per acre (60 - 80/ha). When 

the trees overlap, they are mechanically hedged and topped. Greater yields will result if 

the trees are spaced at 20 ft (6 m) and hedging and topping are performed at 2 -to 3 -year 

intervals
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Tangelo and Uniq fruit:

Crosses of grapefruit and tangerine oranges have resulted in several varieties, 

termed tangelos, which are increasing in production and popularity in the United States. 

These hybrids are intermediate in character between the parents. Fruits are similar in size 

to sweet orange, but with a tendency to be necked at the stem end. They are extremely

juicy and intermediate in acidity between the parents. Peel is relatively thin and tender. 

General characteristics are similar to sweet orange, except for more tender peel and 

juicier and tarter flesh. The bloom to harvest: 8 to 14 months. Some cultivars are 

‘Minneola’ (‘Honeybell’), ‘Orlando’, ‘Nova’, ‘Early K’ (‘Sunrise tangelo’), and 

‘Sampon’. The ‘Uniq’ or ‘Ugli®’ tangelo of Jamaica is believed to be a chance hybrid 

between mandarin orange and grapefruit. They range in size from a navel orange and a 

large grapefruit. 

Tangerine:

Tangerines are characterized by a loose skin which separates readily from the pulp, 

and by segments which separate readily from each other. Fruit is generally oblate and 

smaller than sweet or round oranges. Diameter is mostly 2 l/2 inches or less, though 

some varieties average larger. Tangerines are grown in all citrus areas of the U.S. and are 

considered the hardiest of the citrus fruits. Unlike other citrus, tangerines cannot be 

pulled off the tree since the peel will be broken and they must have their stems clipped to 

protect the fruit. Tangerines must be two main types are grown in the U.S.: The Satsuma 

group, characterized by a small tree hardier than other citrus, and early ripening fruit of 

yellow or light orange color; and the tangerine group, characterized by deep orange color 

and later ripening. Some Satsuma plantings are along the Gulf States that are in areas too 

cold for other citrus. ‘Dancy’ is the leading variety of Tangerine and ‘Owari’ of 

Satsuma. About 10 other varieties occur occasionally. ‘Clementine’ is a cultivar of 

Citrus reticulata. Tangerine cultivars are ‘Dancy’, ‘Algerian’, ‘Fallglo’, ‘Fairchild’, 

‘Honey’ (‘Murcott’), 'Robinson’, and ‘Sunburst’. Mandarin cultivars are ‘Royal 

mandarin’, ‘Honey, ‘Satsuma’, ‘Clementine’, and ‘Kara’. Tangerine yields range from 

9,000 lb/A in Arizona to 25,000 lb/A in Florida.

Tangor:

Tangors are deliberate or accidental hybrids of the mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and the 

sweet orange (C. sinensis). Varieties include 'King' (King of Siam), a medium size

tree formerly identified as Citrus nobilis Lour. It was believed to be originated in 

Malaya. Fruit is large about 6.25 - 9.5 cm wide and 5.7 - 9 cm high with thick and

rough peel; 'Murcott' (or Honey Murcott'; 'Murcott’ ‘Honey Orange'; 'Red'; 'Big Red'; 

'Honey Bell' tangelo) is medium size about 7.0 - 8.0 cm wide, 4.7 - 5.2 cm high with a 

glossy smooth and thin peel; 'Temple' (believed identical to the 'Magnet' of Japan) is 

medium to large about 6.6 - 8.25 cm wide, 5.7 - 6.25 cm high with glossy, slightly
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rough, loose, and thick peel, 'Umatilla' is much like 'King', large about 8.25 - 12 cm 

wide, 6.25 - 7 cm high with smooth, glossy, medium-thick peel; 'Ortanique' is 

believed to be a chance cross of sweet orange and tangerine and was discovered in 

Jamaica. The name is an amalgam of OR(ange)TAN(gerine)(un)IQUE. Climate 

affects the look, feel, and taste of this fruit dramatically. In tropical Jamaica, the fruit 

is seedless and a pale orange in color, with juicy, sweet orange flavor and a thin rind.

In Mediterranean Israel, the fruit has some seeds, a fairly thick rind, and a mid-orange 

color, while in semitropical Cyprus, is has a deep orange color, many seeds, and a 

thicker rind. The Temple tangor fruit matures from January to March. Temple has 

been propagated on many rootstocks but does best on the less vigorous ones which 

tend to produce fruit of best quality. Their flowers produce abundance of pollen often 

being used as pollenizers for self-incompatible varieties such as ‘Orlando’, ‘Nova’, 

and ‘Minneola’ tangelo and ‘Robinson’ and ‘Sunburst’ tangerines.

Worker Activities (Adapted from USDA Citrus Crop Timelines)

Development of Rootstock

Rootstock seeds are treated with a fungicide. Following treatment seeds are cold 

stored until sold to nurseries. Seeds are planted in multi-cell trays and grown in 

greenhouses. Pest management is performed on an as needed basis. These rootstock

seedlings, called liners, are very thorny. After about three months, liners are pulled from 

the germinating trays using heavy leather gloves and either transplanted into pots or the 

field. Transplanters use latex gloves. Transplanted liners are then held in either the 

greenhouse or field for an additional three months, and pest management is the same as 

that for the germinating trays. 

Certified virus-free mature citrus trees (mother or budwood trees) are used as a 

source for budwood (scions). Budsticks six to twelve inches in length are cut by hand 

and all leaves removed. In the process of budding, all leaves are stripped from the 

rootstock seedling by hand and the strippers wear heavy leather gloves for protection 

against thorns. Budders will make knife cuts in liner stem and insert the budwood. The 

budder is followed by wrappers who tie plastic wrap around the bud union. There are 

usually two wrappers per budder. The wraps are removed after three weeks. There is no 

contact with foliage as all leaves have been removed by strippers. A team of one stripper, 

one budder, and two wrappers can bud 1,000 to 2,000 plants per day. This operation is 

usually conducted over a 40-hour work week throughout the year. Nurseries generally 

grow 30,000 to 100,000 seedlings annually, and the statewide inventory of seedlings is 

approximately 25 million.
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After the wrapper is removed, the bud is “forced” to grow by one of three methods:

1. Liner is cut off above bud. The plant trash remaining is removed from the 

greenhouse/field by workers using leather gloves. Approximately 60 percent of 

the nurseries use this method. 

2. Stem above bud is cut half through. The stem is bent over and will eventually be 

cut off and carried off by gloved workers. Approximately 30 percent of nurseries 

use this method. 

3. The stem above the bud is bent over and tied to the base of the plant. Heavy

leather gloves are worn as protection from thorns.

Once the bud begins to grow, the plant is staked and new growth periodically tied. 

There is minimal contact with plant parts during this process. Seedlings grown in a 

greenhouse are periodically moved to maximize utilization of light and water. The 

seedlings are ready for sale and planting within six to nine months of wrap removal. 

There is little foliar contact during pesticide applications during this period.

Establishment of the Grove:

Grove establishment in a “normal” grove situation would be done when plants are too 

mature to be profitable, or when new land is to be planted to citrus. This process is 

done rather infrequently with respect to total citrus acreage in Florida. More common 

are “resets” which are used to fill spots in the grove where previous trees have died 

out or become unproductive. Both of these procedures involve the use of methyl 

bromide or some other fumigant/sterilant to sterilize the soil. Land is tarped and 

sealed during entire grove establishment and holes are fumigated as needed for resets. 

Since groves don’t sterilize on a yearly basis as do some other agricultural 

commodities, the entire grove sterilization process is contracted to certified 

applicators. The teams that perform the reset operation are often two or three-man, 

equipped with a back-hoe. Once grove soil is prepared and micro-irrigation has been 

laid, seedlings are planted by gloved hand. 

Irrigation

Micro-irrigation is set at grove establishment. For this type of irrigation, there is 

no worker contact, except during construction, when pesticides would not be expected to 

be present. If high-rise irrigation is not permanently set in northern groves, it may

require a number of workers working nonstop to set it up for one or more nights of 

freezing weather. However, these conditions are during periods where pest management 

is not active, and includes little of the main citrus crop acreage.
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Cultivation/Weed Control

Although cultivation is not used in the grove setting, mowing row middles does 

occur on a large percentage of the citrus producing acreage. Chemical weed control is 

generally used under the tree canopies to maximize fertilizer and water efficiency. In the 

row middles, vegetative strips are mowed as needed. This process requires one person on 

a mower-equipped tractor, no hand labor is required. The operator can cover 

approximately 25 to 40 acres per day. 

Scouting and Pesticide Applications

Scouting is conducted for pest pressures which are variable, such as insects and 

plant pathogens. Ninety-seven percent of Florida citrus acreage was scouted for pests in 

2003 and the results were used to make decisions for approximately half of the citrus 

acreage. Prophylactic programs are used for pressures such as weeds, nematodes, and 

post-harvest diseases. The intensity of scouting is correlated to key pest emergence times 

and conditions. Certified crop advisors and their assistants review their counts and 

consult on crop protection methods, if so needed by the grower. No workers are used for 

scouting.

A survey conducted in the early 90s revealed that most growers use air-blast 

sprayers for field application of foliar insecticides and fungicides, while boom equipment 

is used for herbicides and soil-applied insecticides, nematicides, and fungicides. (Crop 

Profiles, Florida) In addition to the tractor driver (the applicator), there is a second 

worker used as the mixer/loader. The make up of the team varied among growers from 

one or two applicators plus one mixer/loader (the most common), to seven applicators 

plus four mixer/loaders. The total number of spray employees thus ranged from two to 

40 workers. The range of acres serviced per employee was 140 to 767. Crews worked a 

9.5 - to 14-hour workday, five to six days a week, for three to 25 weeks of spraying per 

year. A single applicator normally applied four to 30 tanks (500 gallon) per workday, 

covering an area of eight to 55 acres per workday. Approximately half of the surveyed 

growers reported using enclosed cabs. 

Grapefruits have a spray program of 4 – 8 sprays beginning at bloom (March –

April) and continuing through late summer. There are five basic periods throughout the 

year during which pesticides are applied. The post-bloom spray commences sometime 

between March 1 and April 15 and takes from two to seven weeks to complete. Target 

pests for this spray period are melanose, scab, and citrus rust mite. Nutritional materials 
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are often added to this spray as well. The second, supplemental, application is often the 

same as the first application, and usually is applied over the six weeks between mid-April 

and the end of May. The summer spray occurs in June or July. This is the petroleum oil 

spray and it may also contain other active ingredients to control greasy spot, mites, or 

scales. The fall spray is conducted between mid-august through year end, and there 

maybe a supplemental sprays in addition, on an as-needed basis. These sprays are often 

miticides to control rust and/or spider mites on fresh market fruit. 

Survey results revealed that about ten % of growers used aerial application on 

about 40 percent of their acreage. When aerial application is used, it is largely for 

micronutrients. However, the remaining respondents said infrequent use of aerial 

application was not uncommon when a rapid application was necessary (especially in 

fresh market citrus). Pilots operated for 14 to 23 weeks per year, with wind velocities of 

five to ten MPH precluding spraying on 15 % of those days. 

Approximately a third of the survey respondents reported using hand-gun 

application for citrus resets. Additionally, most of the sprays occurring in the nursery

setting are either with hand-gun or pump-up sprayers. 

Hedging/Pruning

Hedging and topping are carried out after fruit harvest so that fruit is not affected (except 

Valencia). This process is conducted by a dedicated crew of people who follow after the 

harvest and mechanically hedge and top throughout the year. Some managers hedge and 

top every tree row each year, while others hedge every other year (Valencia). The crop 

residue from this process is eventually mowed into mulch when the row middles are 

mowed for weeds. 

Rind color and quality are crucial only to the fresh fruit market. Such fruit, 

destined for packinghouses following harvest, must have cosmetic appeal to consumers 

even though apparent imperfections in the outer rind usually do not adversely affect the 

internal quality of the fruit. Greater pest management inputs are required for fresh fruit 

production. Approximately 60 - 65 % of the fruit passes the fresh fruit quality tests. 

Failure of quality tests is due mainly to poor color, rind blemish caused by citrus rust 

mites, scab, melanose and greasy spot, or inadvertent puncturing of fruit as it is picked. 

Rejected fruit is usually processed. Approximately 95 % of oranges are processed, and 

50 % of grapefruit is processed. Generally, very little grapefruit is produced with the 

intention of it being processing, so fruit quality and finish must be maintained which 

requires precise season-long management of citrus pests such as citrus rust mites, scab 

and melanose. As mandated by law, fresh citrus fruit is treated with postharvest 

fungicides to inhibit decay.
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COMPARISON OF HARVESTING, JUICE PROCESSING, POSTHARVEST 

HANDLING, RAW AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY (RAC), EDIBLE 

PORTIONS, AND PROCESSED FOOD ITEMS FOR THE CITRUS FRUITS:

Harvest Method 

Citrus is usually hand harvested, whether processed or marketed fresh. Mechanical 

harvesters have been used for processed fruit in Florida and are increasing in popularity

due to high labor costs and lack of labor availability.

Unlike most fruits citrus matures on the trees. All citrus are nonclimacteric fruit, 

meaning that they ripen gradually over weeks or months and are slow to abscise from the 

tree. External color changes during ripening, but is a function of climate more than 

ripeness, and a poor indicator of maturity. The best indices of maturity for citrus are 

internal: Brix (sugar), acid content, and the Brix/acid ratio. .

Grove managers take representative samples of oranges from a particular block of 

trees, about 40 pieces of fruit for a 40 acre block. The juice is squeezed from the sample 

fruit and the juice is tested for two main attributes – brix (sugar content) and acid. From 

these two attributes, the sugar: acid ratio is used to determine the flavor of the juice. 

Juice must meet minimum standards in order for it to be sold as 100% Florida Orange 

Juice. The minimum maturity for oranges varies during the season, but generally it is a 

minimum of 8.5 brix with a 10 to 1 ratio. Many juice processing plants will have even 

higher minimum maturity standards. 

Once a orchard block is determined ready for harvest, a crew of harvesters is sent 

to pick the entire block of fruit by hand, using wooden ladders and canvas pick sacks. In 

Florida, almost 96% of all oranges are still harvested by hand. Since 1999, the industry

has been harvesting a portion of the processed orange crop with mechanical harvesters. 

The three types of machines being used commercial are the continuous canopy shake and 

catch system, the trunk shake and catch system, and the tractor-drawn continuous canopy

shaker. During this time, over 90,000 acres have been mechanically harvested, all at a 

savings versus hand harvesting. In the 2004 – 2005 season only 15,000 A or about 2.5% 

were mechanically harvested. The pickers dump the fruit into plastic tubs that hold 

approximately 900 pounds of oranges. A special truck, called a "goat", will then come 

through the grove and, using a hydraulic boom, pick up the tub and dump it into the back 

of the goat into a special body. Most mechanically harvested fruit is harvested directly 

into a goat. The goat then goes outside the block of trees and the body rises up and 

dumps its load of oranges into a large open tractor-trailer that holds about 45,000 pounds 

of oranges. A truck-tractor then hauls the trailer to the processing plant. 
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Hand harvesting oranges Dumping full bag into a tub Full tub of oranges Mechanical Tree Shaker

A fruit loader or "goat"

Dumping tub into the goat

Goat dumping 

oranges

into a waiting trailer

Harvest 

The largest period of time that agricultural workers come in contact with mature 

citrus trees is during harvest, which is usually done by hand. All oranges except Valencia 

have the potential to be machine-harvested. Currently, over 95 percent is hand-harvested 

versus machine-picked. The pickers use 20-foot ladders which are propped up on the tree

limbs as the fruit is picked. The fruit is placed in a long bag that is eventually emptied 

into either a bulk trailer (processed citrus) or bins/boxes (fresh fruit). The fruit is then

transported to either the processing plant or the packinghouse. The workers will dress in 

long-sleeved shirts and pants due to the abrasive nature of the citrus foliage. However, 

citrus is picked with a bare hand. Pickers never contact mechanically-harvested citrus 

since it is bound for the processing plant. Off grade fruit color fruits go to juice 

processing plants. On average, one picker can pick ten 90-pound boxes per hour. 

Production averages 300 to 400 boxes per acre depending on variety. Fresh fruit pickers 

work a 30 hour week during the harvest season and process pickers work a 40- hour week 

(fruit picked for the fresh market must be dry of dew/rain prior to harvest). For fresh 

fruit, standard packing line operations are used in this order: dumping, culling, washing, 

brushing, waxing, drying, grading by humans, sizing, and boxing. Oranges, grapefruit, 

and tangerines/hybrids mature and are ready for picking in all months but September and 

August (see Tables 33 and 34). Lime and lemon are harvested from June through 

September. Consequently, citrus harvest can occur during the entire year.

From Brown (2005). Hand picking of fruit by snapping each fruit from its stem is 

the traditional method of harvesting Florida oranges and grapefruit. Mechanical use in 

Florida is increasing about 17,000 of the 586,859 A of oranges were mechanically

harvested during 2002-2004. As orchards are replaced they can be replanted more 

conducive to mechanical harvesting. In Florida 95% of the oranges are processed. A 
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field box is 90 lb and average harvest by hand is 10 FB/hr or 900 lb/hr. Crews are 

usually 20 hand harvesters and harvest 1500 FB/8 hr day or 67.5 lb. Future tree plantings 

are recommended at densities of 346 – 445 trees/ha (140-180 trees/A). (Rouse) Future 

plantings should be in row spacing 10 – 15 ft and 22 – 24 ft between rows. Tree heights 

need to be limited to 16 ft. Some of the mechanical methods harvested 500 trees/hr, or 

800 FB/hr. There are eight different mechanical harvesting systems being tested. 

Potential to go from 8 – 10 boxes/hr to 30 boxes/hr with a trunk shaker and catch frame. 

Majority of mechanical harvesters are of a shake a catch system. Sanders Orange 

harvesting systems – A mechanical harvester has the potential to replace 20 – 50 manual 

pickers. Max worker rate is 0.5 t/h; shaking harvester is 10t/h and canopy harvester is 

25t/h.

Postharvest

For processing citrus, fruit coming into the processing plant is hand-graded by

workers on either side of a conveyor belt. Workers remove any broken or decayed fruit 

prior to the wash process. The number of workers depends on the number of “lines” 

operated by the plant. Usually six to eight workers per line work a 40-hour week during 

the harvest season. No protective gloves are worn during this process

For fresh market citrus, workers conduct the same initial hand-grading, which is 

followed by a wash, waxing, and fungicide application. Then, a second hand-grading is 

performed. There are usually about half of the number of graders for the second grading 

in comparison to the initial grading.

Since Florida lacks uniform rainfall throughout the year, irrigation must be set to 

water the plants during bloom and early fruit set. Irrigation is also used for freeze 

protection for young trees (up to five years in age). Micro-sprinkler systems (95 percent 

of the acreage) are used for under-canopy irrigation. Older groves that still have highrise irrigation (five % of the acreage) may use this system to form a layer of ice on the 

young trees when conditions are freezing. The state water management districts require 

that retention ponds be constructed to receive runoff from citrus groves. These must have 

the capacity to hold rainwater from a one-day storm with a 10-year frequency or a threeday storm with a 25-year frequency. The first inch of runoff must be held for five days 

with no more than a one-half-inch discharge in any one day. This allows for pesticide 

degradation to occur.

Unlike other fruit, citrus must mature on the tree. It must be sampled to 

determine the amount of sugar (soluble solids) prior to harvest, as well as the acid to 

sugar ratio. Of the oranges grown in Florida, approximately 95 percent end up being 
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processed (either from-concentrate or not-from-concentrate) with the remainder destined 

for fresh market consumption. All of the grapefruit are destined for fresh market as well. 

Rind color and quality are crucial only to the fresh fruit market. Such fruit, destined for 

packinghouses after harvest, must have cosmetic appeal to the consumer. Rejected fresh 

fruit is processed, which still results in approximately half of the grapefruit being 

processed.

Since citrus fruit ripen throughout the year based on species or variety, harvest 

occurs throughout the year. Harvesters climb on ladders and pick fruit by hand, which is 

placed in a bag and taken to the bulk trailer. A small amount of processed oranges 

(15,000 acres or about 2.5 percent) were mechanically harvested in the 2004-05 season 

(4). Processed fruit heads to the processor, where it is washed and squeezed. Once fresh 

market fruit reaches the packinghouse, trash is eliminated, as well as split and rotten fruit.

This is followed by a water spray, wash, and rinse, at which time the fruit is hand-graded.

Off-grade fruit goes to processing, while fresh market fruit are treated with wax and 

fungicide(s), as mandated by Florida law, to inhibit postharvest decay. There is generally

one more minor hand-grading that occurs after the waxing.

Processing of the Citrus Fruit Crops for Their Juice

(Adapted from Townsend, 2007, University of Florida

http://www.ultimatecitrus.com/Story/oj_story.html) and FMC technologies, 

http://www.fmctechnologies.com/FoodTech/BeveragesJuice , and

Milk/CitrusProcessing/CitrusJuiceExtractor.aspx, and Braddock, 1999, Handbook 

of Citrus Byproducts and Processing Technology):

At the processing plant, the trailer load of oranges is weighed on scales in order to 

determine the weight of fruit received, which will be used to base the payment to the 

grower. The trailer of oranges is then unloaded onto a conveyor belt. From this belt, the 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) takes a 

representative sample to test it for juice content and maturity, and to certify the pounds 

solids per box (the unit that growers' payment is based upon). The fruit is then diverted 

to storage bins labeled according to the juice specification as determined by FDACS. 

Oranges are then selected from the bins to enable blending of optimal quality. The fruit 

is conveyed by belt through a washing process. Then it enters into the processing plant 

where it is graded for bad or damaged fruit. The fruit is then separated by size and sent to 

the juice extractors. Inside the extractors, before juicing, the peel is pricked to extract the 

oils found in the peel, and then the juice is extracted. 
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Full orange trailers on

processing plant's yard

Unloading orange trailers Orange storage bins

The oranges are washed Then graded Then juiced in the extractors

The pulpy juice next goes through a finisher screen where the pulp and seeds are 

removed, which, along with the peel, is diverted to be used for byproducts, such as cattle 

feed. From this point, the juice may either go directly into a pasteurizer in the case of 

Not From Concentrate (NFC), or it goes on to the evaporators where most of the water is 

taken out of the juice by vacuum and heat, then chilled, to yield frozen concentrated 

orange juice (FCOJ). This process also strips out certain essences and oils. The 

concentrated juice, about 65° brix, is then piped to the tank farm where concentrate is 

stored at about +10° F, separated by variety and ratio (brix to acid) range. 

The finishers or screens

.

The peel/pulp dryer for

cattle feed

The Waste Heat Evaporator

The evaporators; removes

water from the juice

Juice is being concentrated

100,000 gal. stainless

tanks of FCOJ
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When ready to ship frozen orange concentrate to a customer, such as a juice 

packager, the concentrate is blended from the various tanks to meet the specifications of 

the customer and meet USDA requirements. Essences and oils (recovered in the 

processing process) are also added back to enhance the flavor. This blending process is 

how juice made from concentrate, FCOJ, has a more consistent quality year round than 

fresh juice or NFC. The NFC is the oldest processing technique for orange juice. The 

FCOJ (at about 65° brix) is either put into 55-gallon drums and shipped in a refrigerated 

truck, or is loaded onto a special food-grade insulated tanker truck and delivered to a 

packaging plant. Some Florida processing plants also have packaging plants at the same 

site. Many dairies around the country also package orange juice using the same 

equipment used to package milk. To make cans of frozen concentrate, filtered water is 

added back to bring the brix level down to 42° (about 3 times more concentrated than 

fresh juice). For chilled reconstituted (recon) ready-to-serve (RTS) orange juice, filtered 

water is added to bring the brix down to about 11.8°, the average of fresh squeezed juice.

It is then put up into cardboard cartons, glass, or plastic jugs to be sold at the retail store.

All FCOJ, Recon, and NFC forms of orange juice are always pasteurized before it 

reaches the consumer to protect from contaminates. 

Oil separators/recovery Insulated food grade tanker

FMC FoodTech's, Lakeland, FL citrus juice extraction systems process 75% of 

the world's juice production in 50 different countries. The Extractor separates the juice 

from those constituents which, if allowed to remain in contact with the juice for any 

period of time, will have an adverse effect on the end product. The fruit is penetrated by 

a porous tube and then crushed by interlocking fingers. The juice flows through the tube 

and the shredded peels are collected for further processing. A premium juice extractor 

(PJE) which uses components specifically designed to reduce oil levels and bitterness in 

juice. The PJE is ideal for both not-from-concentrate and for fresh juice. The other 

extraction technique is to utilize the Brown Reamer made by the Brown International, 

Covina, CA in which the fruit is cut in half and each half is pressed by a rotating burr or 

reamer to extract the juice and the peels are collected separately and further processed for 

oil. 
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For the Oil Recovery:

The FMC FoodTech Citrus Juice Extractor is unique in that it is a machine in 

which oil recovery is performed in the same piece of equipment as juice extraction. This 

method not only minimizes the space and energy required to recover oil, but also delivers 

high yields. Water usage and waste disposal are minimized through the use of water 

recycle systems. The quality of the oil recovered allows processors to market their 

product as cold pressed oil. 

Pulp Recovery:

The FMC FoodTech Citrus Juice Extractor offers various methods of pulp 

recovery. The juice cell sac sizes can be custom tailored to the needs of the processor 

and its customers. In one configuration the FMC Citrus Juice Extractor can produce pure 

juice sacs of nominal size for use in concentrated juices and other products. It can also be 

configured to produce high quality premium pulp cells as part of the Pulp Recovery

System. Juice sacs from this system are primarily used in the manufacture of not-fromconcentrate juices. The juice cell sacs produced by this system range in size from 4 mm 

to 10 mm, are virtually free of peel and seed particles and embryonic seeds and up to 

90% of the juice sacs retain their floating character. Each FMC FoodTech Citrus 

Extractor is capable of handling 325 - 500 fruits/minute or 2 - 7 tons of citrus per hour. 

The Brown Model 400 can handle 350 - 400 fruits/minute.

For processed fruit, growers are paid for "lbs-solids" or sugar content, based on 

juice analysis. Harvested fruits are culled for rot, and remaining fruit is washed prior to 

juicing. Juice is extracted by inserting a cylindrical strainer in the center of the fruit and 

compressing the fruit hydraulically. Extracted juice contains some pulp and oils, which 

are separated from the juice by centrifugation and screening. Juice is pooled into lots of 

various colors and sugar levels; some mixing is done to produce uniform product. Sales 

of frozen concentrate have been outpaced by single-strength juice products in recent 

years, due to the superior flavor of the latter.
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Figure 4. Flow Chart Process for Preparing Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice 

from Florida Oranges.

Source: Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice from Florida Oranges, Richard F. Matthews, 

Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 

University of Florida, April 1994. 
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Comparison of the Raw Agricultural Commodities (RAC) and Processed 

Commodities for the Citrus Fruits (see Table15).

Table 15. Citrus Fruit Portion Analyzed for the Raw Agricultural Commodity 

(RAC) and the Processed Commodity (40 CFR Vol. 58, No. 187, 9/29, 1993, pp. 

50888 – 50893. Portion of Food Commodities Analyzed Pesticide Residues: 

Proposed Rule), and Table 1 Raw Agricultural and Processed Commodities Derived 

from Crops (EPA Residue Chemistry Guidelines OPPTS 860.1000).

Commodity Portion Analyzed (RAC), Use as a 

Feedstuff (F)

Processed Commodity

and Use as a Feedstuff (F) 

Citrus Analyze the whole fruit. Refined oil

Dried pulp (F)

Juice 

Juice and oil are the only processed food items required for the Citrus fruit group 10

and the dried pulp is a significant livestock feed item.

Other uses for the specific citrus fruit commodities are discussed under the 

preparation, cooking methods, uses, and marketing standards for members of the citrus 

and cooking methods for members for members of the citrus fruit crop group:

LIVESTOCK FEED ITEMS:

Dried citrus pulp is the one significant animal feed items associated with the Citrus 

crop group 10. It is the ground peel, residue of the inside portions and occasional fruits 

of the citrus family which have been dried and produces a coarse flaky product. Most of 

the dried citrus pulp is from oranges and grapefruit but may contain some residues of 

lemon, lime and tangerines. It may contain dried citrus meal or pellets and whole citrus 

seeds and has an above average palatability. It is also defined as the dried residue of 

peel, pulp and seeds of orange, grapefruit and other citrus fruit. Approximately 5 million 

tons of citrus peel is processed in Florida. It is dried to a moisture percent of 10%. It can 

be fed to beef and dairy cattle only at 20% maximum. Citrus dried pulp is roughage 

generated mainly in Florida and smaller amounts in California. Over 70% of the U.S. 

production is exported to Europe on a yearly basis with the remainder used as a 

maximum amount of 10% in premixed rations. Dried citrus pulp can contain from 1.8 to 

8.3% seeds with an average seed content of 4.75% (Chapman et al.). Wet citrus pulp is 

also nutritious but is limited in use due to its high moisture content and cost of 

transporting the material. Citrus molasses is manufactured from the bound juice released 

from the limes cured and pressed orange and grapefruit peel residues. Approximately

3,125 lb of citrus molasses from press liquor from the peel and pulp residue can be 
64

64

produced from 85,000 lb of fresh grapefruit. Newer processors that dry the citrus peel 

residue are greatly limiting any citrus molasses production. 

Over the past 5 years, a significant increase in the amount of citrus pulp being used 

on Florida ranches. This increase in use is a response to a decrease in demand for dried 

Florida citrus pulp in the world market. 

A combination of the decline in export market opportunities and the high energycosts associated with citrus pulp drying have resulted in Florida citrus juice plants 

offering wet pulp to area cattlemen. This product is typically shipped directly from the 

citrus processing facility, placed in piles in the pasture and offered free-choice to cattle. 

The surface of these wet citrus pulp piles will quickly harden while the interior of the pile 

begins to undergo fermentation. Within a few days cattle will begin to rapidly consume 

the fermented product. Under this management situation, a large amount of waste is 

expected. The amount of product dry matter delivered along with wastage should be 

considered when comparing the value of dry and wet citrus pulp. Even though a 

considerable amount of waste is expected, the feeding of free-choice, wet citrus pulp 

requires less investment in feeding equipment and storage space compared to dry pulp, 

which will require some on-ranch investment in dry storage capability. Citrus pulp is 

classified as an energy concentrate byproduct feed, containing low crude protein and a 

moderate amount of digestible energy. 

Book values typically provide a citrus pulp total digestible nutrients (TDN) content 

ranging from 80 to 84% on a dry matter (DM) basis. These values were likely obtained as 

much 30 years ago and have not been updated due to the regional use of citrus pulp and 

the lack of domestic interest over the past couple decades. With the current wide-spread 

use of both wet and dry citrus pulp in Florida, we have begun testing the current energy

content. Current TDN values for Florida citrus pulp now appear to be significantly less 

compared to historic values reported in the literature. Protein has always been low in 

citrus pulp and ranges from 5 to 9% crude protein (DM basis). This value is insufficient 

to provide adequate supplemental protein to the diet of cows during the winter months. 

In Florida there is a need supplemental protein for forage-fed cattle provided citrus pulp 

supplements. Cattle provided citrus pulp with no additional protein voluntarily consumed 

23% less forage compared to cattle provided a source of supplemental protein along with 

the citrus pulp 

The most commonly adverse reported condition associated with citrus pulp 

feeding is ruminal parakeratosis, a digestive disorder associated with the feeding of high 

concentrate diets. This condition is described as the hardening and enlargement of the 

rumen papillae, and has been widely reported in ruminant feeding systems that utilize low 

roughage rations. Citrus pulp at more than 60% of the concentrate mixture for cattle fullfed in feedlot can result in rumen parakeratosis. When supplementing citrus pulp to 

grazing cattle, make certain there is sufficient pasture forage available to prevent ruminal 

parakeratosis. It is unlikely that rumen parakeratosis would be a problem in grazing 

cattle unless the supplemental citrus pulp is their only feed option.
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POTENTIAL FUTURE USE OF CITRUS PEELS:

In the future orange peels from Florida juice production may be diverted from being 

used for livestock feeds to ethanol production. Excepts from an article by Sara Parker 

(See Parker 2007) on converting orange peels into cellulosic ethanol is discussed below:

“Approximately 5 million tons of citrus peel waste annually, the Florida orange 

juice industry has the potential to provide up to 60 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol 

for Florida residents, according to Bill Widmer, a research chemist with the USDA-ARS 

Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven. 

"After stripping the alcohol we still end up with a residue that we need to get rid 

of -- about one-third of the solid is still there and the short term solution right now is to 

dry that, and produce cattle feed from it," said Widmer. "We haven't demonstrated 

everything from a raw peel to two-hundred proof alcohol -- and stripping that ethanol out 

of the beer stream -- I don't think it's a major hurdle, I think it's a minor one. But it's one 

that we do have to demonstrate."

"I think what you're going to see over the next fifteen years is wood plants in 

Georgia and Alabama; citrus plants in Florida; and corn plants in the Midwest," said Tom 

Endres, senior vice-president of operations at Xethanol Corporation. Xethanol, which 

formed a joint venture with Renewable Spirits last year to create Southeast Biofuels, 

plans to build a pilot plant this year with the potential to produce up to 50,000 gallons of 

ethanol from the citrus waste.

But with more research, material from the residue left after limonene removal and 

ethanol production could be turned into other profitable industrial products, such as 

building-material additives for concrete, said Widmer”.

Citrus Industry Byproducts

One harvested box of orange weighs 90 lb (40.8 kg) and over half of the yield is juice

(50 lb), while the remainder (40 lb) is waste products (Braddock, 2003). The peel has 

essential oils that are recovered during juice extraction such as D-limonene. Essential 
66

66

oils are used for food and beverage flavors, in the perfume industry, for personal care and 

consumer products. Cold press citrus oils are used as a flavoring for orange juice. Table 

16 shows the yields of oil/ton of citrus fruits. Table 17 gives the amounts of citrus 

byproducts for each ton of oranges and Table 18 gives the ranges of the peel, pulp, and 

juice content of the representative commodities of the Citrus fruit group as orange, 

tangerine, lemon and grapefruit. Citrus dried pulp is used for cattle food and is dried to a 

moisture level of 10 - 12%. The press liquor is concentrated with evaporators to about 

72% sugar and is called citrus molasses and is added back to the citrus dried pulp or sold 

separately for ethanol production. Flavonoids and limonoids are used for potential 

medicinal or pharmaceutical uses. 

Table 16. Yields of Oil from Various Citrus Fruits (kg oil/ton fruit, FAO Statistics, 

2005).

Citrus Fruit/Variety Range of Oil 

(kg/ton)

Average Oil Content 

(kg/ton)

Orange

Hamlin 3.5 – 4.2 3.9

Pineapple 3.7 – 4.8 4.8

Valencia 5.2 – 8.1 6.7

Temple 3.4 – 4.5 3.9

Grapefruit

Duncan 2.4 – 3.4 2.8

Marsh 2.7 – 3.6 3.1

Ruby Red 2.5 – 3.9 3.2

Tangerine

Dancy 6.7 – 8.7 7.7

Orlando 4.8 – 6.2 5.6

Table 17. Typical Amounts of Citrus Byproducts from Orange Processing 

(Goodrich and Braddock, 2006):

Byproduct Kg/box oranges*

Dry pellets (90% DM) 4.0

Molasses 1.4

Essential oil and d-limonene 0.3

Pulp wash soluble solids 0.3

Pectin 1.3
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Frozen pulp 2.0

Flavonoids 0.2

* Oranges – 40.8 kg/box, juice yields 55%

Table 18. Peel, Pulp, and Juice content of the Representative Commodities for the 

Citrus Fruit Group 10 which are the Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, and Grapefruit. 

Citrus Portion Orange Tangerine Lemon Grapefruit

Peel % 21.5 - 38.1 25.6-33.0 32.0-46.6 33.6-36.4

Pulp % 61.9-78.6 67.6-73.6 53.4-67.9 63.6-67.3

Juice % 23.8-51.0 32.5-38.6 21.6-27.0 30.0-33.6

CROP ROTATIONS FOR THE CITRUS:

The members of the Citrus fruit group are not rotated because of their long 

productive life spans at the same location most citrus orchards are kept at the same 

location for < 40 years, and will be replanted at the same locations they age and lose 

production. Trees can range from 25 to 40 ft in height and take 10 to 15 years to develop 

before they bear fruit. In Florida, yields for navel, Valencia orange, white and pink

grapefruit at different ages from 3 to > 24 years may be are shown in Table 19. Yields 

increased greatly as trees mature. 

Table 19. Florida Citrus Tree Ages 3 to > 24 years and Yields in Estimated Boxes 

Fruit/Tree (2001-2006). 

Commodity 3 -5 year

old tree

6-8 years 9 – 13 

years

14 – 23 

years

> 24 

years

Average 

boxes

Early Navel 

orange

1.38

boxes

1.8 2.74 3.51 4.36 3.08

Late 

Valencia 

Orange

1.11 1.66 2.10 2.42 3.82 2.25

White 

grapefruit

1.63 2.83 3.10 3.29 5.00 3.75

Pint/red 

grapefruit

1.48 2.20 3.27 3.59 4.40 3.46

Navel orange – 90 lb/box; Valencia – 90 lb/box; Grapefruit -85 lb/box. 
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PEST PROBLEMS FOR THE CITRUS CROPS: (Developed from USDA Crop 

Profiles from AZ, CA, LA, and TX, Extension Bulletins, and Research Literature). 

There are several common pest problems among the citrus fruits. The most 

important pest problems associated with this group of commodities are plant diseases 

including postharvest diseases, as well as some insects and mites. The following are the 

list of important insects, mite, and diseases of the citrus fruits (USDA Crop profiles 2006, 

Ruther, 1978):

1. Insects and mites: Caribbean and Mediterranean fruit flies, citrus bud mite, citrus

leafminer, citrus root weevil, black fly, citrus rust mite, California red scale, 

cutworm, Asian citrus psyllid, scales, black flies, psyllid, glassy winged 

sharpshooter, Argentina and fire ants, katydid, grasshopper, aphids, mealybug, 

thrips, citrus leafminer, spider mites, whitefly.

2. Diseases: citrus scab, branch knot, Septoria leaf spot, algal leaf spot, tar spot, oil 

spotting, lime blotch, California red scale, anthracnose, brown rot, black spot, 

greasy spot, gummosis, heart rot, damping-off, seedling blight, Diplodia dieback, 

Fusarium oxysporum, Phytophtora root rot, charcoal root rot, xyloporosis, 

melanose, citrus blast, citrus blight, greasy spot, sooty mold, green mold, blue 

mold, citrus canker, citrus greening, and several viruses including crinkly leaf 

virus, psorosis, tristeza virus, and powdery mildew.

3. Nematodes: Citrus nematode, burrowing nematode, sting nematode, sting 

nematode, lesion nematode, and sheath nematode.

4. Weeds: Over 100 weeds found in citrus orchards as a combination of annual and 

perennial grasses and broadleaf weeds, such as milkweed, morningglory, saltbush, 

goatweed, Virginia creeper, guineagrass, and lantana.

5. Vertebrate pests: meadow voles, rat, rabbit, armadillo, deer, pocket gopher, 

coyote, and squirrels.
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Proposed citrus fruit commodities that are being added to the crop group share 

many of the same pest problems because of their similar cultural practices and their 

highly desirable fruits to many pests. 

The members of the Citrus Fruit Crop Group share many of the same pest problems 

since they are all members of the same botanical family the Rutaceae. Because of the 

similarity in the botany, cultivars and cultural practices among these crops, they have 

similar pest problem. Availability of a similar set of pest control options for the Citrus 

fruit group would be useful in promoting integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. 

Some of the pests affect the external appearance of the fruit some from damage by 

feeding on the leaves or buds, and some by reducing postharvest keeping qualities.

Asiatic citrus canker caused by a bacterium (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri) 

and citrus greening or Huanglongbing (Candidatus liberibacter) have become much more 

important severe plant diseases that must be quarantined to help control the diseases in 

Florida and prevent spread to other citrus producing States. Grapefruit and Persian limes 

are highly susceptible to citrus canker. ‘Navel’, ‘Pineapple’, and ‘Hamlin’ sweet oranges 

are moderately susceptible, while ‘Valencia’ orange, tangors, tangelos, and other 

mandarin hybrids are susceptible and mandarins’ are moderately susceptible. The wind 

is a major dispersal agent of the disease, and the best control is eradication of the infected 

trees. Citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) is a serious disease of citrus because it 

affects all citrus cultivars and causes rapid decline of trees. HLB has seriously affected 

citrus production in a number of countries in Asia, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and 

the Arabian Peninsula, and was recently discovered in Brazil (2004) and Florida (2005). 

Huanglongbing is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid. When psyllid is abundant and 

environmental conditions are favorable, HLB can rapidly destroy existing groves and 

prevent commercial production of oranges and other citrus cultivars. Mature trees if 

infected may decline and become non-productive and young trees that become infected 

never come into fruit production. HLB is difficult to manage and continued production 

of citrus has proven difficult and expensive in areas where it is widespread. HLB is one 

of a few citrus diseases that can be considered a truly limiting factor for citrus production. 

There are no HLB tolerant mandarin, orange or grapefruit cultivars to replace declining 

trees. The general control strategy has been to eradicate all existing sources of HLB 

within an area, then replant with HLB-free trees grown from clean budwood. Psyllid 

populations must also be reduced as much as possible. 

Citrus fruit orchards have many weed control problems that must be controlled to 

ensure adequate yields and harvesting efficiencies. This citrus group shares a multiplude 

of insect, disease, viral, and nematodes. Weeds include grassy and broadleaf such as 

annual, biennial, and perennial weeds such as milkweed, morningglory, and saltbush. 

Animal pest problems include meadow voles, squirrels, deer, armadillos, and rabbits.

COMPARISON OF POTENTIAL RESIDUE LEVELS IN THE CITRUS:
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70

Magness, Markle, and Compton in 1971 classified food and feed crops based on 

predicting the potential for pesticide residues based on exposure of the edible parts to 

applied pesticides, which led to the development of the crop groups. The majority of the 

citrus fruits were classified in the Fruit Crops Category I. Category I include the citrus 

fruit crops with fruits mostly medium to large, peel nearly always discarded when 

consumed or processed. Peels may be dried and used as livestock feed particularly the 

orange and grapefruit. Category I fruit crops will have minimum exposure of the edible 

portions to direct contact to pesticide. The lime is placed in Fruit Crops Category II since 

it has somewhat greater exposure of edible parts to pesticides than in Category I, because 

of greater surface in proportion to weight. The fruits are medium to small with the peels 

generally discarded before being consumed. The Calamondin, citron, and kumquat are 

placed in Fruit Crops Category IV with increased exposure of edible parts to pesticide 

residues because the peel is commonly consumed. The fruits are medium to small.

One would expect pesticide residues to be similar in most of the members of the 

Citrus fruit crop group, and distinct citrus fruit crop subgroups may be based on potential 

of residue to be deposited on the fruit. 

We expect that all proposed members of the citrus fruit crop group will have similar 

residue levels based on similarities of the raw agricultural commodities (RAC’s), cultural 

practices, and pest problems. A comparison of established tolerances on citrus fruit 

commodities also supports that residue levels will be similar between members of the 

crop group and subgroups (See Tables 20, 21, 22, and 23). The proposed representative 

commodities cover over 99% of the total citrus fruit production in the U.S., and they also 

tend to be an equal or more conservative estimate of tolerances and potential residues. 

Based on existing tolerances in 40 CFR and the USDA FAS mrldatabase, a comparison 

of these tolerances for the representative commodities is listed in Table 20 for the U.S., 

Codex MRL’s, and the European Union (EU). In several cases the U.S. tolerances are 

higher than those established in the EU. Tables 21 contain tolerances established in the 

U.S. on the proposed representative commodities (orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, and 

grapefruit) and are remarkably similar. Table 22 for the Orange subgroup and Table 23

for the proposed lemon/lime subgroup also show consistent tolerance levels between 

representative commodities. Grapefruit is listed in Table 21 and tolerance levels are also 

very similar to the other representative commodities. 

Table 20. Tolerances established on Citrus Fruits Group3

(FASONLINE; Duggan 2006a)

Compound CFR 

Citation

US Codex EU 

2,4-D 180.142 5 1 0.05

Abamectin 180.449 0.02 0.01 0.01

 

3 Only include tolerances established on citrus fruit group, not individual commodities.
71

71

Compound CFR 

Citation

US Codex EU 

Acephate 180.108

–– 0.02

Acequinocyl 180.599 0.2

––

Acetamiprid 180.578 0.5

––

Aldicarb 180.269 0.3 0.2 0.2

Amitraz 180.287

–– 0.05

Atrazine 180.220

–– 0.1

Azinphos-methyl 180.154 2.0 2.01

Azoxystrobin 180.50710

–

1

Benomyl 180.294 10

–

5

Bentazon 180.355

–– 0.1

Bifenthrin 180.511 0.05

– 0.1

Bromacil 180.210 0.1

––

Bromoxynil 180.324

–– 0.05

Buprofezin 180.511 2.5

––

Captafol

-–– 0.02

Captan 180.103

–– 0.1

Carbaryl 180.169 1011

Carbofuran 180.254

–– 0.3

Carfentrazone-Ethyl 180.515 0.1

– 0.01

Chlorfenapyr 180.513

–– 0.05

Chlorothalonil

-–– 0.01

Chlorpropham

-–– 0.05

Chlorpyrifos 180.342 1.01 0.3

Clethodim 180.4581

––

Clofentezine 180.448

– 0.5 0.5

Cryolite-7

––

Cyfluthrin 180.436 0.2

– 0.02

Cypermethrin 180.418

–

22

Cyromazine 180.414

–– 0.05

Deltamethrin 180.435 0.02 0.05

Diazinon 180.153 0.7 0.02

Dichlorvos 180.235

–– 0.1

Dicofol 180.163 Pending52

Diflubenzuron 180.377 0.5 0.5

Dimethoate 180.204 2.02 0.02

Diphenylamine

-–– 0.05

Diquat Dibromide 180.226 0.02

– 0.05

Disulfoton

-–– 0.02

Diuron 180.106 1.0

––

Dodine

-–– 0.2

Endosulfan

-–– 0.5

EPTC 180.117 0.1

––

Esfenvalerate

-–– 0.02

Ethion 180.173 5.0

–

2
72

72

Compound CFR 

Citation

US Codex EU 

Ethofumesate

-–– 0.05

Ethylene Oxide

-–– 0.1

Fenamiphos

-–– 0.02

Fenarimol

-–– 0.02

Fenbutatin-Oxide 180.362 2055

Fenpyroximate 180.566 0.6

--

Fenpropathrin 180.4662

––

Fentin Hydroxide

-–– 0.05

Fenvalerate-2 0.02

Ferbam 180.1147

––

Fludioxonil 180.516 10

––

Fluridone 180.420 0.1

––

Folpet

-–– 0.1

Fosetyl-Al 180.4155

––

Fosthiazate

-–– 0.02

Glufosinate-Ammonium- 0.1

Glyphosate 180.364 0.5 0.1

Hexythiazox

-– 0.5

Hydrogen Cyanide 180.130 50

––

Imazalil 180.413 1055

Imidacloprid 180.472 0.71

Inorganic bromide 

resulting from fumigation

-– 30 0.05

Inorganic bromide 

resulting from soil 

treatment

-–– 0.05

Iprodione

-–– 0.05

Kresoxim-Methyl

-–– 0.05

Lambda Cyhalothrin

-–– 0.02

Malathion-42

Maleic Hydrazide

-–– 0.2

Mancozeb

-––

5

Maneb

-––

5

Mesotrione

-–– 0.05

Metalaxyl 180.40815 0.5

Methamidophos

-–– 0.2

Methanearsonic acid 180.289 0.35

––

Methidathion 180.2982

–

2

Methomyl

-–

1 0.05

Metiram

-––

5

Metsulfuron-Methyl

-–– 0.05

Mevinphos

-–– 0.2

Myclobutanil

-––

3

Napropamide 180.328 0.1

––

Norflurazon 180.356 0.2

––
73

73

Compound CFR 

Citation

US Codex EU 

O-phenylphenol 180.129 10 10

–

Oryzalin 180.304 0.05

––

Oxamyl 180.30335

–

Oxydemeton-Methyl

-–– 0.02

Paraquat Dichloride 180.205 0.05

– 0.05

Pendimethalin 180.361 0.1--

Permethrin- 0.5 0.05

Phorate

-–– 0.05

Phosalone

-––

1

Phosmet 180.26155

–

Piperonyl Butoxide

-–

5

–

Procymidone

-–– 0.02

Prohexadione Calcium

-–– 0.05

Propargite

-–

3

Propiconazole

-–– 0.05

Propyzamide

-–– 0.02

Pymetrozine

-–– 0.3

Pyraclostrobin 180.58221

Pyrethrins- 0.051

Pyridaben 180.494 0.5

––

Pyridate-

–– 0.05

Pyrimethanil 180.518 10

––

Pyriproxyfen 180.510 0.3 0.5

Quinoxyfen

-–– 0.02

Sethoxydim 180.412 0.5

––

Spinosad 180.420 0.3 0.3

Spirodiclofen 180.608 0.5

––

Sulfosate 180.489 0.05

––

Tebufenozide 180.482 0.82

Thiabendazole 180.207 10 105

Thiophanate-Methyl

––

5

Thiram

-––

3

Triadimefon

-–– 0.1

Triallate

-–– 0.1

Tridemorph

-–– 0.05

Trifloxystrobin 180.555 0.3

– 0.3

Trifloxysulfuron 180.591 0.03

––

Trifluralin 180.207 0.05

––

Zeta-Cypermethrin

-–

2

Zoxamide

-–– 0.02
74

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Table 21. Tolerances Established in U.S. on Representative Citrus Fruit Crops 

Compound CFR 

Citation

Orange Tangerine Lemon Lime Grapefruit

Aldicarb 180.269 0.3 - 0.3 0.3 0.3

Dicofol 180.163 10 10 10 10 10

Dimethoate 180.204 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

Fenamiphos 180.349 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

Formetanate 

hydrochloride

180.276 4.0 - 4.0 4.0 4.0

Malathion 180.111 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0

Methomyl 180.253 2.0 2.0 2.0 - 2.0

Naled 180.215 3.0 3.0 3.0 - 3.0

O-phenylphenol 180.129 10 10 10 10 10

Oxydemetonmethyl180.330 1.0 - 1.0 - 1.0

Parathion 180.123 30 30 30 30 30

Phosphine 180.225 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

Propargite 180.259 5.0 - 5.0 - 5.0-

Simazine 180.213 0.25 - 0.25 - 0.25

Thiazopyr 180.496 0.05 - - - 0.05

Table 22. Tolerance Comparison Between Members of the Orange Subgroup 10A. (Based on 40 

CFR Part 180, and EPA OPPIN 6/4/2007). 

Compound CFR Citation Orange Tangerine

Dicofol 180.163 10 10

Dimethoate 180.204 2.0 2.0

Fenamiphos 180.349 0.6 0.6

Malathion 180.111 8.0 8.0

Methomyl 180.253 2.0 2.0

Naled 180.215 3.0 3.0

O-phenylphenol 180.129 10 10

Parathion 180.123 30 30

Phosphine 180.225 0.01 0.01

Table 23. Tolerance Comparison Between the Representative Commodities of the Lemon/lime 

Subgroup 20B. (Based on 40 CFR Part 180, and EPA OPPIN 6/4/2007).

Compound CFR Citation Lemon Lime

Aldicarb 180.269 0.3 0.3

Dicofol 180.163 10 10

Dimethoate 180.204 2.0 2.0

Fenamiphos 180.349 0.6 0.6

Formetanate hydrochloride 180.276 4.0 4.0

Malathion 180.111 8.0 8.0
75

75

Compound CFR Citation Lemon Lime

O-phenylphenol 180.129 10 10

Parathion 180.123 30 30

Phosphine 180.225 0.01 0.01

REQUIRED NUMBER OF CROP FIELD TRIALS FOR CROP GROUP 10 AND 

COMPARISON OF EPA CROP PRODUCTION REGIONS WITH THE NAFTA 

CROP PRODUCTION REGIONS:

The Florida Department of Citrus (Brown, M., 2005) is estimating losses due to 

citrus canker of orange and grapefruit from 212.3 to 218 million boxes and 27.6 to 33.5 

million boxes, respectively over the next ten years. Hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004-

2005 also caused high citrus tree loss and spead several diseases such as citrus canker and 

citrus greening. Lime acres have not been reported since 2002 because of the devastating 

storms and disease.

A reevaluation of crop production data fro the 2002 USDA Agricultural Census 

shows that the amended Citrus fruit crop group 10 will not require additional field trials 

because the acreage for orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, and grapefruit have not 

significantly changed from the 1991 data used in the current field trial guidelines (EPA 

OPPTS 860.1500). The proposed number of crop field trials for Crop group 10 Citrus 

fruit, as well as the required number of crop field trials for Crop subgroups 10A, 10B, 

and 10C is listed in Tables 24, 25, and 26, respectively as well as suggested regional 

distribution of the citrus crops is in Table 27. The citrus fruit crops in this group are 

adapted best to the subtropical areas of the U.S. found in a zone from Florida, Texas, 

Arizona, and New Mexico, and California. These include EPA Residue Field Trial 

Regions 3, 5, 6, 10, and 13 (Table 26 and 27). 

Table 24. Draft Required Number of Field Trials for Citrus Fruit Commodities 

to Establish a Citrus Fruit Crop Group 10. (40 CFR 180.41) [OPPTS 860.1500, 

Table 2). 

Representative Number of Field Trials for Number of Field Trials for 
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Commodity Commodities if Not Part of the 

Crop Group

Commodities as Part of the Crop 

Group Based on 2002 AGCensus

Orange 16 in current guidelines 12 field trials can combine 

orange and tangerine. 

Recommend not more than four 

tangerine trials.

Tangerine 5 in current guidelines Combined with orange.

Lemon 5 in current guidelines 5 field trials can combine lemon 

and lime

Lime 3 in current guidelines Combined with lemon.

Grapefruit 8 in current guidelines 6

Total 29* 23 

* Attachment 7. Methodology for Determining Number of Field Trials, in Appendix A of 

the EPA OPPTS 860.1500 Crop Field Trials. Current guidelines have orange, lemon, and 

grapefruit as the representative commodities.

Table 25. Required Number of Field Trials for Crop Subgroup 10A, 10B, and 

10C. (40 CFR 180.41) [OPPTS 860.1500, Table 3). 

Crop 

Subgroup

Representative 

Commodity

Production Acres 

2002

Number of Field 

Trials

10A Orange or 

Tangerine

 994,871 – orange or

 31,419 – tangerine

12 in current 

guidelines.*

10B Lemon or 

Lime 

 81,021 – lemon or 

 1,491 - lime 

5 in current 

guidelines.

10C Grapefruit 157,358 8

* Attachment 7. Methodology for Determining Number of Field Trials, in Appendix A 

of the EPA OPPTS 860.1500 Crop Field Trials. 

Table 26. EPA Crop Production Regions for the Citrus Fruit Crops. 

[Representative Commodities (*) for the Crop Group].

Commodity** 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Calamondin X

Citrus citron X

Citrus hybrids X X

Grapefruit* X X X

Kumquat X X

Lemon* X X X

Lime* X X

Lime, sweet X X

Orange, sour X X X X

Orange, 

sweet*

X X X X
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Commodity** 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Pummelo X X X

Satsuma 

mandarin

X X

Tachibana 

orange

X X

Tahiti lime X X

Tangelo X X

Tangerine* X X

Tangor X X

Trifoliate 

orange

X X

Uniq fruit X X

** Commodities that are not representative commodities have field trial regions generally 

based on the USDA Plants Database, 2006. 

Table 27. EPA Crop Production Regions Suggested Distribution of the 

Citrus Fruit Crop Field Trials > 3 for the Representative Commodities for the 

Crop Group based on 2002 AGCensus Data.

Commodity # Field 

Trials

1 3 5 6 7 10 13

Orange 16 12 4

Tangerine 5 3 3 3 2

Grapefruit 8 6 1 1

Lemon 5 7 1

Lime 3 1 2

The citrus crops are not yet adapted to Canada and when full NAFTA regions are 

developed Table 28 will be updated. Efforts to update the NAFTA regions will begin in 

late 2007. Any future conflict in testing between regions can generally be resolved by

having the ChemSAC review the test protocol regions before residue trials are initiated 

and any differences can also be resolved by input from the International Crop Grouping 

Consulting Committee (ICGCC).

Table 28. NAFTA Field Production Regions for the Citrus Fruit Crop Group 10. 

Commodity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Orange* X X X

Tangerine X X

Lemon X X

Lime X X

Grapefruit* X X X X

* Representative Commodities for the Crop Group.
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CODEX CLASSIFICATION OF PROPOSED COMMODITIES AND EPA FOOD 

AND FEED COMMODITY VOCABULARY: See Table 29. Comparison of Citrus 

Fruit Crop Groups: Codex (001) and EPA (10). (Data prepared by Dr’s. Yuen-Shaung 

NG, Hong Chen, and Dr. Bernard A. Schneider, US EPA and USDA IR-4, 2004, 2007).

EPA is proposing 28 commodities for the Citrus Fruit Crop Group, and CODEX 

has a current Citrus Fruits, Except Kumquat Group 001, which has 38 commodity terms. 

Kumquats are listed in the Codex Crop group 005 for “Assorted tropical and sub-tropical 

fruits – edible peel”. Sixteen Codex commodity terms already match those in the 

proposed EPA Food and Feed Commodity Vocabulary (See Table 38). CODEX has nine 

commodities in their group that will be considered by EPA as members of other crop 

groups such as the tropical /subtropical fruit groups. Kumquats are also classified in their 

group 005 which is for assorted tropical and subtropical fruits with inedible peel. We 

have placed kumquats in the Citrus fruit group since it has always been a member of the 

U.S. Crop group 10 and plant taxonomists often classify kumquats in the citrus family. 

In addition the proposed EPA Citrus Fruit Crop Group has eleven commodities not in the 

Codex Citrus Fruit Group (Table 28). In the next proposed revision to the CODEX 

Classification of Foods and Animal Feeds we would expect these changes to be 

considered as additions to their Citrus group in the harmonization effort that Dr. Hong 

Chen, USDA IR - 4 is coordinating with the Codex delegation. Therefore, this proposal 

will not only increase harmonization with the Canadian and NAFTA crop grouping 

system, but it is compatible with the international system of CODEX. The Food Quality 

Protection Act of 1996 placed increased emphasis on using CODEX MRLs in setting 

tolerances for pesticides in the U.S. 

Table 29. EPA/Codex Citrus Fruit Group Comparison 

(Based on Ng and Schneider, 2007).

Codex 

Group #

Codex Commodity Name EPA Group 

#

EPA Commodity Name

001 CALAMONDIN, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 CALAMONDIN

001 CITRON, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0002, LEMONS AND LIMES 10 CITRON, CITRUS

001 TANGORS, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 TANGOR

001 ORANGES, SWEET, SOUR (INCLUDING ORANGE-LIKE 

HYBRIDS)

10 CITRUS HYBRIDS

001 TANGELOLO, SEE SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS OR 

POMELOS

10 CITRUS HYBRIDS

001 CHIRONJA, SEE SUBGROUP ORANGES, SWEET, SOUR 10 CITRUS HYBRIDS

071 CITRUS PULP, DRY 10 CITRUS, DRIED PULP

070 CITRUS JUICE 10 CITRUS, JUICE

069 CITRUS MOLASSES 10 CITRUS, MOLASSES
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Codex 

Group #

Codex Commodity Name EPA Group 

#

EPA Commodity Name

001 CITRUS FRUIT 10 FRUIT, CITRUS

001 GRAPEFRUIT, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS 

OR POMELOS

10 GRAPEFRUIT

070 GRAPEFRUIT JUICE 10 GRAPEFRUIT, JUICE

001 NATSUDAIDAI, SEE SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS OR 

POMELOS

10 JAPANESE SUMMER GRAPEFRUIT

005 KUMQUATS 10 KUMQUAT

005 KUMQUAT, MARUMI, SEE KUMQUATS 10 KUMQUAT

005 KUMQUAT, NAGAMI, SEE KUMQUATS 10 KUMQUAT

001 LEMON, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0002 LEMONS AND LIMES 10 LEMON

001 LIME, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0002 LEMONS AND LIMES 10 LIME

001 SATSUMA OR SATSUMA MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 

MANDARINS

10 MANDARIN, SATSUMA

001 MEDITERRANEAN MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 

MANDARINS

10 MEDITERRANEAN MANDARIN

070 ORANGE JUICE 10 ORANGE, JUICE

001 MYRTLE-LEAF ORANGE, SEE CHINOTTO 10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 ORANGE, SOUR, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0004 ORANGES, 

SWEET, SOUR

10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 CHINOTTO, SEE ORANGE, SOUR 10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 BIGARADE, SEE ORANGE, SOUR 10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 ORANGE, BITTER, SEE ORANGE, SOUR 10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 SEVILLE ORANGE, SEE ORANGE, SOUR 10 ORANGE, SOUR

001 BLOOD ORANGE, SEE ORANGE, SWEET 10 ORANGE, SWEET

001 MALTA ORANGE, SEE BLOOD ORANGE 10 ORANGE, SWEET

001 ORANGE, SWEET, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0004 ORANGES, 

SWEET, SOUR

10 ORANGE, SWEET

001 SHADDOCK, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS OR 

POMELOS

10 PUMMELO

001 POMELO, SEE SHADDOCKS OR POMELOS 10 PUMMELO

001 UGLI, SEE SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS OR POMELOS 10 PUMMELO

001 SHADDOCKS OR POMELOS (INCLUDING SHADDOCK-LIKE 

HYBRIDS)

10 PUMMELO

001 NATSUDAIDAI, SEE SUBGROUP 0005 SHADDOCKS OR 

POMELOS

10 PUMMELO

001 TANGELO, LARGE-SIZED CULTIVARS, SEE SUBGROUP 

0005

10 TANGELO

001 TANGELO, SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED CULTIVARS, SEE 

SUBGROUP 0003

10 TANGELO

001 MANDARIN, SEE ALSO SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 TANGERINE

001 MANDARINS (INCLUDING MANDARIN-LIKE HYBRIDS) 10 TANGERINE

001 CLEMENTINE, SEE MANDARIN 10 TANGERINE

001 CLEOPATRA MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 

MANDARINS

10 TANGERINE

001 DANCY OR DANCY MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 

MANDARINS

10 TANGERINE

001 MEDITERRANEAN MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 

MANDARINS

10 TANGERINE

001 TANGERINE, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 TANGERINE

001 TANKAN MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 TANGERINE

001 WILLOWLEAF MANDARIN, SEE MEDITERRANEAN 

MANDARIN

10 TANGERINE

001 KING MANDARIN, SEE SUBGROUP 0003 MANDARINS 10 TANGERINE
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Codex 

Group #

Codex Commodity Name EPA Group 

#

EPA Commodity Name

NA NA 10 AUSTRALIAN DESERT LIME

NA NA 10 AUSTRALIAN FINGER LIME

NA NA 10 AUSTRALIAN ROUND LIME

NA NA 10 BROWN RIVER FINGER LIME

NA NA 10 LIME, SWEET

NA NA 10 MOUNT WHITE LIME

NA NA 10 NEW GUINEA WILD LIME

NA NA 10 RUSSELL RIVER LIME

NA NA 10 TABACHIBAN ORANGE

NA NA 10 TAHITI LIME

NA NA 10 TRIFOLIATE ORANGE

NA NA NA UNIQ Fruit

PREPARATION, FOOD FORMS, COOKING METHODS, FOOD FORMS, 

SPECIFIC USES, MEDICINAL USES, FRUIT YIELDS, AND MARKETING 

STANDARDS FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITRUS FRUIT CROP GROUP:

Preparation and Cooking Methods for Citrus Fruits:

The 28 commodities in the proposed amended citrus fruit crop group are all 

perennial angiosperms (flowering plants) that are herbaceous small trees that produce an 

edible fleshy berry-like fruit called a hesperidium. Most small fruits and berries are eaten 

as fresh fruit, as a hesperidium. The cooking methods and food forms used to prepare 

citrus is shown in Table 37. Citrus fruits have many food and nonfood uses. They are 

used fresh, drinks, flavoring, marmalade, juice or confection. Zest (zeste) is a piece of 

the peel or of the thin oily, outer skin of normally an orange or lemon used for flavoring 

foods similar to spices. Marmalade is a condiment derived from cooking orange and 

lemon. Citrus fruits have also been used for more medicinal purposes than most other 

fruit crops. Citrus peel is used for cattle feed and extracted oils used as insecticides, 

perfumes, and furniture cleaning agents. They also have ornamental landscape uses, 

plant extracts for medicinal uses, and uses as dyestuffs. Specific uses for some of the 

citrus fruits will be discussed below.

General fruit preparation for citrus fruits: Navel oranges, tangerines, tangelos, 

temple oranges and clementines are peeled easily by simply pulling off the skin. Other 

citrus fruits can be peeled by cutting as close to the flesh as possible with a sharp paring 
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knife. Grapefruit may be cut into segments by cutting in half horizontally, scoop out 

seeds with the point of a knife and use a small knife, preferably a curved grapefruit knife, 

to cut around each segment and free it from the surrounding membrane. Lightly roll 

whole lemons or limes on a countertop or warm them slightly before cutting to release 

more juice. Squeeze through a piece of cheesecloth to avoid pits in juice. 

Specific Uses of Citrus:

Calamondin:

Calamondin made into juice or marmalades. Fruits are halved, depulped, immersed 

in salt water to ferment for about 40 days. After partial de-salting and boiling to soften 

the peel, it is candied in a strong sucrose/glucose solution. The candied peel is sun-dried 

or put up in jars for future use. 

Citron:

Fruits are halved, depulped, immersed in salt water to ferment for about 40 days. After 

partial de-salting and boiling to soften the peel, it is candied in a strong sucrose/glucose 

solution. The candied peel is sun-dried or put up in jars for future use, and its use is for 

Peel candied, used in confections and culinary. Candying is done mainly in England, 

France and the United States. The candied peel is widely employed in the food industry, 

especially as an ingredient in fruit cake, plum pudding, buns, sweet rolls and candy. The 

fruit of the wild 'Chhangura' is pickled in India. In Indonesia, citron peel is eaten raw 

with rice. The entire fruit of the 'Fingered citron' is eaten. If there is sufficient juice in the 

better cultivars, it is utilized for beverages and to make desserts. In Guatemala, it is used 

as flavoring for carbonated soft drinks. In Malaya, citron juice is used as a substitute for 

the juice of imported, expensive lemons. A product called "citron water" is made in 

Barbados and shipped to France for flavoring wine and vermouth. In Spain, a syrup made 

from the peel is used to flavor unpalatable medical preparations. 

In China and Japan the dried fruits are put with in stored clothing to repel moths. In

southern China, the juice is used to wash fine linen. Formerly, the essential oil was 

distilled from the peel for use in perfumery. In some of the South Pacific islands, "Cedrat 

Petitgrain Oil" is distilled from the leaves and twigs of citron trees for the French 

perfume industry. The flowers have been distilled for essential oil which has limited use 

in scent manufacturing. Branches of the citron tree are used as walking-sticks in India.

The wood is white, rather hard and heavy, and of fine grain. In India, it is used for 

agricultural implements. Mainly thick peel or rind; the entire Etrog fruit can be eaten. 

Grapefruit:
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Grapefruit is used as a fresh fruit and is canned as juice and segments, and 

marmalade. About equal amounts fresh and processed. Grapefruit is customarily a 

breakfast fruit. The juice is marketed as a beverage fresh, canned, or dehydrated as 

powder, or concentrated and frozen. It can be made into excellent vinegar or carefully 

fermented as wine. An average of 15 lb is needed per canner load of 7 quarts, an average 

of 13 lb is needed per canner load of 9 pints and an average of about 2 lb yields 1 quart 

(Simmone, 2003). Grapefruit peel is candied and is an important source of pectin for the 

preservation of other fruits. The peel oil, expressed or distilled, is commonly employed 

in soft-drink flavoring, after the removal of 50 % of the monoterpenes. The waste from 

grapefruit packing plants has long been converted into molasses for cattle. After oil 

extraction, the hulls can be used for soil conditioning, or, combined with the dried pulp, 

as cattle feed. A detoxification process must precede the feeding of this product to pigs 

or poultry.

Kumquat:

The kumquat is mainly decorative, but whole fruits is edible and may be eaten out of 

hand, or made into marmalade, and it is generally eaten fresh with its rind, or transformed 

into marmalades, jellies, and fresh kumquats, especially the 'Meiwa', can be eaten raw, 

whole. For preserving, they should be left until they lose some of their moisture and 

acquire richer flavor. The fruits are easily preserved whole in sugar syrup. Canned 

kumquats are exported from Taiwan and often served as dessert in Chinese restaurants. 

For candying, the fruits are soaked in hot water with baking soda, next day cut open and 

cooked briefly each day for 3 days in heavy syrup, then dried and sugared. Kumquats are 

excellent for making marmalade, either alone or half-and-half with calamondin. The fruit 

may be pickled by merely packing in jars of water, vinegar, and salt, partially sealing for 

4 to 5 days, changing the brine, sealing and letting stand for 6 to 8 weeks. To make sweet 

pickles, halved fruits are boiled until tender, drained, boiled again in a mixture of corn 

syrup, vinegar, water and sugar, with added cloves and cinnamon, and then baked until 

the product is thick and transparent. Kumquat sauce is made by cooking chopped, seeded 

fruits with honey, orange juice, salt and butter.

Lemon:

In Colombia, lemon soup is made by adding slices of lemon to dry bread roll that has 

been sautéed in shortening until soft and then sieved. Sugar and a cup of wine are added 

and the mixture brought to a boil, and then served. Lemon peel can be candied at home 

and is preserved in brine and supplied to manufacturers of confectionery and baked goods 

Fresh fruit, canned juice, add to drinks, culinary source of pectin. Mainly fresh, some 

processed. Lemon oil is used for flavoring purposes in soft drinks and baked foods. 

Slices of lemon are served as a garnish on fish or meat or with iced or hot tea, to be 
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squeezed for the flavorful juice. Lemon peel oil is much used in furniture polishes, 

detergents, soaps and shampoos. It is important in perfume blending and especially in 

colognes. Petitgrain oil (up to 50% citral), is distilled from the leaves, twigs and 

immature fruits of the lemon tree in West Africa, North Africa and Italy. With terpenes 

removed, it is greatly prized in colognes and floral perfumes. The lemon parts consumed 

include the interior juice vesicles with the rind is candied or used in marmalade. Dried 

rind from processing plants livestock feed.

Lime

Besides being used for juice the lime can be pickled by first making 4 incisions in the 

apex, covering the fruits with salt, and later preserving them in vinegar. Before serving, 

the pickled fruits may be fried in coconut oil and sugar and then they are eaten as 

appetizers. Pickling is done in India by quartering the fruits, layering the pieces with salt 

in glass or glazed clay jars, and placing in the sun for 3 to 4 days. The contents are 

stirred once a day. Green chili peppers, turmeric, ginger or other spices may be included 

at the outset. Coconut or other edible oil may be added last to enhance the keeping 

quality. Another method of pickling involves scraping the fruits, steeping them in lime 

juice, then salting and exposing to the sun. The oil derived from the Mexican lime is 

obtained by three different methods in the West Indies: 1) by hand-pressing in a copper 

bowl studded with spikes; 2) by machine pressing, cold expression, of the oil from the 

spent half-shells after juice extraction, or simultaneously but with no contact with the 

juice; or 3) by distillation from the oily pulp that rises to the top of tanks in which the 

washed, crushed fruits have been left to settle for 2 weeks to a month. Limes are used in 

limeade drinks, culinary as for marinating meats, flavoring, and in ice cream, confections

and as agarnish for desserts. Mainly fresh, some processed. They are available fresh or 

frozen. Lime juice is made into syrup and sauce and pies similar to lemon pie. "Key 

Lime Pie" is a famous dish of the Florida Keys and southern Florida, but today is largely 

made from the frozen concentrate of the 'Tahiti' lime. Tahiti limes are used fresh for 

canned lime juice, frozen lime juice, frozen lime juice concentrate, frozen limeade and 

powdered lime juice. Lime juice is used to cover sliced fruits to prevent darkened and to 

keep cauliflower white while cooking. Mexican limes are often made into jam, jelly and 

marmalade. In Malaya, they are preserved in syrup. The minced leaves are consumed in 

certain Javanese dishes. In the Philippines, the chopped peel is made into a sweetmeat 

with milk and coconut. Dried limes are used in Persian cooking. The dehydrated peel is 

fed to cattle. In India, the powdered dried peel and the sludge remaining after clarifying 

lime juice are employed for cleaning metal. The hand-pressed peel oil is mainly utilized 

in the perfume industry. 

Mediterranean mandarin:.

The Mediterranean mandarin is used as a beverage base and fresh fruit. 
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Pummelo:

The pummelo is mainly eaten as fresh fruit and it is sweeter than the grapefruit. It 

is used to make jams, jellies, marmalades and syrups.

Sour orange:

Sour orange is used for marmalade, flavoring and in drinks. The normal types of sour 

orange are usually too sour to be enjoyed out-of-hand. In Mexico, however, sour oranges 

are cut in half, salted, coated with a paste of hot chili peppers, and eaten. The greatest 

use of sour oranges as food is in the form of marmalade and for this purpose they have no 

equal. The juice is valued for ade and as a flavoring on fish and, in Spain, on meat during 

cooking. It is used like vinegar in the Yucatan. In Egypt and elsewhere, it has been 

fermented to make wine. "Bitter orange oil", expressed from the peel, is in demand for 

flavoring candy, ice cream, baked goods, gelatins and puddings, chewing gum, soft 

drinks, liqueurs and pharmaceutical products. 

Sweet orange:

Sweet oranges are used fresh, canned and frozen juice, canned segments, and marmalade. 

In addition to its food uses, orange peel oil is a prized scent in perfume and soaps. 

Oil derived from orange and other citrus seeds is employed as cooking oil and in soap 

and plastics. The high-protein seed residue is suitable for human food and as an 

ingredient in cattle feed and the hulls enter into fertilizer mixtures. The essential oils 

distilled from orange flowers and foliage is important in perfume manufacturing. 

Some Petitgrain oil is distilled from the leaves, flowers, twigs, and small, whole, 

unripe fruits

Satsuma mandarin 

In the UK, mikan are commonly eaten at Christmas. In Canada, they are a popular 

snack at any time of the year, and fruit grown in Morocco are commonly sold in 

supermarkets. 

Tangerine 

Tangerines are easily peeled by hand into separate segments. They can be eaten fresh 

or canned and used in fruit salads, as snacks, desserts, puddings, and custards or as a 

flavoring for meat marinades. The skin can be used as a zeste or garnish for food and 

sweets. 

Medicinal Uses of Citrus Fruits: 
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There are several medicinal uses of citrus fruits. Citron juice with wine was considered 

an effective purgative to rid the body of poison. In India, the peel is a remedy for 

dysentery and is eaten to overcome halitosis. The candied peel is sold in China as a 

stomachic, stimulant, expectorant and tonic. In West Tropical Africa, the citron is used 

only as a medicine, particularly against rheumatism. The flowers are used medicinally by 

the Chinese. In Malaya, a decoction of the fruit is taken to drive off evil spirits. A 

decoction of the shoots of wild plants is administered to improve appetite, relieve 

stomach ache and expel intestinal worms. A leaf infusion is given as an antispasmodic. 

In Southeast Asia, citron seeds are given as a vennifuge. In Panama, they are ground up 

and combined with other ingredients and given as an antidote for poison. The essential 

oil of the peel is regarded as an antibiotic.

Lemon juice is widely known as a diuretic, antiscorbutic, astringent, and febrifuge. In 

Italy, the sweetened juice is given to relieve gingivitis, stomatitis, and inflammation of 

the tongue. Lemon juice in hot water has been widely advocated as a daily laxative and 

preventive of the common cold, but daily doses have been found to erode the enamel of 

the teeth. Prolonged use will reduce the teeth to the level of the gums. Lemon juice and 

honey, or lemon juice with salt or ginger, is taken when needed as a cold remedy. It was 

the juice of the Mediterranean sweet lemon, not the lime that was carried aboard British 

sailing ships of the 18th Century to prevent scurvy, though the sailors became known as 

"limeys". Oil expressed from lemon seeds is employed medicinally. The root decoction 

is taken as a treatment for fever in Cuba and for gonorrhea in West Africa. An infusion 

of the bark or of the peel of the fruit is given to relieve colic.

Lime juice dispels the irritation and swelling of mosquito bites. In Malaya, the juice is 

taken as a tonic and to relieve stomach ailments. The pickled fruit, with other substances, 

is poulticed on the head to allay neuralgia. In India, the pickled fruit is eaten to relieve 

indigestion. The juice of the Mexican lime is regarded as an antiseptic, tonic, an 

antiscorbutic, an astringent, and as a diuretic in liver ailments, a digestive stimulant, a 

remedy for intestinal hemorrhage and hemorrhoids, heart palpitations, headache, 

convulsive cough, rheumatism, arthritis, falling hair, bad breath, and as a disinfectant for 

all kinds of ulcers when applied in a poultice. The leaves are poulticed on skin diseases 

and on the abdomen of a new mother after childbirth. The leaves or an infusion of the 

crushed leaves may be applied to relieve headache. The leaf decoction is used as eye 

drops and to bathe a feverish patient; also as a mouth wash and gargle in cases of sore 

throat and thrush. The Tahiti lime juice, given quickly, is an effective antidote for the 

painful oral irritation and inflammation that result from biting into aroids such as 

Dieffenbachia spp., Xanthosoma spp., Philodendron spp., and their allies. Lime juice has 

also been applied to relieve the effects of stinging corals.

Sour orange juice is antiseptic and hemostatic. Africans apply the cut-open orange on 

ulcers and yaws and areas of the body afflicted with rheumatism. In Italy, Mexico and 

Latin America generally, decoctions of the leaves are given for their antispasmodic, 

stimulant, tonic and stomachic action. The flowers, prepared as a syrup, act as a sedative 
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in nervous disorders and induce sleep. An infusion of the bitter bark is taken as a tonic, 

stimulant, febrifuge and vermifuge.

Sweet orange is eaten to allay fever and catarrh. The roasted pulp is prepared as a 

poultice for skin diseases. The fresh peel is rubbed on acne. In the mid-1950s, the health 

benefits of eating peeled, whole oranges were much publicized because of its protopectin, 

bioflavonoids and inositol (related to vitamin B). The orange contains a significant 

amount of the vitamin-like glucoside, hesperidin, and 75 - 80% of it in the albedo, rag 

and pulp. This principle, also rutin and other bioflavonoids were for awhile much 

advocated for treating capillary fragility, hemorrhages and other physiological problems, 

but they are no longer approved for such use in the United States. An infusion of the 

immature fruit is taken to relieve stomach and intestinal complaints. The flowers are 

employed medicinally by the Chinese people living in Malaya. Orange flower water, 

made in Italy and France as cologne, is bitter and considered antispasmodic and sedative.

A decoction of the dried leaves and flowers is given in Italy as an antispasmodic, cardiac 

sedative, antiemetic, digestive and remedy for flatulence. The inner bark, macerated and 

infused in wine, is taken as a tonic and carminative. A vinous decoction of husked 

orange seeds is prescribed for urinary ailments in China and the juice of fresh orange 

leaves or a decoction of the dried leaves may be taken as a carminative or applied on 

sores and ulcers. An orange seed extract is given as a treatment for malaria in Ecuador 

but it is known to cause respiratory depression and a strong contraction of the spleen.

Pummelo in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, have decoctions of the leaves, flowers, 

and rind are given for their sedative effect in cases of epilepsy, chorea and convulsive 

coughing. The hot leaf decoction is applied on swellings and ulcers. The fruit juice is 

taken as a febrifuge. The seeds are employed against coughs, dyspepsia and lumbago. 

Gum that exudes from declining trees is collected and taken as a cough remedy in Brazil.

Citrus Fruit Yields:

Table 30 shows the juice equivalents for an individual citrus fruit as well as the peel 

equivalent. For example one medium orange (154 g) yields 1⁄4 cup juice and 4 teaspoons

of grated peel.

Table 30. The Juice Yields of the Citrus Fruits and Other Portions Such as the Peel 

Used for Food. 

Citrus 

Commodity

Juice Equivalents Peel Equivalents

Citrus specialties One medium tangerine = 109 g.

= about 1⁄4 cup juice.

Similar to orange.

Grapefruit One medium grapefruit (308 g) One medium grapefruit = 3 - 4 
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Citrus 

Commodity

Juice Equivalents Peel Equivalents

= 2/3 cup juice. Five – six 

medium lemons = 1 cup juice.

teaspoons grated peel.

Lemon One medium lemon (58 g) = 3 

tablespoons juice. Five – six 

medium lemons = 1 cup juice.

One medium lemon yields 3 

tablespoons of grated peel.

Lime One medium lime (67 g) or 2 

inch diameter = 1⁄4 cup juice or 

2 tablespoons of juice.

Orange One medium orange (154 g) 

yields 1⁄4 cup juice.

One medium orange = 4 

teaspoons grated peel.

USDA Marketing Standards for Citrus Fruits:

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) has established standards 

for marketing many of the citrus fruits. For citrus the standards are based on size 

(diameter), color, skin texture, injury, shape, juice content, and lack of diseases or insect 

damage. Oranges can vary in diameter from 2 6/16 to 5 1/16 inches, grapefruit from 3 

5/16 to 5 9/16 inch. There are also eight grades of orange juice that includes: pasteurized 

orange juice, canned orange juice, orange juice from concentrate, frozen concentrated 

orange juice, reduced acid frozen concentrated orange juice, canned concentrated orange 

juice, concentrated orange juice for manufacturing, and dehydrated orange juice. The 

orange juice standards include items on flavor, defects like seeds, color and Brix. There 

are also standards for grades of orange marmalade that include sweet orange, bitter 

orange, and combination of sweet and bitter oranges and are based on color, absence of 

defects, uniformity of the gel, and flavor. 

AVAILABILITY AND STORAGE LIFE OF THE CITRUS FRUIT CROP GROUP 

MEMBERS IN THE MARKETPLACE:
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Citrus fruits are widely available in the marketplace both from domestic production 

and imports. The available and peak production periods for oranges, lemon, and 

grapefruit in the marketplace are shown in Tables 31, 32, and 33, respectively. The citrus 

varieties and harvesting times for California (Table 34) and Florida (Table 35) varieties 

are also discussed below as well as a description of the citrus varieties. Most citrus may

be stored for periods of up to one to two months and variation in the storage times for the 

citrus are in Table 36. Specific food uses for citrus fruits are discussed under the 

Comparison of harvesting, raw agricultural commodity (RAC), edible portions, and 

processed food item section of this report. In most cases based on U.S. production and 

imports citrus is now available all year around. 

Table 31. Availability of Oranges in the U.S. Marketplace (A = Available, P = 

Peak). 

Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

California P P P P P P A A A P P P

Florida A A A A A A A A A

Texas P P A A A A A

Australia A A

Table 32. Availability of Lemons in the U.S. Marketplace (A = Available, P = Peak). 

Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Arizona A A A A A A A A A

California P P P P P P P P P P P P

Chile A A

Spain A A P A

Table 33. Availability of Grapefruit in the U.S. Marketplace (A = Available, P = 

Peak). 

Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

California A A A A A P P P P P A A

Florida P P P P P A A P P P

Texas P P P A A A P P P

Bahamas A A A
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Specific Citrus Variety Availability:

In Florida, most oranges bloom in March-April and there is three main production 

seasons. Early varieties, such as ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Parson Brown’, reach maturity in 

October through January. The midseason varieties such as the ‘Pineapple Orange’ reach 

maturity in December-February. Late season varieties such as the ‘Valencia’ mature 

from February-June. For harvesting citrus in California and Florida see Tables 34 and 

35, respectively. 

TABLE 34: 

Sunkist California Varietals Chart

(http://www.sunkist.com/products/varietal_chart.asp
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Table 35. Florida Citrus Harvesting Periods. (Adapted from Ferguson, J.J. 2002.

Your Florida Dooryard Citrus Guide - Appendices, Definitions and Glossary. Univ 

FL. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural 

Sciences, University of Florida. Document HS 891. (http://edis.ifas.ufl.ed).
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Citrus Variety Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. 

Navel X X X X

Ambersweet X X X X

Hamlin X X X X

Parson Brown X X X X

Pineapple X X X

Sunstar X X X X

Midsweet X X X

Gardner X X X

Valencia X X X X

Duncan X X X X X X

Marsh X X X X X X X

Redblush (Ruby) X X X X X X X

Star Ruby X X X X X X

Minneola tangelo X X X

Orlando tangelo X X X

Nova tangelo X X

Robinson tangerine X X X

Sunburst tangerine X X

Dancy tangerine X X

Murcott (Honey tangerine) X X X

Temple orange X X X

Osceola X X

Fallglow X X

Page mandarin X X X X X

Owari (satsuma) X X

Ponkan mandarin X X

Tahiti (Persian) lime X X X X

Key Lime (Mexican) X X X X X X X X X X X X

Meyer lemon X X X X X

Bearss lemon X X X X X X

Calamondin X X X X X X
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Nagami kumquat X X X X X X

Melwa kumquat X X X X X X

Limequat X X X X X

Midsweet X X X

Sunstar X X X X

Specific Information on Florida Citrus Fruit Varieties – Followup to Table 35

(Adapted from J.J. Ferguson, 2002, Walleim, 1996 and Tucker, 1995).

Sweet Oranges (Representative for Crop Subgroup 10A):

The sweet oranges grown in Florida can be divided into three broad seasonal

categories: ‘Hamlin’, ‘Parson Brown’, ‘Ambersweet’, and navels are considered earlyseason cultivars; ‘Pineapple orange’ is a mid-season cultivar; and ‘Valencia’ is a lateseason cultivar. 

Early-Season Oranges are harvested October to January.

The ‘Hamlin’ orange has a high degree of cold tolerance especially with early 

harvest before winter freezes. Fruit yield is high and juice has a light color. The fruit 

stores well on the tree but is susceptible to splitting and creasing and there are 0 – 6 seeds 

per fruit. 

The ‘Parson Brown’ orange is an early season orange that can be harvested 

slightly earlier than ‘Hamlin’. Its seediness and lower fruit yields make it less desirable 

than ‘Hamlin’ for fresh fruit. There are 0 - 30 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Ambersweet’ orange is moderately cold hardy. The fruit can usually be 

harvested prior to damaging freezes. Fruit resembles navel orange, peels easily, has good 

fruit and juice color at maturity, but varies greatly in seediness. This is a newer cultivar; 

so many questions remain about fruit production and fruit quality. This one is a very

good early-season orange cultivar for either fresh fruit and/or juice. There are 0 - 30 

seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Navel’ orange is considered an early season orange and is harvested October to 

January. Navels differ from other oranges by having a rudimentary secondary fruit 

embedded at the blossom end of the fruit. Premature yellowing and rot of this secondary

fruit often results in premature fruit drop. The fruit peels relatively easily and sections 

well. If juiced, drink within several hours before a bitter flavor develops. It tends to 

require more precise irrigation and nutrition management. Two periods of fruit drop, 
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early- and late-summer, account for 15 - 20 percent of the crop in some years. ‘Cara 

Cara navel’ is used for salads because of its near-crimson flesh. There are 0 - 6 seeds per 

fruit. 

Mid-Season Oranges are generally harvested December – March.

The ‘Pineapple orange’ is harvested December to February. This leading midseason cultivar has good external color and internal quality but is the least cold hardy of 

orange varieties. It is subject to alternate bearing, pre-harvest fruit drop during heavy 

crop years, creasing and pitting. There are 15 – 25 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Sunstar’ orange is harvested December to March. This variety has slightly 

darker juice color than ‘Hamlin ‘and about as much fruit. It is more cold hardy and 

subject to less pre-harvest fruit drop than ‘Pineapple’ orange. It ripens about the same 

time as ‘Pineapple’. 

The ‘Midsweet’ orange is harvested January to March. ‘Midsweet’ ripens later 

that ‘Pineapple’ and holds well on the tree. Fruit yield and quality are about the same as 

‘Hamlin’ but juice color is deeper. 

The ‘Gardner’ orange is harvested January to March. This midseason orange ripens 

around February 1, about the same time as ‘Midsweet’. ‘Gardner’ is about as cold hardy

as ‘Sunstar’ and ‘Midsweet’.

Late-Season Oranges: 

The ‘Valencia’ orange is the main late season orange and is harvested March to June. 

This cultivar carries two crops on the tree after bloom, the current season’s crop and the 

previous season's crop that takes about 15 months to mature. With its excellent internal 

fruit quality and juice color, the ‘Valencia’ is the most important sweet orange variety.

The tree tends towards alternate bearing. Fruit stores well on the tree and may regreen 

late in the season. ‘Valencia’ orange has superior peel and flesh color. There are 0 – 6

seeds per fruit. 

Grapefruit (Representative for Crop Subgroup 10C):
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Two basic types of grapefruit are grown in Florida, the white-fleshed (‘Marsh’

and ‘Duncan’) and the pink-fleshed or colored grapefruit (‘Redblush’, ‘Thompson’, 

‘Flame’).

The ‘Duncan’ grapefruit is harvested from December to May. It produces seedy, 

high quality fresh fruit with pale, yellow flesh. This grapefruit is popular for using the 

sectioning in deserts. There are 30 - 70 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Marsh’ grapefruit is harvested from November to May. This seedless fruit 

with pale yellow flesh and large, has a open cavity in center, and is used commercially

for juice. There are 0 - 6 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Redblush’ grapefruit is also harvested from November to May. It is a widely 

grown ruby red grapefruit used for juice and cocktail products. The peel is a pink blush 

and the flesh pink to pale red. There are 0 - 6 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Star Ruby’ grapefruit is harvested from December to May. Peel has a darkpink blush; flesh is deep red with a smooth peel. These trees are less cold hardy than 

other grapefruit cultivars and more susceptible to foot rot.

Other grapefruit cultivars include ‘Thompson’, ‘Ray Ruby’, ‘Flame’, and ‘Rio 

Red’. Seeds: and they contain 0 - 6 seeds per fruit. 

Tangerine or Mandarin and Mandarin Type Fruits (Representative for Crop 

Subgroup 10A):

Tangerines or mandarins include fruit of small to medium-size; loose rind and 

fruit sections; with a distinctive flavor, color and aroma; and excellent eating out-of-hand 

qualities. Trees are usually very cold tolerant. The peel on some mandarins tears easily, 

so harvesting is done by cutting the stem with pruning shears. Seed numbers generally

vary with the degree of cross-pollination. 

‘Minneola’ tangelo is harvested from December to February. This fruit has a 

characteristic flavor that often exhibits a prominent neck at the stem end. Fruit 

production is enhanced by cross-pollination. Trees are extremely cold hardy, but highly

susceptible to Alternaria brown spot. There are 7 - 12 seeds per fruit. 

‘Orlando’ tangelo is harvested from November to January. This early-season 

cultivar produces a large, cold-hardy tree with cup-shaped leaves. Trees must be 

fertilized more heavily and frequently than most other cultivars, especially with nitrogen, 
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as foliage tends to turn yellow in the fall and late winter. It bears fruit within 3 - 4 years 

as a seedling tree, and is moderately susceptible to Alternaria brown spot. There are 0 -

35 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Robinson’ tangerine is harvested from October to December. Crosspollination required for this early tangerine of excellent eating quality. Fruit tends to dryout early on vigorous rootstocks, is thin-skinned, and susceptible to splitting. It is one of 

the more cold-hardy cultivars, but susceptible to twig and limb dieback. There are 1 - 20 

seeds per fruit.

‘Sunburst’ tangerine is harvested from November to December. Cross-pollination 

required. Foliage and twigs are highly susceptible to environmental stress and rust mite 

damage. This thin-skinned fruit is also susceptible to splitting. There are 1 - 20 seeds per 

fruit. 

‘Murcott’ or ‘Honey’ tangerine is harvested from January to March. It has 

excellent eating-quality but heavy alternate bearing sometimes results in limb breakage 

and tree collapse. Trees are normally cold hardy, but highly susceptible to cold damage 

when heavily laden with fruit, which is also susceptible to scab. The fruit is borne on the 

outside canopy, resulting in susceptibility to wind scaring and sunburn. There are 10 - 20 

seeds per fruit.

The ‘Dancy’ tangerine is harvested from December to January. It produces large 

crops of small fruit, though highly susceptible to Alternaria brown spot. Limb breakage 

may also occur with heavy crops. The fruit is excellent in quality and peels so easily it 

must be hand clipped to harvest. There are 6 – 20 seeds per fruit. 

The ‘Temple’ orange is harvested from January to March. It is an excellent eatingquality fruit with a pebbly rind that is easily peeled. Mature fresh fruit and juice are of 

superior flavor and color. The trees are very sensitive to citrus scab, cold temperatures 

and aphids. There are 15 - 20 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Osceola’ is a citrus hybrid that is harvested from October to November. 

Cross-pollination is required to produce this small, highly colored but seedy fruit. The 

tree is relatively cold hardy, but susceptible to scab. Fruit is also clipped to harvest. 

There are 15 - 25 seeds per fruit. 

‘Fallglow’ is a citrus hybrid that is harvested from October to November. The fruit 

is juicy, may have a tart taste, and are usually larger than other citrus hybrids. The tree is 

not as cold hardy as most citrus hybrids and is highly susceptible to aphids. There are 20 

- 25 seeds per fruit.
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‘Page’ mandarin is harvested from October to February. It bears many small fruit 

of excellent eating quality. The tree is relatively cold hardy, but susceptible to scab. 

There are 0 - 25 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Owari’ mandarin is harvested from September to November. The trees have a 

characteristic, open-growth habit with less foliage than other cultivars, and perform well 

on trifoliate orange rootstock. It produces its best-quality fruit in northern areas of 

Florida. Fruit achieves excellent eating quality before good external color appears, but 

does not store well on the tree. It is also clipped at harvest. There are 0 - 6 seeds per 

fruit.

The Acid Citrus Fruit Types (Representative for Crop Subgroup 10B):

This acid citrus fruit includes lemons, limes and citrons. They usually bloom more 

frequently than other cultivars and are highly cold-sensitive. 

The ’Tahiti’ or ‘Persian’ lime is harvested from June to September. These thorny trees 

are highly susceptible to cold injury, limiting their culture to southern Florida. Fruit is 

large, acid, and harvested while green. Maturity is based on size and juice content since 

fruit is pale yellow when fully mature. There are 0 – 1 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Key’ or ‘Mexican’ lime is harvested year around. The small fruit are prized for 

the lime flavor they give pies. Juice is also used as condiment. They are susceptible to 

the cold, so these trees can be grown outdoors only in south Florida, and should be 

container-grown and moved inside during cold weather in other areas. Key lime will 

produce flowers repeatedly, so fruit in various stages of development are found on the 

tree at the same time. There are 3 - 8 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Meyer’ lemon is harvested from November to March. This variety's coldhardiness makes it a popular selection for dooryard plantings. It has a low-spreading 

growth habit with few thorns. The fruit are relatively large with high juice content, a 

smooth skin, and lower acid levels than other lemon varieties. There are 0 - 10 seeds per 

fruit.

The ‘Bearss’ lemon is harvested from July to December. Trees are very vigorous, 

thorny, and sensitive to cold. Continuous growth makes it difficult to control tree size. 

There are 1 – 6 seeds per fruit.

Other Citrus Fruits:
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The Calamondin is harvested from November to April. This acid fruit flavors drinks, 

marmalades and jellies. Popular in landscapes and ornamental containers, rooted cuttings 

of this cultivar are also widely marketed as "miniature oranges" for use as a winter 

houseplant. While rooted cuttings grow like shrubs, budded trees can reach 15 - 20 feet 

and are cold-hardy. There are 3 - 5 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Nagami’ kumquat is harvested from November to April. This oblong or eggshaped fruit has an acid taste and bright-orange color. There are 0 - 3 seeds per fruit.

The ‘Meiwa’ kumquat is harvested from November to April. The peel and pulp 

of these large, round fruit have a pleasant spicy-sweet taste, and are used for preserves

and candied fruit. The tree is compact and foliage is dark green. Trees are used in home 

and commercial landscaping and are quite cold-hardy. There are 1 - 6 seeds per fruit

The Limequat is harvested from November to March. The hybrids of limequat 

are ‘Eustis’, ‘Lakeland’, and ‘Tavares’, hybrids of kumquats and the ‘West Indian’ or key

lime, all resemble the key lime in size, form and composition and are commonly

substituted for key lime. ‘Eustis’ and ‘Lakeland’ kumquats are similar in color to the key

lime where as the ‘Tavares’ limequat has more orange color. ‘Eustis’ and ‘Lakeland’ are 

sister hybrids of the ‘West Indian’ or key lime and the round or ‘Meiwa’ kumquat.

‘Tavares’ is a hybrid of key lime with the oval or ‘Nagami’ kumquat. All limequats are 

more cold resistant than key limes but less cold resistant than kumquats. There are few to 

many seeds in a limequat.

Storage Life of Citrus Fruits:

Most citrus may be stored for periods of up to one to two months at temperatures 

ranging from 32 - 40° F. Chilling injury is common in grapefruit, lemons, and limes 

when stored below 50°F, but rare in oranges and tangerines. A unique aspect of citrus is 

the ability to store fruit on the tree. Fruit may reach minimum maturity standards in early 

winter, but since they are nonclimacteric, they ripen slowly and will not soften or abscise 

for periods up to several months. 

In general citrus fruits have a relatively long storage time for the fresh marketplace (See 

Table 36). The lemon has the longest storage life at 4 – 4 weeks and the tangerine the 

shortest at 2 – 4 weeks. 
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Table 36. Approximate Storage Life of Citrus Fruits in Commercial Storage 

(Adapted Hardenburg, et al., 1986).

Commodity Approximate Storage Life With Proper 

Storage Temperatures

Blood orange 3 – 8 weeks

Calamondin 2 weeks

Grapefruit 6 – 8 weeks

Jaffa orange 8 – 12 weeks

Kumquat 2 – 4 weeks

Lemon 4 - 24 weeks

Lime 2 – 8 weeks

Orange – CA and AZ 3 – 8 weeks

Orange – FL and TX 8 – 12 weeks

Tangerine 2 – 4 weeks

Uniq fruit 2 – 3 weeks

CHANGES TO EPA DATABASES NEEDED FROM REVISIONS TO THE 

CITRUS FRUIT CROP GROUP:

The revisions to the amended Citrus Fruit Crop Group 10 will affect the need to 

update many Risk Assessment Models, Residue Chemistry Guidelines, OPP databases, 

and/or HED Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

The affected EPA databases may include the following:

(1) Risk Assessment Models - The terminology in the Food Exposure Modules 

of our current Risk assessment Models from DEEM-FCID, Lifeline, and Cares will need 

to be updated to reflect new terminology and the new Crop Group terminology.

(2) EPA Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines (OPPTS 860.1000, Background), 

Table 1 Raw Agricultural and Processed Commodities and Feedstuffs Derived from 

Crops and EPA Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines (OPPTS 860.1000, Background), 

EPA Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines (OPPTS 860.1500, Crop Field Trials), Table 5 

Suggested Distribution of Field Trials by Region for Crops Requiring > 3 trials and Table 

6 Regional Distribution of Crop Production. 

Any differences between the EPA and NAFTA Crop Production Regions after the 

NAFTA Regions are updated will be addressed by the ICCGR Workgroup or by the EPA 

HED ChemSAC. The EPA Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines (OPPTS 860.1500, Crop 

Field Trials) Table 5 Suggested Distribution of Field Trials by Region for Crops 

Requiring >3 trials and Table 6 Regional Distribution of Crop Production will be updated 

to reflect more recent crop production information. There is no conflict with Canada.
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(3) Health Effects Division Standard Operating Procedures: HED SOP 99.3 -–

“Translation of Monitoring Data” issued March 26, 1999. This policy provides 

guidance on translating pesticide monitoring data from one commodity to other similar 

commodities. Most of the monitoring data is from the USDA Pesticide Data Program 

(PDP) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The policy is based on the crop 

groupings in the 40 CFR 180.41. 

There is an entry for oranges in which the residue data can be translated to all the 

members of the Citrus Fruit Group 10. USDA PDP peels the oranges before they analyze 

them for pesticide residues. The policy does not have to be updated at this time, since it 

will be applicable to the whole crop group.

(4) HED SOP 99.6 - “Classification of Food Forms with Respect to Level of 

Blending” issued August 20, 1999. This SOP provides rationale and guidance to HED 

on revised criteria for inputting residue values and pesticide usage information into acute 

dietary exposure and risk assessments based on commodities. These revisions permit the 

Agency to more fully utilize data generated by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.

Some of the Citrus Fruit Crop Group members are included in the HED SOP 99.6. 

See Table 36 below. Other members not in the original SOP will need to be added to the 

HED SOP 99.6. All of the oils are considered refined and blended, while the seeds can 

be uncooked, cooked, baked, or boiled.

TABLE 37. Classification of Food Forms with Respect to Level of Blending for the 

Citrus Fruit Crop Group. (HED SOP 99.6, April 20, 1999). 

COMMODITY FOOD FORM CLASSIFICATION

Citron citrus 13-- Baked PB - Partially blended

Citron citrus 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Grapefruit - peel 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Grapefruit - juice 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Grapefruit - juice 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Grapefruit – juice - concentrate 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Grapefruit – peeled fruit 11 - Uncooked NB – Not blended

Grapefruit – peeled fruit 12 – Cooked: NFS NB – Not blended

Grapefruit – peeled fruit 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 13 - Baked PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 15 - Fried PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 32 – Canned: Cooked:NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 34 – Canned: Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon-juice 41 – Frozen: Cooked PB - Partially blended

Lemon juice - concentrate 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon juice - concentrate 13-- Baked PB - Partially blended

Lemon juice - concentrate 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon juice - concentrate 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended
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COMMODITY FOOD FORM CLASSIFICATION

Lemon juice - concentrate 34 – Canned: Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon juice - concentrate 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 13-- Baked PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 34 – Canned: Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lemon - peel 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lemon – peeled fruit 11 - Uncooked NB – Not blended

Lemon – peeled fruit 12 – Cooked: NFS NB – Not blended

Lemon – peeled fruit 31 – Canned: NFS NB – Not blended

Lime - juice 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 32 – Canned: Cooked:NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 34 – Canned: Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime - juice 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime – juice - concentrate 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime – juice - concentrate 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Lime - peel 13-- Baked PB - Partially blended 

Lime - peel 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Lime peeled fruit 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Orange -juice 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Orange -juice 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange -juice 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange -juice 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 13-- Baked PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 14 – Boiled PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange – juice - concentrate 42 – Frozen: Cooked PB - Partially blended

Orange - peel 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Orange - peel 12 – Cooked: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange - peel 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange - peel 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Orange – peeled fruit 11 - Uncooked NB – Not blended

Orange – peeled fruit 12 – Cooked: NFS NB – Not blended

Orange – peeled fruit 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended 

Tangelo 11 - Uncooked NB – Not blended

Tangerine 11 - Uncooked NB – Not blended

Tangerine 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Tangerine 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Tangerine - juice 11 - Uncooked PB - Partially blended

Tangerine - juice 31 – Canned: NFS PB - Partially blended

Tangerine - juice 41 – Frozen: NFS PB - Partially blended

Tangerine – juice - concentrate Tangerine – juice - concentrate PB - Partially blended
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(5) HED SOP 2000.1 – “Guidance for Translation of Field Trial Data from 

Representative Commodities in the Crop Group Regulation to Other Commodities 

in Each Crop Group/Subgroup” issued September 12, 2000.

There is no guidance in the SOP for the new Citrus Fruit Crop Subgroups, so the 

following guidance for translation of the representative commodities to other members of 

the group/subgroups will be provided below:

Current Crop Group 10: Citrus Fruits

Representative Commodities: Sweet orange, lemon, and grapefruit

CROP GROUP COMMODITY REPRESENTATIVE COMMODITY

 Calamondin Sweet orange

 Citrus citron Sweet orange

 Citrus hybrids Sweet orange

 Grapefruit Grapefruit

 Kumquat Sweet orange

 Lemon Lemon

 Lime Lemon

 Orange, sour Sweet orange

 Orange, sweet Sweet orange

 Pummelo Grapefruit

 Satsuma mandarin Sweet orange

 Tangerine Sweet orange

____________________________________________________________________

Proposed Crop Group 10-07: Citrus Fruits

Representative Commodities: Orange or tangerine*, lemon or lime, and 

grapefruit

CROP GROUP COMMODITY REPRESENTATIVE COMMODITY

 Australian desert lime Lemon or lime

 Australian finger lime Lemon or lime

 Australian round lime Lemon or lime

 Brown River finger lime Lemon or lime

 Calamondin Orange

 Citron Orange 

 Citrus hybrids Orange 

 Grapefruit Grapefruit

 Japanese summer grapefruit Grapefruit

 Kumquat Lemon or lime
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 Lemon Lemon

 Lime Lime or Lemon

 Mediterranean mandarin Tangerine

 Mount white lime Lemon or lime

 New Guinea wild lime Lemon or lime

 Orange, sour Orange

 Orange, sweet Orange

 Pummelo Grapefruit

 Russell River lime Lemon or lime

 Satsuma mandarin Tangerine or orange

 Sweet lime Lime or Lemon

 Tachibana orange Orange

 Tahiti lime Lime or lemon

 Tangelo Orange or tangerine or grapefruit

 Tangerine Tangerine

 Tangor Orange or tangerine

 Trifoliate orange Orange

 Uniq fruit Grapefruit

__________________________________________________________________

The proposed new translations of field trials from the representative commodities 

to other commodities in the Orange subgroup 10-07-A would be as follows:

Proposed Crop Subgroup 10-07A: Orange subgroup

Representative Commodity: Orange or tangerine/mandarin

CROP SUBGROUP COMMODITY REPRESENTATIVE COMMODITY

 Calamondin Orange

 Citrron Orange 

 Citrus hybrids Orange 

 Mediterranean mandarin Tangerine

 Orange, sour Orange

 Orange, sweet Orange

 Satsuma mandarin Tangerine

 Tachibana orange Orange

 Tangelo Orange or tangerine

 Tangerine Tangerine

 Tangor Orange or tangerine

 Trifoliate orange Orange

_________________________________________________________________
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The proposed new translations of field trials from the representative commodities 

to other commodities in the Lemon/lime subgroup 10-07-B would be as follows:

Proposed Crop Subgroup 10-07B: Lemon/Lime subgroup

Representative Commodity: Lemon or Lime

CROP SUBGROUP COMMODITY REPRESENTATIVE COMMODITY

 Australian desert lime Lemon or lime

 Australian finger lime Lemon or lime

 Australian round lime Lemon or lime

 Brown River finger lime Lemon or lime

 Kumquat Lemon or lime

 Lemon Lemon

 Lime Lime

 Lime, sweet Lemon or lime

 Mount white lime Lemon or lime

 New Guinea wild lime Lemon or lime

 Russell River lime Lemon or lime

 Tahiti lime Lime or lemon

________________________________________________________________________

The proposed new translations of field trials from the representative commodities 

to other commodities in the Grapefruit subgroup 10-07C would be as follows:

Proposed Crop Subgroup 10-07C: Grapefruit subgroup

Representative Commodity: Grapefruit

CROP SUBGROUP COMMODITY REPRESENTATIVE COMMODITY

 Grapefruit Grapefruit

 Japanese summer grapefruit Grapefruit

 Pummelo Grapefruit

 Tangelo Grapefruit

 Uniq fruit Grapefruit

________________________________________________________________________
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(6) HED Dry Matter Database will be updated to add the Table below:

Table 38. Health Effects Division Dry Matter and Seeding Rate Database. 

Citrus Fruit Crop Group. Prepared by Dr’s. NG and B. A. Schneider. June 2007.

Commodity % Dry Matter

Calamondin 10.2

Citrus, dried pulp 87.0, 91.0

Citrus, juice 12.0

Citrus, molasses 67.0

Citrus, oil 0.0

Grapefruit, white 19.5

Grapefruit, pink 19.1

Grapefruit, juice 10.0, 11.8

Lemon 7.9, 11.0, 13.6, 13.7

Lemon, juice 9.0, 19.0

Lemon, peel 18.3, 18.4

Lime 10.3, 10.7, 11.8, 12.0

Lime, juice 9.7, 10.0

Orange 13.0, 13.9, 17.7

Orange, juice 11.7, 12.0

Orange, naval 13.0

Orange, peel 27.5, 28.0

Orange, Valencia 13.8

Pummelo 10.9, 11.0

Tangerine 12.0, 12.4, 13.0

Tangerine, juice 11.1, 13.0
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Commodity Definitions:

COMMODITY DEFINITIONS [(40 CFR ' 180.1(h)]:

There are currently two commodity definitions for Citrus fruits and tangerines and 

four other proposed for grapefruit, lemon, lime, and orange that need to be discussed. 

Current 40 CFR ' 180.1(g):

Tolerances and exemptions established for pesticide chemicals in or on the general category of raw agricultural 

commodities listed in column A apply to the corresponding specific raw agricultural commodities listed in 

column B. However, a tolerance or exemption for a specific commodity in column B does not apply to the 

general category in column A.

 A B --------------------------------------------------------------------

Current Citrus fruits Commodity Definition:

Citrus fruits..................................Grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, tangelos, tangerines, 

citrus citron, kumquats and hybrids of these. 

Current Tangerines Commodity Definition:

Tangerines..................................Tangerines (mandarins or mandarin oranges), tangelos, 

tangors, and other hybrids of tangerines with other fruits. 

Proposed Tangerine Commodity Definition:

Tangerine..................................Tangerine (mandarin or mandarin orange), clementine, 

Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, tangelo, tangor, and cultivars, varieties, or 

hybrids of tangerines with other fruits. 

Proposed Commodity Definitions for Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime and Orange.

Grapefruit..................................Grapefruit, pummelo, shaddock, tangelo, Uniq fruit, and 

cultivars, varieties, or hybrids of grapefruit with other fruits. 

Proposed Commodity Definitions for Lemon:

Lemon..................................Lemon, Australian finger lime, Australian round lime, Brown 

River finger lime, calamondin, kumquats, lime, Mount white lime, New Guinea wild 

lime, Russell River lime, sweet lime, Tahiti lime, and varieties and/or hybrids of these

lemons with other fruits. 
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Proposed Commodity Definitions for Lime:

Lime..................................Lime, Australian desert lime, Australian finger lime, 

Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, calamondin, kumquats, lemon, Mount 

White-lime, New Guinea wild lime, Russell River lime, sweet lime, Tahiti lime, and 

varieties and/or hybrids of these limes with other fruits. 

Proposed Commodity Definitions for Orange:

Orange.................................Orange, Calamondin, Citrus citron, Mediterranean mandarin, 

Satsuma mandarin, Sour oranges, Sweet oranges, Tachibana orange, Tangerine 

(Mandarin), Tangor, Trifoliate orange, and varieties and/or hybrids of these. 

HED Recommendations on Commodity Definitions:

I recommend ChemSAC reject the established and proposed updated commodity

definition for citrus fruits. It is essentially a repeat of the commodities in the Citrus fruit 

group 10, and while it may be useful for labeling citrus fruits is no longer a tolerance 

term, because we have an expanded citrus fruit group and several other commodity

definitions such as tangerine are more specific to certain citrus.

I recommend updating the tangerine commodity definition as follows:

Tangerine..................................Tangerine (mandarin or mandarin orange), clementine, 

Mediterranean mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, tangelo, tangor, and cultivars, varieties, 

and/or hybrids of tangerines with other fruits. 

This will help in clarifying what other citrus fruits a tangerine will cover. 

Grapefruit..................................Grapefruit, Japanese summer grapefruit, pummelo, 

shaddock, tangelo, Uniq fruit, and cultivars, varieties, and/or hybrids of grapefruit with 

other fruits. 

This will also clarify what commodities are covered by grapefruit tolerances and 

follows the EPA Commodity Reviewer’s Guide approved by ChemSAC, 2006. The 

inclusion of cultivars, varieties and hybrids will leave no doubt which specific related 

varieties are covered. 

I recommend establishing a new commodity definition for lemon as follows:

Lemon..................................Lemon, lime, and cultivars, varieties, and/or hybrids of 

lemon with other fruits. 
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107

This commodity definition is mainly to show lemons also can cover limes. The 

list of many of the limes is not necessary for lemon and they will be included in the lime 

commodity definition. 

I recommend establishing a new commodity definition for lime as follows:

Lime..................................Lime, Australian desert lime, Australian finger lime, 

Australian round lime, Brown River finger lime, lemon, Mount White lime, New Guinea 

wild lime, Russell River lime, Sweet lime, Tahiti lime, and cultivars, varieties and/or 

hybrids of these limes with other fruits. 

I recommend establishing a new commodity definition for orange as follows:

Orange.................................Orange, sweet orange, sour orange, calamondin, tachibana 

orange, tangelo, trifoliate orange, and cultivars, varieties and/or hybrids of these oranges 

with other fruits. 

I recommend establishing a new commodity definition for grapefruit as follows:

TOLERANCE EXPRESSION GUIDANCE:

Until the Federal Register Notice is issued revising the Crop Group Regulation to 

establish the amended Citrus Fruit Crop Group 10 with three Crop subgroups the 

commodities approved for the crop group and subgroups will have to be listed as separate 

commodities at the same tolerance level. This also applied to the new Crop subgroups, 

the individual commodities will have to be listed separately with each at the same 

tolerance level. When ChemSAC approves the Citrus fruit crop group 10, the Risk 

Integration, Minor Use, and Emergency Response Branch (RIMUERB) of the 

Registration Division can immediately implement the new Crop Group and Crop 

Subgroups with new tolerance expressions located in the Section F submissions. The 

seven tolerance expression examples will provide an expedited way to establish 

tolerances in or on citrus fruit crops, especially for new reduced risk pesticides, without 

requiring additional residue data for all the crops noted. This will create a practice in the 

United States which is already formalized in Canada and promote international 

harmonization. Several tolerance expression examples for guidance purposes for use by 

RIMUERB and HED reviewers will be listed below:
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108

Example 1. What is the tolerance expression for the amended Citrus Fruit Crop Group 

10?

Answer to Example 1:

The tolerance expression for the amended Citrus Fruit Crop Group 10 will be “Fruit, 

citrus, group 10.”

Example 2. What is the correct Section F tolerance expression for the three new Citrus 

Fruit Subgroups?

Answer to Example 2:

The tolerance expression for the three New Citrus Fruit Crop Subgroups is as follows: 

Name of Crop Subgroup Tolerance Expression for the Crop 

Subgroup

Orange subgroup 10A Orange subgroup 10–07A

Lemon/Lime subgroup 10B Lemon/Lime subgroup 10–07B

Grapefruit subgroup 10C Grapefruit subgroup 10–07C

Example 3: How will the Crop group and subgroups appear in the Federal Register for 

the proposed crop group regulation [40CFR 180.41(c)]? This example is for the Field 

and External Affairs Division (FEAD) use in preparing the new Federal Register 

Regulation. The example follows the same format as the current Crop Grouping 

Regulation Federal Register Notice (FR 60, No.95, 5/17/95, 26626-26643) and the 

Proposed Expansion of the Crop Groups (FR 72, No. 99, 5/23/07, 28920-228930).

Answer to Example 3:

“Crop Group 10-07: Citrus Fruit Crop Group”.

Representative commodities. Orange or tangerine, lemon or lime, and Grapefruit 

Commodities Related crop subgroups

Australian desert lime, Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) 

Swingle

10-07B

Australian finger lime, Microcitrus australasica (F. 

Muell.) Swingle

10-07B
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109

Australian round lime, Microcitrus australis (A. 

Cunn. ex Mudie) Swingle

10-07B

Brown River finger lime, Microcitrus papuana

Winters

10-07B

Calamondin, Citrus madurensis Lour. 10-07A

Citron, Citrus medica L 10-07A

Citrus hybrids, Citrus spp. and Fortunella spp. 10-07A

Grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi Macfad. 10-07C

Japanese summer grapefruit, Citrus natsudaidai

Hayata

10-07C

Kumquat, Fortunella spp. 10-07B

Lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. 10-07B

Lime, Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle 10-07B

Mediterranean Mandarin, Citrus nobilis Loureiro 

var. deliciosa Swingle

10-07A

Mount White lime, Microcitrus garrowayae (F. M. 

Bailey) Swingle

10-07B

New Guinea wild lime, Microcitrus warburgiana (F. 

M. Bailey) Tanaka

10-07B

Orange, sour, Citrus aurantium L. 10-07A

Orange, sweet, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck 10-07A

Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. 10-07C

Russell River lime, Microcitrus inodora (F. M. 

Bailey) Swingle

10-07B

Satsuma mandarin, Citrus unshiu Marcow. 10-07A

Sweet lime, Citrus limetta Risso 10-07B

Tachibana orange, Citrus tachibana (Makino) 

Tanaka

10-07A

Tahiti Lime, Citrus latifolia Tan. 10-07B

Tangelo, Citrus x tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. 

Moore

10-07A, 10-07C

Tangerine (Mandarin), Citrus reticulata Blanco 10-07A

Tangor, Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis 10-07A

Trifoliate orange, Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. 10-07A

Uniq fruit Citrus aurantium Tangelo group 10-07C

Varieties, cultivars and/or hybrids of these
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(i) Table. The following Table 2 identifies the crop subgroups for Crop Group 10, 

specifies the representative commodities for each subgroup and lists all the 

commodities included in each subgroup.

TABLE 2 -Crop Group 10: Subgroup Listing

Representative commodities Commodities

Subgroup 10-07A: Orange subgroup.

Orange or tangerine/mandarin.

Calamondin; Citron; Citrus hybrids;

Mediterranean Mandarin; Orange, sour;

Orange, sweet; Satsuma mandarin;

Tachibana orange; Tangerine (Mandarin);

Tangelo, Tangor; Trifoliate orange;

varieties, cultivars and/or hybrids of these. 

Subgroup 10-07B. Lemon/lime subgroup.

Lemon or lime.

Australian desert lime; Australian fingerlime; Australian round lime; Brown River 

finger lime; Kumquat; Lemon; Lime;

Mount White. Lime; New Guinea wild 

lime; Russell River Lime; Sweet lime, 

Tahiti Lime; varieties, cultivars and/or 

hybrids of these.

Subgroup 10-07C: Grapefruit subgroup.

Grapefruit 

Grapefruit; Japanese summer grapefruit;

Pummelo; Tangelo; Uniq fruit; varieties, 

cultivars and/or hybrids of these.

Example 4: How will I express the tolerances on an interim basis until the 

Federal Register Notice is final for the Citrus fruit group 10-07, for example at a 

tolerance level of 1.5 ppm? This example will be useful for the Registration Division 

(RD) and Health Effects Division (HED) to prepare tolerance tables. All the new 

proposed commodities will have to be listed separately from the crop group tolerance and 

at the same level as the crop group.

Answer to Example 4:

Commodity Parts per million (ppm)

Calamondin 1.5

Citron 1.5

Citrus hybrids 1.5

Grapefruit 1.5

Grapefruit, Japanese summer 1.5

Kumquat 1.5

Lemon 1.5
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111

Commodity Parts per million (ppm)

Lime 1.5

Lime, Australian desert 1.5

Lime, Australian finger 1.5

Lime, Australian round 1.5

Lime, Brown River finger 1.5

Lime, Mount white 1.5

Lime, New Guinea wild 1.5

Lime, Russell River 1.5

Lime, Sweet 1.5

Lime, Tahiti 1.5

Mandarin, Mediterranean 1.5

Mandarin, Satsuma 1.5

Orange, sour 1.5

Orange, sweet 1.5

Orange, tachibana 1.5

Orange, trifoliate 1.5

Pummelo 1.5

Tangelo 1.5

Tangerine 1.5

Tangor 1.5

Uniq fruit 1.5 

Cultivars, varieties and/or hybrids of those above commodities 

Example 5: How will I express the tolerances on an interim basis until the 

Federal Register Notice is final for the Orange subgroup 10-07A for example at a 

tolerance level of 1.5 ppm? This example will be useful for the Registration Division 

(RD) and Health Effects Division (HED) to prepare tolerance tables.

Answer to Example 5 for the Orange subgroup 10-07A:

Commodity Parts per million (ppm)

Calamondin 1.5

Citron 1.5

Citrus hybrids 1.5

Mandarin, Mediterranean 1.5

Mandarin, Satsuma 1.5

Orange, sour 1.5

Orange, sweet 1.5

Orange, tachibana 1.5

Orange, trifoliate 1.5

Tangelo 1.5

Tangerine 1.5

Tangor, 1.5

Cultivars, varieties, and/or hybrids of those above commodities 
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112

Example 6: How will I express the tolerances on an interim basis until the 

Federal Register Notice is final for the Lemon/lime subgroup 10-07-B, for example at a 

tolerance level of 1.5 ppm? This example will be useful for the Registration Division 

(RD) and Health Effects Division (HED) to prepare tolerance tables.

Answer to Example 6 for the Lemon/lime subgroup 10-07B:

Commodity Parts per million (ppm)

Kumquat 1.5

Lemon 1.5

Lime 1.5

Lime, Australian desert 1.5

Lime, Australian finger 1.5

Lime, Australian round 1.5

Lime, Brown River finger 1.5

Lime, Mount White 1.5

Lime, New Guinea wild 1.5

Lime, Russell River 1.5

Lime, Sweet 1.5

Lime, Tahiti 1.5

Cultivars, varieties, and/or hybrids of those above commodities 

Example 7: How will I express the tolerances on an interim basis until the 

Federal Register Notice is final for the Grapefruit subgroup 10-07C, for example at a 

tolerance level of 1.5 ppm? This example will be useful for the Registration Division 

(RD) and Health Effects Division (HED) to prepare tolerance tables.

Answer to Example 7 for the Grapefruit subgroup 10-07C:

Commodity Parts per million (ppm)

Grapefruit 1.5

Grapefruit, Japanese summer 1.5

Pummelo 1.5

Tangelo 1.5

Uniq fruit 1.5

Cultivars, varieties, and/or hybrids of those above commodities 
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EPA FOOD AND FEED COMMODITY VOCABULARY FOR THE CITRUS 

FRUIT CROP GROUP:

The following terms for the oilseed commodities will be incorporated to the EPA 

Food and Feed Commodity Database (http://www.epa.govopp/foodfeed). The Table 39 

below is identical to the current Food and Feed Commodity Vocabulary format. A search 

of the lookup terms will link to the EPA preferred tolerance/commodity term, and the 

Base crop/Animal term is the specific crop animal terms associated with the preferred 

term. Until the Federal Register Notice for the Crop Group is final, the Crop Group 

designation on each term will be listed as no crop group or crop subgroup and given the 

crop group 99 for the present. 

Table 39. EPA FOOD AND FEED COMMODITY VOCABULARY

SEARCH OR LOOKUP TERM FOR 

CITRUS FRUIT COMMODITIES

PREFERRED 

TOLERANCE TERM

BASE 

CROP/ANIMAL 

TERM

Australian desert lime; Desert lime; 

australische Wüstenlimette; Lime, 

Australian desert

Lime, Australian desert lime Australian desert lime

Australian finger lime; Australische 

limette; Lime, Australian finger 

Lime, Australian finger Australian finger lime

Australian round lime; Australian lime;

Dooja; Australische Limette

Lime, Australian round Australian round lime

Brown river finger lime; Lime, brown 

river finger

Lime, brown river finger Brown river finger lime

Calamondin; Golden lime; Lime, golden; 

Scarlet lime; Lime, scarlet; Panama 

orange; Orange, panama; Chinese 

orange; Orange, Chinese; Calamansi; 

Kalamansi; Kalamondin; Philippine lime

Calamondin Calamondin

Citron, citrus; Citrus citron; Citron; 

Citron melon; Corsican citron; Diamante 

citron; Esrog; Ethrog; Etrog; Leghorn 

citron; Preserving melon; Stock melon; 

Cidra; Limon cidra; Etrog; Esrik; Citron 

citrus; Budda hand

Citron Citron

Tangor, Citrange, Citrangequat, 

Citrangedin, Limequat, Uniq fruit, 

Tangelolo, Tangelo, Chironja, Ugli fruit, 

Oro Blanco, Orangelo, King orange, 

Orange, king; Temple orange, 

Lemandarin, Rangpur lime, Mandarin 

lime, Otaheite orange

Citrus hybrids Citrus hybrids

Grapefruit; Toronja; Pomelo; Toronjo Grapefruit Grapefruit

Japanese summer grapefruit; Japanese 

summer orange; Dai dai mikan; 

Natsudaidai; Pomelo japonés de verano

Grapefruit, Japanese 

summer

Japanese summer 

grapefruit
114

114

Kumquat; cumquat; comquot; kin kan;

kin kit; too kin kan; kin; kin kuit; kuit 

xu; chu tsu; chantu kumquat; kumquat; 

laranja de ouro; dos orientalis; Kunquat; 

Comquot; Changshaw; Hongkong 

kumquat; Kumquat, dwarf; Round 

kumquat; Meiwa; Marumi kumquat; 

Cumquat; Oval kumquat; Nagami; 

Nagami kumquat; Cumquat tree; 

Nagami; Meiwa kumquat; Kumquat, 

Meiwa Sweet kumquat; Maylayan 

kumquat; Jiangsu kumquat; Swingles 

kumquat

Kumquat Kumquat

Lemon; Limon; Limon Amarillo; 

Lemon, Rough; Jambhiri orange; rough 

lemon

Lemon Lemon

Lime; key lime; lime, key; bartender 

lime; Mexican lime; West Indian lime; 

need more names

Lime Lime

Mediterranean mandarin; Mandarin, 

Mediterranean; Willowleaf mandarin

Mandarin, Mediterranean Mandarin, 

Mediterranean

Mount white lime; Lime, mount white Lime, Mount white Lime, Mount white

New Guinea wild lime; Lime, New

Guinea

Lime, New Guinea wild Lime, New Guinea wild

Orange, sour; Sour, orange; Orange, 

bergamot; Bergamot orange; Orange, 

bigarade; Birarade orange; Orange, 

bitter; Bitter orange; Orange, myrtleleaf; 

Myrtleleaf orange; Orange, Seville; 

Orange, servile; Orange, soap; Neroli; 

Petitgrain; Chinotto

Orange, sour Orange

Orange, sweet; Sweet, orange; ; Naranja; 

Orange, blood; Blood orange; Orange, 

China sweet; Orange, Chinese navel; 

Malta orange; Orange, malta; Orange, 

pigmented; Orange, sanguine; Orange, 

Valencia; Valencia orange; Valencia

Orange, sweet Orange

Pummelo; pummelo; Shaddock; 

Pommelo; Chinese grapefruit; 

Grapefruit, Chinese; Ugli; Unique fruit 

Pummelo Pummelo

Russell River lime; North Queensland 

lime; Lime, north Queensland

Lime, Russell river Russell river lime

Satsuma mandarin; Mandarin, Satsuma; 

Satsuma tangerine; Tangerine, tangerine

Mandarin, Satsuma Mandarin, Satsuma

Tachibana orange Orange, tachibana Tachibana orange

Tahiti lime; Lime, Tahiti; Persian lime; 

Lime, Persian

Lime, Tahiti Tahiti lime

Tangelo; citrus k early; k early citrus Tangelo Tangelo

Tangerine; Mandarin orange; Orange, 

mandarin; Cleopatra mandarin; Tankan 

mandarin;

Tangerine Tangerine

Tangor; temple tangor; tangor, temple Tangor Tangor

Trifoliate orange; Orange trifoliate Orange, trifoliate Trifoliate orange
115

115

Uniq fruit; Unique fruit; Ugly fruit; 

Uglifruit; Ugli®

Uniq fruit Uniq fruit

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APPENDIX I: Dietary Value of the Citrus Fruits:

Table A. Dietary Value of the Citrus Fruits, per 100 gram edible portion:

Sweet orange Grapefruit Tangerine Lemon Lime

Water (%) 88 90 87 90 88

Calories 44 40 44 27 37

Protein (%) 0.75 0.45 0.8 1.1 0.1

Fat (%) 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3

Carbohydrates (%) 10.3 9.5 10.9 8.2 12.3

Crude Fiber (%) 0.6 0.3 1.0 0.4 0.9

% of US RDA*

Vitamin A 4.0 0.2 (white)

8.8 (pink)

1.9 <1.0 <1.0

Thiamin, B1 6.4 2.8 5.6 2.9 3.1

Riboflavin, B2 1.9 1.2 1.7 1.2 1.1

Niacin 2.2 1.1 1.6 0.5 1.1

Vitamin C 109 84 76 118 88

Calcium 1.2 1.1 4.5 3.2 2.4

Phosphorus 2.1 1.9 2.2 2.0 1.9

Iron 2.5 2.0 4.0 6.0 2.6

Sodium --- --- --- --- ---

Potassium 4.2 3.4 2.3 2.9 2.1

* Percent of recommended daily allowance set
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TABLE B. Nutritional aspects: Per 100 g of Edible Portion of the Orange Contains:

Fruit 

(fresh)

Juice 

(fresh)*

Juice (canned, 

unsweetened, 

undiluted)

Frozen 

concentrate 

(unsweetened, 

undiluted)

Juice 

(dehydrated)

Orange 

Peel 

(raw)

Calories 47-51 40-48 223 158 380

Moisture 86.0 g 87.2-89.6 

g

42.0 g 58.2 g 1.0 g 72.5%

Protein 0.7-1.3 g 0.5-1.0 g 4.1 g 2.3 g 5.0 g 1.5 g

Fat 0.1-0.3 g 0.1-0.3 g 1.3 g 0.2 g 1.7 g 0.2 g

Carbohydrates 12.0-12.7 

g

9.3-11.3 g 50.7 g 38.0 g 88.9 g 25.0 g

Fiber 0.5 g 0.1 g 0.5 g 0.2 g 0.8 g

Ash 0.5-0.7 g 0.4 g 1.9 g 1.3 g 3.4 g 0.8 mg

Calcium 40-43 mg 10-11 mg 51 mg 33 mg 84 mg 161 mg

Phosphorus 17-22 mg 15-19 mg 86 mg 55 mg 134 mg 21 mg

Iron 0.2-0.8 mg 0.2-0.3 mg 1.3 mg 0.4 mg 1.7 mg 0.8 mg

Sodium 1.0 mg 1.0 mg 5 mg 2 mg 8.0 mg 3.0 mg

Potassium 190-200 

mg

190-208 

mg

942 mg 657 mg 1,728 mg 212 mg

Vitamin A 200 I.U. 200 I.U. 960 I.U. 710 I.U. 1,680 I.U. 420 I.U.

Thiamine 0.10 mg 0.09 mg 0.39 mg 0.30 mg 0.67 mg 0.12 mg

Riboflavin 0.04 mg 0.03 mg 0.12 mg 0.05 mg 0.21 mg 0.09 mg

Niacin 0.4 mg 0.4 mg 1.7 mg 1.2 mg 2.9 mg 0.9 mg

Ascorbic Acid 45-61 mg 37-61 mg 229 mg 158 mg 359 mg 136 mg

TABLE C. Nutritional aspects: Food Value Per 100 g of Lemon Edible Portion*

Fruit 

(fresh, 

peeled)

Juice 

(fresh)

Juice (canned, 

unsweetened)

Juice (frozen, 

unsweetened)

Lemonade 

(concentrate, 

frozen)

Peel 

(raw)

Calories 27 25 23 22 195

Moisture 90.1 g 91.0 g 91.6 g 92.0 g 48.5 g 81.6 g

Protein 1.1 g 0.5 g 0.4 g 0.4 g 0.2 g 1.5 g

Fat 0.3 g 0.2 g 0.1 g 0.2 g 0.1 g 0.3 g

Carbohydrates 8.2 g 8.0 g 7.6 g 7.2 g 51.1 g 16.0 g

Fiber 0.4 g trace trace trace 0.1 g
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126

Fruit 

(fresh, 

peeled)

Juice 

(fresh)

Juice (canned, 

unsweetened)

Juice (frozen, 

unsweetened)

Lemonade 

(concentrate, 

frozen)

Peel 

(raw)

Ash 0.3 g 0.3 g 0.3 g 0.2 g 0.1 g 0.6 g

Calcium 26 mg 7 mg 7 mg 7 mg 4 mg 134 

mg

Phosphorus 16 mg 10 mg 10 mg 9 mg 6 mg 12 mg

Iron 0.6 mg 0.2 mg 0.2 mg 0.3 mg 0.2 mg 0.8 

mg

Sodium 2 mg 1 mg I mg I mg 0.2 mg 6 mg

Potassium 138 mg 141 mg 141 mg 141 mg 70 mg 160 

mg

Vitamin A 20 I.U. 20 I.U. 20 I.U. 20 I.U. 20 I.U. 50 

I.U.

Thiamine 0.04 mg 0.03 

mg

0.03 mg 0.03 mg 0.02 mg 0.06 

mg

Riboflavin 0.02 mg 0.01 

mg

0.01 mg 0.01 mg 0.03 mg 0.08 

mg

Niacin 0.1 mg 0.1 mg 0.1 mg 0.1 mg 0.3 mg 0.4 

mg

Ascorbic Acid 53 mg 46 mg 42 mg 44 mg 30 mg 129 

mg

TABLE D. Nutritional aspects: Per 100 g of edible Grapefruit portions.

Pulp (raw) Juice (raw) Peel 

(candied)**

Calories 34.4-46.4 37-42 316

Moisture 87.5-91.3 g 89.2-90.4 g 17.4 g

Protein 0.5-1.0 g 0.4-0.5 g 0.4 g

Fat 0.06-0.20 g 0.1 g 0.3 g

Carbohydrates 8.07-11.5 g 8.8-10.2 g 80.6 g

Fiber 0.14-0.77 g trace 2.3 g

Ash 0.29-0.52 g 0.2-0.3 g 1.3 g

Calcium 9.2-32.0 mg 9.0 mg

Phosphorus 15-47.9 mg 15.0 mg

Iron 0.24-0.70 mg 0.2 mg

Sodium 1.0 mg 1.0 mg

Potassium 135 mg 162 mg
127

127

Pulp (raw) Juice (raw) Peel 

(candied)**

Vitamin A

(white) 10 I.U. 10. I.U.

(pink/red) 440 I.U. 440 I.U.

Thiamine 0.04-0.057 mg 0.04 mg

Riboflavin 0.01-0.02 mg 0.02 mg

Niacin 0.157-0.29 mg 0.2 mg

Ascorbic Acid 36-49.8 mg 36-40 mg

Tryptophan 2 mg

Methionine 0-1 mg

Lysine 12-14 mg

Table E. Dietary Value of the Kumquat, Calamondin, and Pummelo, per 100 gram edible 

portion:

Kumquat Calamondin Pummelo

Water (%) 80.9 85.2 89.1

Calories 71 53 38

Protein 1.88 g 0.81 g 0.76 g

Fat 0.86 g 0.31 g 0.04 g

Carbohydrates 15.9 g 13.3 g 9.62 g

Crude Fiber 6.5 g 1.8 g 1.0 g

Vitamin A 290 I.U. 34 mcg 0

Thiamin, B1 0.037 mg 0.058 g 0.034 mg

Riboflavin, B2 0.09 mg 0.036 g 0.027 mg

Niacin 0.42 g 0.376 mg 0.222 mg

Vitamin C 43.9 mg 26.7 mg 61 mg

Calcium 62 mg 37 mg 4 mg

Phosphorus 19 mg 1.9 17 mg

Iron 0.86 mg 0.15 mg 0.11 mg

Sodium 10 mg 2 mg 1 mg

Potassium 186 mg 20 mg 216 mg

* Percent of recommended daily allowance set
128

128

APPENDIX II: Maps of the Total Acres for Valencia Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, Lime, 

and Grapefruit - 2002.
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131

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