biodiversity and conservation of citrus crop and diffrent spp. of citrus.

1. • Biodiversity of citrus

2. Citrus is the third most important fruit crop of India with several
species recorded to have originated especially in parts of Northeast.
India with World's third highest Citrus production after China and
USA is regarded as home of Citrus due to the presence of vast genetic
diversity of important species.
Citrus fruits are rich in antioxidants and have nutraceutical properties
which make this fruit a prime choice of daily diet in developed
countries. Genetic resources are the backbone of any crop
improvement programme and for a diverse fruit like Citrus their
importance is incredible. Hence, in the national context management
of genetic resources of citrus assumes immense significance.
Citrus genetic resources spanning across 5 major groups namely,
Acids, Oranges, Pummelo-grapefruit, Mandarins, Wild and semi-wild
species and other related genera, hold great economic significance
for Indian fruit industry. India, a natural home of several Citrus
species harbours vast reservoir of diverse types/forms.
Genetic diversity of Citrus is mainly concentrated in the Northeastern
and Northwestern part of India. Study on genetic resources of Citrus
in Northeastern India indicated the presence of 23 species, one
subspecies and 68 varieties, thus according this area a special status
as a treasure house of Citrus germplasm.

3. • To protect these invaluable genetic resources of citrus, NBPGR
(ICAR) took initiative way back in 1981 by establishing the
"Citrus Gene Sanctuary", probably first of its kind in the
World, in the Garo hills of Meghalaya. It is endowed with highly
specified microclimate and is a part of buffer zone of Nokrek
Biosphere Reserve in Meghalaya. With only 12-13% of the
earth's surface devoted to protected areas and other
conservation areas, it is understandable that all species
diversity cannot be secured in them. Ex situ conservation, with
several options, are thus required to be adopted. Introduction
of desirable Citrus germplasm into country by NBPGR and
other organizations have enriched the diversity and
strengthened the Indian Citrus Industry.
• Seed banking is one of the most powerful and practical ex situ
conservation tools available to combat the loss of biodiversity
while complementing the in situ conservation.
• NBPGR has thus worked with integrated approach by
cryobanking of seeds, embryos and embryonic axes and a
cryobase collection of about 700 accessions has been
successfully established.

4. • Rich genetic diversity of fruits exists across the tropical and sub-tropical
regions of the world, with more than 500 species of fruits estimated to be
found in Southeast Asia alone (Rao and Bhag Mai; 2002).
• India is one of the 12 mega diversity rich countries of the World possessing
three hot spots of biodiversity (Conservation International-Biodiversity
hotspots: http: //www. biodiversityhotspots.org).
• Northeast India fans under the "Indo-Burma Region" of hot spot of
biodiversity, which is the richest and one of the most threatened places for
plant life on the earth. Several Citrus species and their natural hybrids have
been reported to originate and exist in this area; however, this vast
indigenous Citrus diversity of India has not been used to its full potential for
Citrus improvement programmes.
• Any species or cultivar lost from nature is a loss of unique genetic
information contained in it that had evolved over several generations.
• As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) norms seven Indian Citrus species are endangered as
indicated by threat perception analysis (Singh and Singh, 2003).
• These species are C. indica, C. macroptera, C. latipes, C. assamensis, C.
ichangensis, C. megaloxycarpa and C. rugulosa.. Sustainable in situ and onfarm conservation is possible with active synergies with farmers,
communities and national institutions. Role of farmers as active partners,
conservator, promoter and custodian of local citrus diversity are needed to
be recognized.

5. • Hodgson (1965) placed various citrus fruits into five groups:
based on their fruit characters:
(1) Acid members group: 7 species, i.e.
C. medica L., C. limon (L.) Bunn. f., C. jambhiri Lush., C. limmetta
(Risso) Lush., C. karna Raf., C. aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle, C
latifolia Tanaka and C. limettioides Tanaka.
(2) Orange group: 5 species, i.e.
C. aurantium L., C. myrtifolia Raf., C. bergamia Risso, C
natsudaidai Hayata and C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck.
(3) Pummelo-grapefruit group: 2 species, i.e. C. maxima (Burm.)
Merr. and C. paradisi Macf.
(4) Mandarin group: 6 species, i,.e.
C. reticulata Blanco, C. unshiu Marcov., C. deliciosa Tenore, C.
tangerina Hort. ex Tanaka, C. reshni Tanaka, and C. nobilis Lour.
(5) Other species group: 11 species, i.e.
C. macroptera Montr., C. hystrix DC., C. latipes (Swingle) Tanaka,
C. macrophylla Wester, C. limonia Os beck, C. pennivesciculata
Tanaka, C. maderaspatana Tanaka, C. junos Seibold, C.
ichangensis Swingle, C. indica Tanaka and C. madurensis Lour.

6. Centres of Origin:
•
• Citrus is believed to have its primary centre of origin in
South and South- East Asia i.e. Malayan Archipelago to
China and Japan, and southward to Australia and also
to New Caledonia and New Guinea
• The Citrus belt of the world extends approximately 35°
N and 35°S latitude on either side of the equator. Citrus
fruits are widely cultivated throughout the tropical and
sub-tropical regions of the world,
• Probable centers of origin of twenty important Citrus
species based on various literature surveys are
summarized in
•

7. Table 1 : The principal Citrus species with probable centres of origin in Asia
S. No.
Species
Common Name
Probable centre of origin
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
C. medica L.
C. limon (L.) Burm. f.
C. aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle
C.limmetta (Risso) Lush.
C. jambhiri Lush.
C. karna Raf.
C. reticulate Blanco
C. tachibana (Makino) Tanaka
C. indica Tanaka
Citron
Lemon
Sour Lime
Sweet Lime
Rough Lemon
Karna Khatta
Mandarin
Tachibana
Indian wild orange
India
Eastern Himalaya
India
None
Northeast India
India
Cochin-China
Japan
Northeast India
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
C. maxima (Burm.) Merr.
C. megaloxycarpa Lush
C. aurantium L.
C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck
C. paradise Macf.
C. latipes (Swingle) Tanaka
C. macroptera Montr.
Pummelo
Sour pummelo
Sour Orange
Sweet Orange
Grapefruit
Khasi papeda
Melanesian papeda
Polynesia and Malay
Western India
India
Southern Indo-China
West Indies
Northeast India
Southeast Asia
17.
C. ichangensis Swingle
Ichang papeda
Southwest China
18.
19.
20.
21.
C. hystrix DC.
C. micrantha Wester
C. assamensis Dutta & Bhattacharya
C. pseudolimon Tan.
Maurituis papeda
Micrantha Papeda
Ada-jamir
Galgal
Southeast Asia
Phillippines
Northeast India
India

8. • The major citrus producing states and districts and
commercial cultivars grown in different zones of India:
1. North-western Zone:
–
–
–
–
–
Jammu & Kashmir (Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Rajauri)
Himachal Pradesh (Kangra and Sirmaur)
Punjab (Abohar, Fazilka, Faridkot, Batinda and Hoshiarpur)
Haryana (Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Bhiwani)
Rajasthan (Shriganganagar, Jhalawar, Bharatpur, Dholpur
and Sawai Madhopur)
• Commercial cultivars:
• Mandarin- Kinnow;
• Sweet oranges- Jaffa, Malta, Blood red, Valencia, Hamlin and
Pineapple
• Acid lime - Kagzi lime, Vikram, Kagzi Kalan
• Lemon- Galgal, Eureka, Baramasi, Pant lemon 1, 2 and 3
• Pummelo- Chakotra
• Grapefruit- Duncan, Marsh seedless, Foster and Ruby red

9. 2. North-eastern Zone:
– West Bengal (Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Midnapur and 24
Pargana (N))
– Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura
• Commercial cultivars:
• Mandarin - Khasi mandarin, Sikkim or Darjeeling mandarin
• Sweet oranges - Malta, Tasi, Sohbitara, Soh-nariang, Mitha
chakola. Ruby, Blood red, Valanecia
• Acid lime - Kagzi lime, Vikram, Kagzi' Kalan
• Lemon- Assam lemon, Pant lemon and Chinara
• Pummelo- Kanapora, Batabi, Bhogote, Sah-myngor, Sagothra,
Rabab,
• Lambura and Der-tawk
• Grapefruit- Duncan, Marsh seedless and Ruby red
• Others- Satkara

10. 3. Central Zone:
– Madhya Pradesh (Mandsaur, Shajapur, Chhindwara,
Khandwa and Hoshangabad)
– Maharashtra (Amravati, Nagpur, Akola, Aurangabad,
Wardha and Yevatmal)
– Orissa (Ganjam), Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
• Commercial cultivars:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mandarin- Nagpur mandarin
Sweet oranges- Mosambi, Malta
Acid lime-Baramasi, Vikram, Laldevi, Pramalini, Sai Sarbati
Lemon- Bhadri lemon, Pant lemon
Pummelo- Chakotra, Mahatabi, Gagar
Grapefruit- Saharanpur special, Duncan, Marsh seedless Ruby
red

11. • Southern Zone:
– Andhra Pradesh (Nellore, Prakasam, West Godavari,
Guntur, Kuddapa, Anantpur, Nalgonda, Karimnagar)
– Tamil Nadu (Dindgual Anna, Trichy, Tirunelveli and
Kattabomman)
– Kamataka (Bijapur, Bagalkot, Chitradurga, Raichur,
Bellari, Koppal, Korlagu, Chikmagalur , Hassan)
• Commercial cultivars:
•
•
•
•
Mandarin- Coorg mandarin
Sweet oranges- Satglldi, Sonamitri
Acid Lime- Pramalini, Vikram, PKM-l
Lemon- Tirupati, Coorg Lime, Pant lemon, Syihet lime,
Gajlanimma
• Belladikithuli- Baduvapuli, Valadipudi, Khichli

12. Citrus Group
Cultivars
Area of cultivation
Indigenous
Exotic
Mandarins
Nagpur mandarin, Kinnow mandarin, Honey, Wilking, Maharashtra,
Madhya
mandarin, Fewtrell's Early, King, Willow leaf, Pradesh,
North-eastern
(C. reticulata) Khasi
Sikkim
mandarin, Orlando, Temple, Fairchild, Fremont, states, Darjeeling, Sikkim,
Coorg
mandarin, Ponkan, Kamla, Australia, Fox Coorg
region
of
Laddu,
ButwaI, mandarin, Fortune, Afourer
Karnataka,
Punjab,
Hazara, Srioagar
Rajasthan, Haryana
Sweet orange Mosambi, Satgudi, Jaffa, Hamlin, Malta, Valencia late, Maharashtra,
Andhra
Sonamitri, Loyalpur Pineapple, Blood Red, Washington Pradesh,
Punjab,
(C. sinensis)
S1, Loyalpur S-2, Naval, Olinda Valencia late, Delta Rajasthan, Northeastern
Mitha chakola, Tasi, Valencia, Vanale, Moro, Rhode Red states
Chakola Tenga
Valencia, Parent Naval, Declarbe
Sweet Orange, Vaniglia Sanguigno,
Sweet Orange, Teneriff, Tardiff,
Seleta, Aspal Ornage, Joppa
Lemon
(C. Hill lemon, Assam Eureka lemon, Italian
Uttar Pradesh,
limon)
lemon, Galgal,
lemon, Lesban lemon,
Himachal Pradesh,
Baramasia, Pant
Seville, Harvey lemon
Assam and Northeastern
lemon 1,2,3, Bhadri no.252,No.302, Villa
states
lemon, Chinara,
Karnataka,
franca
Kagji kalan
Uttar Pradesh

13. Citrus Group
Pummelo
(C. maxima)
Grapefruit
(C. paradisi)
Citron
(C. medica)
Cultivars
Area of cultivation
Indigenous
Exotic
Chakotra,
Gagar, Sweet China, Royal, Triumph, Northeastern states, Foothills
Red flesh, White Foxey
of Northwestern
flesh, Pink fleshed,
Himalayas, parts of Bihar,
Kanapora, Bhogote,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Sah
myngor,
Orissa
S(gothra, Rabab,
lambura, Ser tawk,
Devanahalli-l.
2,
Midnaapur
sel-l,
IKP-l, IKP-2
Saharanpur special, Duncan, Frost marsh, Marsh Northeastern Region, and
Serbial,
Champa seedless, Ruby red, Foster pink, parts
of
Uttarakhand,
umtambi
Red blush, Thompson seedless, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,
Smooth flat
Rajasthan
Bira jora, Pati jora, Etrong citron
North-eastern states, foot hills
Jora
tenga,
of North-western and
Gandhraj, Pongam,
Central Himalayas, Punjab,
Soh manong,
and peninsular region of India
Mitha jora, Tayum,
Themachhi,
Bemberia

14. Citrus group
Rootstocks
Indigenous
Areas of cultivation
Exotic
Rough lemon
(C. jambhiri)
Jatti-khatti, Jullandhari khatti, EC-25833, Florida North-eastern and foot hills of
Jambhiri, Mithi, Renuka lemon, rough 8748, Rough North-western and Central
Wynad rough lemon, Gol nirnbu, lemon, South Africa, Himalayas,
Punjab,
and
Kata jamir, Sinduri lemon, Naity Italian rough, Esteus southern peninsular region
jarnir
rough
Karna khatta
(C. karna)
Khatta, Duranj
Small
Billikichilli,
Mandarins
Kodakithuli
(C. reshni,
C.
maderaspatana)
Trifoliate
orange
(Poncirus
trifoliata)
Western Himalayan
Region
Bel1adiki
thuli, Cleopatra mandarin, Field gene banks, gardens,
EC-18089 ·
backyards and orchards in
Andhra Pradesh and other
parts of India
Flying
dragon, Field genebanks, NRCC,
Pomeroy, Rubidoux, Nagpur, PAU RS, Abohar and
Trifoliate
Florida, others
EC- 31974, Dweat
tangor

15. Citrus group
Rootstocks
Indigenous
Areas of cultivation
Exotic
Sour orange
Karun Jamir, Sohmyndong, Seville orange
(C. aurantium) Mole kaipuli
Nagaland,
Assam
Meghalaya,
Rangpur Lime Rangpur lime L- 19, Sharbati EC-115795,
Northeastern India, Parts
lime, Kusai lime, Kole jamir Florida Rangpur- of Central and South
(C. limonia)
8747, 874Sj
India
C. macrophylla
Alemow
Field genebank of NRC
Citms, Nagpur
Other hybrids
Citranges
cv. Field genebank of NRC
Troyer citrange Citms, Nagpur Field
(EC-22050),
genebanks of NRCC,
Carizo, Savage, Nagpur,
PAU
RS,
Yama,
Abohar and other field
Citremone,
genebanks
Citrumelos

16. National Status
• In India Citrus genetic resources are being managed by multiple agencies
such as research institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
State Agricultural Universities and also by the State Horticultural Farms, and
Fruit Research Stations.
• Besides these several private nurseries, orchards, gardens, parks etc. which
are owned by progressive farmers and public enterprises are also
maintaining Citrus germplasm as field collections
• In India National Research Centre for Citrus (NRCC), of ICAR, located at
Nagpur in Central India is the only dedicated institute for Citrus research,
development and extension. This Centre has also been designated as
National Active Germp1asm Site (NAGS) for Citrus by NBPGR.
•
All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Tropical Fruits
(Citrus) of ICAR with its Network at nine centres at SAU's and ICAR institutes
in various agro-ecological regions of India has been taking up work on
genetic resources management, crop improvement, crop production and
crop protection. Since last several decades crop specific responsibilities for
multi-location evaluation and improvement work has been assigned to
these centres.

17. • World Status of PGR:
(http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i15QOe/i1500e.pdf)
which was published recently in the year 2010 to update the
information in the first report, indicated 29,690 accessions
of Citrus in the World. For better management of World
Citrus genetic resources for conservation and utilization,
FAG in 1997, constituted the Global Citrus Germplasm
Network (GCGN) to involve national institutions and existing
regional and inter-regional citrus networks such as, the
Inter-American Citrus Network (IACNET), MECINET, IACNET,
CLAM and NeSCRA.
• The main objective of this network was to link germplasm
related activities undertaken in the different parts of the
World. However, the present status of existence of the
GCGN could not be ascertained as the last proceedings of
GCGN countries meeting available on various Citrus related
websites is of the year 2000.

18. Table3: Number of collections of Citrus species made from various States during explorations by NBPGR and NAAS
S. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
21.
22.
23.
24.
State
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Delhi
Gujarat
Himachal Pradesh
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharasthra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Orissa
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total Collections
14
50
86
84
11
42
101
4
16
11
10
85
45
273
119
23
19
91
42
29
10
19
70
221
21