Survey on Nutritional Status and Fruit Quality of Citron (Citrus medica L.) in Southern Italy

摘要

Citron cultivation (Citrus medica L.)in the Mediterranean basin occurs in Corsica, Crete and Southern Italy, especially in Calabria region. Citron's cultivation in Calabria is extended on a small area, with a relevant local economic importance. From commercial and industrial point of view the most important cultivar is ' Liscio di Diamante'. Citron production is totally addressed for industrial transformation (candied, jams, liquors, syrups and drinks) , while oils are utilized in pharmaceutics and cosmetics. Aim of the research was the characterization of citron nutritional status, fruit quality and essential oils in two districts of the cultivated area with different soil and climate characteristics and to evaluate the relationships between nutrients in leaves and qualitative parameters in fruits. Two homogenous zones were identified: (A) Santa Maria del Cedro located at sea level; (B) Buonvicino located at 300 meters on sea level. Forty representative farms were chosen within the districts and studied for three years. For each farm, several sampling were realized to determine soil physical-chemical characteristics, plant nutritional status and fruit characteristics. Moreover, the essential oils were characterized. The most part of soil parameters of two zones were significantly different, in particular in B available phosphorous and exchangeable potassium values were significantly higher than A, characterized by higher values of total lime and pH. Leaf nitrogen values in both zones were higher than the optimal range standard for ? orange. Plants nutritional status showed relevant differences between the two zones. Zinc, manganese and calcium showed significantly higher values in A. Calcium content in leaves was highly correlated with fruit weight. Micronutrients leaf levels influenced some physical fruits parameters.