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Khasi mandarin tree, Meghalaya Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Khasi mandarin (Northeast India)

The Khasi mandarin is a loose-skinned mandarin selection of Citrus reticulata grown as a smallholder and jhum-rotation crop across the hill districts of Northeast India — Meghalaya (East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi), Assam (Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Tinsukia), Arunachal Pradesh (Lower Subansiri, Tirap), Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur. The region is also a centre of Citrus diversity, holding wild and semi-wild populations of Citrus indica, C. macroptera and C. latipes that are conserved by ICAR-NBPGR's regional station at Umiam, Meghalaya. Khasi mandarin is the dominant commercial citrus of the Northeast and the principal cash crop of many tribal hill communities.

Key characteristics

  • Scientific name: Citrus reticulata (mandarin orange).
  • Tree: medium, spreading; commercial bearing from year 5-6 on seedling.
  • Fruit: medium (90-140 g), oblate, orange to orange-red rind that peels easily; juicy aromatic pulp with 10-12 deg Brix and 0.8-1.0% acidity; 10-15 seeds.
  • Maturity: November-January in the Northeast hill belts.
  • Yield: 25-45 kg per tree at full bearing on smallholder plots; 8-12 t/ha at conventional 6 m x 6 m spacing.

Cultivation

Khasi mandarin is propagated mostly from seed in the traditional Northeast system because the variety is largely nucellar and reproduces true-to-type from seed. Budding on Rangpur lime (Rangpur Lime Rootstock) and on local rough-lemon selections is now promoted by ICAR-NEH and ICAR-CCRI for replanting in decline-affected sites. Plantings are typically scattered through jhum fallows, terraced hillslopes and homestead gardens rather than concentrated orchards; conventional spacing where orchards are organised is 6 m x 6 m. Rainfall in the belt is 2000-4000 mm and irrigation is rarely supplied, but drainage is critical on the steep slopes; basin and contour-trench planting is the standard form. Fertilisation traditionally relies on FYM and litter; ICAR-NEH recommends 600 g N + 250 g P + 600 g K per mature tree along with annual application of 20 kg FYM.

Pest and disease profile

The Khasi belt has experienced a citrus dieback and decline complex (Citrus Die Back Citrus Decline Complex) for decades. Citrus tristeza virus (Citrus Tristeza Virus India) is endemic and was the driver of the historic collapse of budded orchards on rough-lemon rootstock in the 1970s and 1980s, after which the belt reverted largely to seedling plantings. Citrus greening / HLB (Citrus Greening Hlb Candidatus) and its psylla vector (Citrus Psylla Diaphorina Citri) are present and increasing. Citrus canker (Citrus Canker Xanthomonas) is moderate. Citrus trunk borer (Anoplophora versteegi) is the most damaging insect pest specific to the Northeast.

Adoption and use

Khasi mandarin is consumed primarily as fresh fruit in the Northeast and is air- or road-freighted to Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi and Mumbai during the November-January window. The belt also supplies Bangladesh through Dawki and Sutarkandi land-customs stations. Cottage processing into squash and marmalade is organised through Meghalaya state programmes at Sohra (Cherrapunji), Mawkyrwat and Umiam. The Citrus Diversity Garden at ICAR-NEH Umiam and the Khasi mandarin festival at Sohra provide research and market visibility for the crop.

See also: Citrus Nagpur Mandarin Vidarbha, Citrus Pummelo Shaddock Cultivation, Citrus Tristeza Virus India, Citrus Die Back Citrus Decline Complex.

Sources

  1. Khasi mandarin. ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam.
  2. Mandarin orange cultivation in Northeast India. ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur.
  3. Citrus indica and Khasi mandarin diversity. ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources.