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Kagzi acid lime fruit Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

Kagzi lime (Rajasthan acid lime)

Kagzi (literally "paper-skinned") is the principal acid-lime cultivar (Citrus aurantiifolia) of India and is botanically a true lime, distinct from the lemons (C. limon) of the lemon belt. Although grown across India, Rajasthan — particularly Jhalawar, Kota, Bundi, Baran and Bhilwara districts — is the largest commercial Kagzi belt, supported by ICAR-CCRI Nagpur and ICAR-IIHR-released seedless and improved selections including Pramalini, Vikram, PKM-1, PKM-2 and Saidapet selections. Andhra Pradesh (NTR, Guntur, Krishna) and Tamil Nadu (Dindigul, Theni) are the other major acid-lime production regions; Maharashtra and Gujarat have substantial smaller area.

Key characteristics

  • Scientific name: Citrus aurantiifolia (acid / Mexican / Key lime).
  • Tree: small to medium, thorny, bushy; commercial bearing from year 3-4 — earlier than orange or mandarin.
  • Fruit: small (40-60 g), round to oval, thin smooth green to pale-yellow rind; greenish juicy pulp with 6-8% acidity; 5-8 seeds in standard Kagzi, near-seedless in Pramalini and Vikram selections.
  • Bahar: trees flower 2-3 times a year — ambia (Jan-Feb), mrig (Jun-Jul) and hasta (Sep-Oct) bahar. The hasta bahar (harvest Mar-May) commands the highest summer price.
  • Yield: 1000-1500 fruits per mature tree; 8-12 t/ha at 5 m x 5 m spacing.

Cultivation

Kagzi lime is propagated from seed (it is largely nucellar and reproduces true-to-type) and by air layering; budded plants on Rangpur lime (Rangpur Lime Rootstock) are used in salinity- or Phytophthora-prone sites. Spacing is conventionally 5 m x 5 m (400 trees/ha); high-density 4 m x 4 m and 5 m x 3 m plantings are used in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The crop is moderately drought-tolerant and is widely grown under drip irrigation in Rajasthan, where annual rainfall is 600-900 mm. Rajasthan Horticulture Mission recommends 400 g N + 200 g P + 400 g K per mature tree, applied with the hasta bahar irrigation cycle. Withholding irrigation for 30-45 days before the desired bahar, followed by heavy irrigation and NPK, is used to consolidate flowering on the chosen flush.

Pest and disease profile

Citrus canker (Citrus Canker Xanthomonas) is the most damaging disease of acid lime — the species is among the most susceptible citrus types — and canker control with copper oxychloride and streptocycline pre-monsoon sprays is the defining annual spray cycle. Citrus tristeza virus (Citrus Tristeza Virus India) is mostly tolerated by Kagzi on its own roots. Citrus greening (Citrus Greening Hlb Candidatus) is present but secondary. Citrus leaf miner, Asian citrus psylla (Citrus Psylla Diaphorina Citri), citrus blackfly and bark-eating caterpillar are the main pests. Phytophthora foot rot (Phytophthora Foot Rot Citrus) is significant on poorly drained sites.

Adoption and use

Kagzi lime is consumed almost entirely as fresh fruit and processed beverage — sliced into water (nimbu paani), squeezed onto food, and pickled. Rajasthan supplies the north Indian summer fresh-fruit market; the hasta bahar lime fetches 3-5 times the ambia price. Processed products — bottled squash, pickle, dehydrated lime powder, salted lime — are made at Jaipur, Jhalawar and Kota cluster units. ICAR-IIHR's Pramalini and Vikram selections, with near-seedless fruit and tolerance to canker, are increasingly displacing standard Kagzi in new plantings.

See also: Citrus Lemon Pant Lemon 1, Citrus Canker Xanthomonas, Phytophthora Foot Rot Citrus.

Sources

  1. Acid lime cultivation. ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur.
  2. Acid lime varieties and package. ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research.
  3. Kagzi lime cultivation in Rajasthan. Rajasthan State Horticulture Mission.