Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

Sitwon...Zoranj ...Chadek 97
La Chapelle for Tahiti lime, La Vallee de Jacme! for mandarin, and the Cul-de-Sac and
Cap-Haitien for grapefruit. Lemon (c. limon) and citron (c. medica) are not widely cultivated
in Haiti.
The genus is notably absent in regions of Haiti that receive less than 1000 mm of
rainfall without irrigation and in high-elevation mountain areas above 1000 m. Dry periods
up to 2 months can be endured only during the winter dormant period (Rehm and
Espig, 1991). Salt and drought tolerance are higher in such cultivars as the 'Cleopatra'
mandarin and the 'Rangpur' lime.
Citrus are sensitive to salty and poorly-drained soils, requiring fertile conditions
and a pH 5-7 for consistently high production. Mineral fertilizing with about 0.6 kg N,
0.3 kg P and 0.6 kg K tree- 1 year- 1 is recommended for oranges (Cohen, 1976). In the
West Indies, nitrogenous fertilizers are the most important and are applied at a rate of
0.2 kg N tree- 1 year- 1 where fruit is regularly harvested. An unbalanced, high-nitrogen
fertilization gives high yields, but impairs fruit quality by lowering the sugar:acid ratio.
Potash is used to improve fruit quality.
Citrus are not truly wild, having been cultivated for so long. However, natural
regeneration plays an important role in establishment, particularly in the case of sour
orange and, to a much lesser extent, the other more marketable species. Practically all
sweet orange cultivars are cultivated. The species are shade-tolerant, though good fruit
production requires full sun. Typically, Citrus form the middle canopy layer of traditional
perennial gardens and coffee groves, along with Musa (plantain, banana), Annona
(soursop, custard apple) and Crescentia cujete (callebash). The Citrus group ranks third
in the quantity of fruit trees found in Haiti, after mango (Mangifera indica) and avocado
(Persea americana). C. aurantium is the most abundant Citrus species.
Tree Characteristics: Tree height varies among the Citrus species. Lime (c. aurantifolia),
lemon (c. limon), citron (c. medica) and mandarin (c. reticulata) are small
trees,ranging 2-5 m. Sweet orange (c. sinensis) grows to about 10 m and pummelo (c.
grandis) and grapefruit (c. paradisi) up to 15 m. Stem diameters average 15 em. The
species can be considered evergreen, with leaves that usually live for a year or more.
The degree of thorniness varies among species, with spines developing at the base of
the leafnodes. The presence ofspines depends upon the stage ofdevelopment for many
species. There are few or no spines on the fruit-bearing twigs ofthose species that have
thorns.
The tree produces new leaves several times a year, the first growth being the
strongest and producing the most flowers. The following growth phases are irregular
with few or no flowers. However, the crops from these off-season growth phases can be
ofconsiderable economic importance locally. Sweet orange does not develop the orange
color of US cultivars, but retains a green color. Sweet oranges from the Cap-Haitien
region have a higher sugar and juice content, because of higher temperatures and insolation
during maturation (Wiltbank, 1982).
The wood does not vary significantly among the citrus species, ranging from light
yellow to yellowish brown, hard and fine-grained. Growth rings usually are clearly
defined.
Sweet orange, shaddock, grapefruit and mandarin flower between March and May,
with fruit being harvested between November and April. Lime flowers throughout the