Orange production environment and varieties

Orange is one of the four famous fruits in the world. In my country, it matures and is available on the market in autumn and winter. People love to eat it, especially during the Chinese New Year.

orange

Also known as yellow fruit, it is one of the four famous fruits in the world. It is native to southern my country and was introduced to Europe in the early 15th century and to America in the late 15th century. Oranges are bright in color, sweet and sour in taste, and neat and beautiful in appearance. They are a popular fruit and one of the gifts for visiting relatives and friends and patients. Oranges are also known as "the best fruit for curing diseases". They are rich in vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, tail-carotene, citric acid, hesperidin, aldehydes, alcohols, alkenes and other substances. In particular, its rich vitamin C content can enhance the body's resistance and excrete fat-soluble harmful substances from the body. It is a health-preserving antioxidant that lives up to its name. Orange peel is rich in carotene and can be used as a stomachic and aromatic seasoning. Orange peel also contains a certain amount of orange peel oil, which is effective for chronic bronchitis.

Roughly speaking, oranges can be divided into two categories: sweet oranges and sour oranges. Sour oranges, also known as jar oranges, are sour and bitter and are not suitable for consumption. They are mostly used to make juice and are rarely eaten fresh. Sweet oranges are the main type of fresh fruit. Sweet oranges are spherical, slightly flattened on the top and bottom, with a smooth surface. They are green before they mature and turn yellow after they mature. The flesh is moderately sweet and sour, juicy, and fragrant.

Origin

Oranges are native to southern my country and are distributed in all southern provinces, with Sichuan, Guangdong, Taiwan and other provinces being the most cultivated. They were introduced from China to Europe in the early 15th century and to America in the late 15th century.

Growth environment

The growth, development, flowering and fruiting of oranges are closely related to environmental conditions such as temperature, sunshine, water (humidity), soil, wind, altitude, terrain and slope. The number of these conditions that has the greatest impact is temperature. Even a temperature difference of ℃ can sometimes produce completely different results. The most suitable temperature for orange growth is ~37℃. When flower buds differentiate in autumn, the day and night temperatures are required to be around 20℃ and 10℃ respectively. Too low a temperature will cause the oranges to freeze. In addition, oranges are a shade-tolerant tree species, but good sunshine is still required for high-quality and high-yield production. Generally, areas with 1200 to 2200 hours of sunshine per year can grow normally.

variety

Oranges can be divided into the following four varieties based on their shape and characteristics:

1. Common sweet orange. The fruit is generally round, orange, without a navel on the top, or with a circle mark in between. It is the most numerous type of sweet orange.

2. Sugar orange. Also known as acid-free sweet orange, the shape of the fruit is similar to that of ordinary sweet orange. Because of its extremely low acid content, it can be harvested and put on the market when the juice content reaches an appropriate level. It is an extremely early-maturing sweet orange variety. It is produced in small quantities in the Mediterranean coast and Brazil and supplies local markets.

3. Blood orange. The flesh and juice are all purple or dark red. The flesh is tender and juicy with a special aroma. The Mediterranean region is its origin and main production area.

4. Navel orange. It is characterized by a navel on the top of the fruit, that is, an underdeveloped small fruit is embedded in the top of the fruit. It is seedless, tender and crisp, and has a strong sweet and slightly sour taste.

There are also other varieties such as red juice orange (improved orange), Jin orange (goose egg orange), leaf orange, rock sugar orange and summer orange.