CITRUS fruits have been known to be good sources of vitamin C and flavonoids.
Scientists have described flavonoids as phytonutrients in plant-based food products that often contribute to the color of the foods.
They provide antioxidant activity which may play a significant role in cardiovascular health and may help to prevent against diseases.
On the other hand, the content of vitamin C in the fruit depends on the species, variety, and mode of cultivation.
It was learned that fruits produced organically have been said to contain more vitamin C than those produced with conventional agriculture, but results may depend on the species and cultivar.
Here in the country, the popularity of citrus fruits have been constant, but said to be on the rise due to its health benefits and due to the lower cost of locally-produced fruits.
Unfortunately, there is now an insufficient supply of citrus fruits in the local market, mainly due to low production.
Causes of low production in the country included poor orchard management, low farm inputs, and low adoption of improved production management practices by the local citrus growers.
But the citrus growers in Nueva Vizcaya and Cagayan Valley can now have access to high quality seedlings.
A project implemented by the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) has already produced a total of 13,057 citrus seedlings, which can be availed of by the local citrus growers.
The production of citrus seedlings is one of the outputs of the project “Establishment of quality planting materials production system for citrus in Nueva Vizcaya.”
It is implemented by the NVSU and funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
Of the 13,057 seedlings produced, 5,046 were budded and 8,011 were rootstock seedlings.
The rootstock seedlings were composed of native pummelo, calamandarin, beneke, and calamansi seedlings.
According to PCAARRD, the project is expected to address the insufficient supply of citrus in the local market.
It was also learned that pests and diseases such as Huanglongbing (HLB) and Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) are the main cause of low production of citrus in the country.
To address the concern, the project has three components: enhancement of production of quality planting materials; disease indexing and geotagging; and establishment of techno-demo orchards.
Through the project, the ponkan and satsuma tree orchard in Malabing, Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya were improved.
Before the intervention, the orchard only yielded 300 crates or 18 tons of fruits.
After the intervention, there was an increase of 45.67 percent in terms of yield or 437 crates or 26.22 tons.
The interventions applied on the farm included processed manure application, micro-sprinkler irrigation, and fertilizer and chemical spray application.
Since then, a total of 57 farms were also geotagged through geographic information system (GIS) application under the project, including the nursery of Malabing Valley Multi-Purpose Cooperative and mother trees used as budwood sources in four private orchards.
Geotagging of mother trees with HLB and CTV were also conducted. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
