Production of disease free, superior planting material of Citrus

Citrus may be considered as the number one fruit in the world. India stands at the 69th position in terms of productivity with regrettably low exports. The main reason for low productivity and short longevity of the Indian Citrus orchards has been attributed to "Citrus decline" where trees become unhealthy after few years. To improve productivity, use of suitable rootstock is the primary concern in Citrus improvement programmes. Considering the crucial rootstock characteristics in Indian context and the lack of research and studies on their mass multiplication, five rootstocks were considered in this research viz., Rangpur lime, C 35 and Troyer citrange, Swingle citrumelo and Alemow Macrophylla. The present study focuses on developing efficient micropropagation protocols through axillary branching method. High multiplication rate and field survival was achieved to meet the increasing demand for disease free, healthy, true-to-type superior quality plant material. The micropropagated plantlets were tested for their genetic fidelity using molecular markers. Mycorrhiza was added to the plantlets and finally successfully integrated with conventional propagation using suitable scions.