Mandarina Dancy: una nueva alternativa para la citricultura

The major citrus production of the world are located between 20-40 degrees north and south latitude. In these conditions the mandarins get the best internal and external qualities.‘Arrayana’ is the main mandarin cultivated in Colombia tropical lowlands (around 04° N). This variety is characterized by a high concentration of the harvest in december and january because it has only one principal bloom in the year (two weeks after onset of rainy season); and an average external quality that prevents it from being highly competitive. Both conditions reduce the profitability of citrus growers in the region. In order to identify and develop mandarin genotypes who obtain outstanding qualities in tropical lowlands, was evaluated at Corpoica La Libertad Research Center (Villavicencio, Meta) the Dancy variety since 2000 (Citrus reticulata Blanco var.Dancy) for vegetative growth, fruit yield, quality and consumer acceptance through a hedonic test. This information was compared with that obtained in experimental field of Arrayana tangerine; both were grafted on ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin rootstock (Citrus reshni hort. ex Tanaka). The outstanding fruit quality of Dancy (TSS: 10,8; TSS/TA ratio: 18,1; fruit weight:145,85 g) and high cumulative production confirms the adaptation of the variety to the conditions of the Foothills of Meta department; while good consumer acceptance, suggests its recommendation to be established as complementary to the Arrayana’s production. The evaluated clone is susceptible to Alternaria which may limit its cultivation in tropical medium lands conditions where the rainfall regime is bimodal and relative humidity can be high.