Acid Lime Crop Guide

Varieties: PKM 1, VRM 1 Tahithi lime, Balaji (Tenali), Vikram, Rasraj, NRCC -7, NRCC -8 ,
Phule Sharbathi

Areas with dry climate and moderate rainfall (<750 mm) are best suited.
Deep well drained medium black, loamy or alluvial soils rich in organic matter and devoid of
calcium carbonate are good. The optimum pH is 6.5 -7.0

Young plants need regular watering during post-monsoon period at an interval of
8-10 days and at 5-7 days during summer months. Water is applied around the periphery of
the tree in a ring and basin system (double ring) so that tree trunk should not come in direct
contact with water. Avoid water stagnation. Adopt drip system for new plantations.

: Remove branches of main stem up to 45 cm from ground level. Periodical
removal of dried twigs along with one inch length of basal green wood and destroying them
by
burning should be done. Spray Zinc sulphate @ 0.5% (500 g /100 lit of water) thrice in a
year (March, July and October) after the emergence of new flushes.
The basins should be mulched with dry leaf waste or paddy husk with about 10 cm thickness
so as to arrest weed growth and also to conserve soil moisture, thereby improving the fruit
quality.

Legumes and vegetable crops can be raised during pre-bearing age

To increase fruit set, spray 2, 4 – D @ 20 ppm (200 mg / 10 l) during
flowering. For fruit retention, spray 2, 4 – D @ 20 ppm or NAA 30 ppm (300 mg / l) after fruit
set (marble size).

Starts bearing from 3 – 4 years after planting. The tree flowers and produces fruits
almost all the year round, but there are three major flushes in June-July (Mrig Bahar),
September-October (Hast Bahar) and January – February (Ambi Bahar). Fruits of
September-October flowering (Hast Bahar) harvested during summer months are most
remunerative. The fruits mature in 5-6 months after flowering and are harvested when the

15
colour just starts changing. Peak harvesting period is July-September and NovemberJanuary

Harvested fruits are graded according to size and colour and packed in bamboo baskets or
wooden crates lined with green foliage. Treating the fruits with 4% wax emulsion followed by
pre-packing in 200 gauge polythene bags with 1 % ventilation improves the shelf life for
more than 10 days.

.25 t /ha /year.

Leaf miner Apply/spray any one of the following
 Carbofuran 3 G @ 50 kg /ha
 Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5 %
 Neem cake extract 5%
 Neem oil 3 %
 Imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 5.0 ml/10 l.
 Thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1g /l.
Aphids Spray any one of the following
 Dimethoate 30 EC 1.0ml/l.
 Fish oil rosin soap 25 g/l.
 Neem oil @ 3 ml/l
Rust mite Spray any one of the following
 Diafenthiuron 50 WP @ 2 g/l.
Fruit sucking moth  Destroy Tinospora weed host of larva.
 Bait with fermented molasses with malathion 50 EC 1 ml/l.
 Bag the fruits with degradable polythene bags (150 gauge)
punctured at the bottom.
 Apply smoke and set up light traps or food lures (pieces of
citrus fruits).
Shoot borer  Prune the withered shoots 4 cm below the dried portions.
 Plug the fresh holes on the shoots with cotton soaked in
kerosene.
Citrus Butterfly Spray two rounds of any of the following during new flush formation
 Bacillus thuringiensis @ 1g/l.
 Neem oil 30 ml/l.
 Quinalphos 25 EC 3.0 ml/l.
Citrus Psyllid Spray any one of the following
 Thiamethoxam 25 WG @1gm/10 l.
 Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 5.0ml/10 l.
Fruit fly  Set up bait with methyl eugenol 0.1% solution mixed with
malathion 50 EC 1 ml/lit between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20g per tree at a depth of 15 cm and 50 cm away
from the trunk for the management of slow decline due to the citrus root nematode,
Tylenchulus semipenetrans. Soil application of carbofuran 10G @ 2g followed by
drenching with metalaxyl plus mancozeb 72 WP @ 0.1% 50 ml/ cutting/ poly bag/ kg of
nursery soil for citrus decline.

Twig blight
 Prune dried twigs and spray copper oxychloride@ 0.3% or carbendazim @ 0.1% at
monthly intervals to reduce the spread of disease
Scab : Spray 1% Bordeaux mixture
Canker
 Immediately after pruning one spray with copper oxychloride @ 0.3% followed by 4
sprayings with streptocyclin @ 100 ppm + copper oxychloride @ 0.3% at monthly
intervals
CIB recommendation
 Spray streptocycline @ 50 to 100 ppm repeatedly at an interval of 15-20 days after
appearance of new growth. Cover young foliage and fruits fully
CIB recommendation for combined infection of leaf spot and canker
 Spray with copper oxychloride 50% WP @ 2.5 gm/l
Tristeza virus
 Use pre-immunized acid lime seedlings for planting
 Remove the infected trees and destroy
 Spray dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/l or fish oil rosin soap @ 25 g/l or monocrotophos 36SL
@ 1 ml/l or neem oil @ 3 ml/l to control the aphids which spread the disease

 Application of Carbofuran 3G @ 75 g/tree to control citrus nematodes in severe
infestations.
 Application of 20 g Pseudomonas fluorescens formulation per tree at a depth of 15 cm
and 50 cm away from the trunk once in four months. Soil application of carbofuran 10G
@ 2 g followed by drenching with metalaxyl plus mancozeb 72 WP @ 1% 50 ml/
cutting/ poly bag/ kg of nursery soil for citrus decline.