Late Harvest of Satsuma Orange in the Yard - Food Variety 7

Fig 01- A ripe Satsuma orange

We have just one tree of Satsuma orange, harvest time was between October to November each year.

Due to uncertain weather, the harvest quite late and bad compared to previous years.

However, in many places, Satsuma seasons are between October to early December, and we may see plenty of them sold in the groceries around December.

Farmers sold their Satsuma oranges between December to January both in the farmer markets, and occasionally in the farm.

Prices are varies between groceries and farmer markets:

- about US$ 2 per pound (½ kg) in groceries

- we saw US$ 1 per pound in some farmer markets

- less than USS 1 per pound in the farm.

Fig 02- Some fruits hang on the branches.

Our Satsuma tree produced less and less fruit since few years ago. The main concern is diseases. We called as a “white spot” diseases.

Fig 03- Two fruits of Satsuma

Several other “well known” diseases may infect Satsuma orange trees are:

1) Bacterial diseases

- one kind of bacteria may cause leaves to curl, dry up and then drop. This bacteria infects tree in the winter and spring seasons.

2) Mandarin Rind Disorder

- I saw brown and sunken areas on the fruit skin, look like fungi diseases. Yes, it occurs during heavy rain time of Fall season.

3) Botrytis Diseases

- This is fungi diseases. I always see white or gray spores on the leaves. They appeared when tree is bearing “baby” fruits, before rain seasons (before Autumn).

Finally, have you tasted Satsuma orange?