Reducing granulation in imperial mandarins

Imperial mandarins are prone to granulation, a physiological disorder which results in dry, tasteless fruit. Affected fruit cannot reliably be detected by appearance or density, and when granulated fruit reaches the market it has the potential to damage the reputation of the industry. By providing growers with advice on how to minimise granulation, there is the opportunity to reduce the adverse impact of granulation in mandarins thereby improving consumer satisfaction, and providing more consistent quality season to season. This investment is establishing several on-farm trials to investigate the impact of irrigation and nutrition on granulation in Imperial mandarins. The end goal is to develop guidelines for growers that they can incorporate into their management practices to improve fruit quality.