What is the name of the hybrid of lemon and tangerine?

Citrus fruits are the world leaders in annual harvest. There are about 600 varieties of them. Approximately 20% of the total harvest is consumed in the form of fresh fruit, and the rest is used to make juices, canned food, extracts, etc.

Mandarin ranks second in global citrus production, second only to orange. The fruit is valued for its good taste, juicy pulp, easily peeled peel, and beneficial properties for the body. It is most often used to breed new citrus hybrids. Let's consider what a hybrid of tangerine and lemon is, how it was bred and how it differs from the usual fruits.

What is species modification

Hybridization (species modification, crossing) is a method of creating hybrids (from the Latin hybrid - “cross”), based on combining the genetic material of two plants that belong to different species, varieties, genera.

This is done by the fusion of sex cells (gametes), resulting in the formation of a zygote - the earliest single-celled stage of development of a new multicellular organism.

Reference. Hybridization is the main and effective method of plant breeding, the success of which depends on the high-quality selection of parental pairs for crossing.

The main goals of plant crossing:

• increasing resistance to various diseases, damage, pests, weather conditions (drought, cold, frost);
• increasing vitality and durability;
• increasing productivity;
• increase in growth rate;
• improving the quality of fruits and the content of nutrients.

The most important result of hybridization is heterosis - an increase in the viability of hybrids compared to the parent forms. This manifests itself only in the first generation of hybrids, and then gradually weakens.

Lemon is a hybrid of what

Lemon is a plant of the genus Citrus with the following botanical description:

1. An evergreen tree 5–8 m high. The crown is spreading or pyramidal. There are thorns on the branches.
2. The leaves are dense, oval, pointed on both sides. The upper side is green glossy, the lower side is light green matte. Length - 10-15 cm, width - 5-8 cm. Smell of lemon.
3. The flowers are small, white or slightly cream. The aroma is subtle.
4. The fruits are oval, 6–9 cm long. The rind is thin, difficult to separate, light yellow in color. The pulp is yellow, juicy, and tastes sour.

Unknown in wild form. Scientists believe that lemon arose spontaneously in nature (through natural hybridization) and developed as a separate species for a long time.

Reference. Lemon is probably a hybrid of citron and bitter orange.

The characteristics of citron and bitter orange as parent plants of lemon are presented in the table:

Hybrid of tangerine and lemon - limandarin

There are several names for lemon crossed with mandarin: limandarine, limonia, rangpur.

Reference. In Japan the fruit is known as “haim”, in Brazil it is known as “cravo”.

Several varietal forms of rangpur have been developed, which citrus growers often use as rootstock:

• Santa Barbara;
• Tattooing;
• Limeira;
• Citrolima.

Limandarin varieties differ markedly in appearance. For example, Santa Barbara is similar in appearance to a tangerine (the shape is more round, the peel is smooth), while the other varieties have more elongated fruits and a rougher peel.

History of selection

The plant's homeland is India; citrus has also been cultivated in China since ancient times. Only in 1813 it was brought to Europe from the island of Tahiti and differed from modern limandarins in its sweet taste.

Reference. The first Rangpur fruit is the result of crossing Cantonese lemon and mandarin orange.

Currently, limandarine is grown in many countries: Japan, China, Italy, Brazil, the USA, etc. It is cultivated for fruit production and in landscape design. Due to its high resistance to drought, it is often used as a rootstock for propagation of various citrus fruits.

Botanical description

Rangpur is a low fruit tree up to 5 m high. The crown is spreading, with drooping branches. The bark has a purple tint and a small number of short spines.The leaves are small, oblong-oval, dark green.

Reference. The plant is characterized by drought resistance, vitality and high yield.

The flowers are small, solitary or collected in inflorescences of several pieces. The buds and blossoming flowers are purple in color, the aroma is subtle and pleasant.

The fruits are spherical, but there are varieties with an oblong shape and a small “neck” at the base. The fruit is small in size - up to 5 cm in diameter. The peel is dark orange, thin, and easily separated from the pulp. The juicy pulp is dark orange in color and has seeds. The taste is sour.

Chemical composition

Like other citrus fruits, limandarine contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and other substances. The fruit inherited its chemical composition from lemon.

The pulp of the lemon-tangerine hybrid fruit, in addition to water, proteins, carbohydrates and dietary fiber, contains:

1. Organic acids: citric, malic.
2. Vitamins: C, A, E, PP, B1, B2, B6, B9.
3. Minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, zinc.
4. Pectins are natural substances found in berries and fruits. Widely used in the food and confectionery industries, medicine and pharmaceuticals as a sorbent and gelling agent.
5. Phytoncides are biologically active substances that suppress or stop the development of bacteria and fungi.
6. Flavonoids are plant polyphenols that are used as natural dyes, food antioxidants, and substances with tanning and antimicrobial properties.
7. Sugar (up to 3.5%).
8. Sesquiterpenes are organic compounds of the terpene class. Used in perfumery and medicine.
9. Coumarin derivatives. Used in the tobacco and perfume industries, medicine.

The seeds contain the bitter substance limonin and a fatty oil found in the leaves and branches. Essential oils that cause the citrus lemon smell are contained in various parts of the plant: branches, leaves, fruit peel. The main elements of essential oil are terpene α-limonene (up to 90%), citral, geranyl acetate.

Beneficial features

Due to its rich chemical composition, limandarin has many beneficial properties:

• strengthens the body's immune system;
• improves appetite;
• replenishes the lack of vitamin C in the body;
• normalizes mineral metabolism;
• quenches thirst;
• has an antiemetic effect;
• has a calming effect;
• increases the acidity of gastric juice, which helps with gastritis with low acidity;
• dissolves uric acid deposits in joints;
• improves intestinal function;
• has an antioxidant effect;
• reduces fatigue.

Recommended for use in the treatment and prevention of vitamin deficiency, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, scurvy, gout, tonsillitis, hypertension.

Interesting! The essential oil obtained from the skin of the fruit also has a beneficial effect on the body. A pleasant aroma improves mental state and helps cope with stress.

Rangpur should not be consumed if there is increased acidity of gastric juice, stomach and duodenal ulcers, nephritis, cholecystitis, or allergies to citrus fruits.

Other types of tangerine hybrids

The history of tangerine cultivation goes back more than 3,000 years. It was first exported from China in the 19th century and has since become the basis for the development of many hybrids, for example:

• orange;
• calamondin (citrofortunella);
• Clementine;
• agli;
• tangerinequat (orangequat);
• bitter orange (bitter orange);
• citrandarine.

Each of them differs from the parent plants in botanical characteristics and taste.

History of selection

The first developments in breeding new hybrid plants began to be applied at the end of the 19th century. Then, in Italy, almost all citrus plantations died from late blight, and in Florida, due to severe frosts, producers lost almost their entire harvest of lemons and oranges.

In order to protect plants and preserve crops, breeders began to actively use hybridization. Thanks to these experiments, the world saw a variety of “improved” citrus fruits, the basis for which were tangerines.

What was the tangerine crossed with?

As a result of crossing mandarin with other plants, many citrus crops appeared:

• orange - tangerine + pomelo;
• calamondin - tangerine + kumquat;
• clementine - tangerine + orange;
• agli - tangerine + orange + grapefruit;
• mandarinquat - unshiu mandarin + Hawaiian variety of kumquat;
• bitter orange (orange) - tangerine + pomelo;
• citrandarine - tangerine + lemon.

Description of hybrids

Below is a description of the fruit of hybrid plants:

1. Orange - spherical or slightly elongated, with an orange dense, difficult to separate peel. The pulp is orange, juicy, sweet, with sourness.
2. Calamondin - small, with thin skin. Looks like a small tangerine. The pulp is juicy and sweet.
   

   Calamondin
3. Clementine - looks similar to a tangerine, only the flesh is much sweeter. Contains a lot of seeds.
4. Agli - a large spherical fruit with a thick, lumpy greenish-yellow skin. The pulp is juicy and sweet.
5. Mandarinquat - large oval, with a thick skin of orange or reddish-orange color. The pulp ranges from orange to reddish-pink and is juicy. The taste is sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness.
6. Bitter Orange - spherical or flattened. The crust is thick, lumpy, bright orange. Easily separates from the pulp. The pulp is juicy and orange. The taste is sour, bitter.
7. Citrandarine - in shape and color similar to an orange lemon, and in taste - like a sweet and sour tangerine.
   

   Citrandarine

Conclusion

Hybridization is a selection method that allows you to obtain strong and fertile plants. As a result of experiments with crossing different citrus fruits, it was possible not only to achieve high viability of the hybrids, but also to significantly replenish the subtribe with new species.

Thus, breeders developed limandarin, a hybrid of lemon and tangerine with increased drought resistance and high yield. The fruit of the plant looks like a tangerine, but the taste is inherited from lemon.