Climate effects on navel oranges

Abstract

California markets fresh oranges every week of the year, and yet grows only two varieties. This is made possible by (1) holding the fruit on the tree after it reaches legal maturity, (2) storing the fruit after picking, and (3) taking advantage of the different maturity dates in different climatic zones. The range and types of variations in fruit maturity and quality due to climatic differences in California have not yet been carefully studied and extensively reported.