Spring Red Blood Orange

Spring Red Blood Orange

　　    (1) Breeding Institution: Horticulture Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences

　　    (2) Variety Source: A bud sport variation of Italian Tarocco blood orange, developed through years of trials and selection.

　　    (3) Characteristics: The tree is vigorous with a round-topped canopy. The fruit is of medium size, flat-round or short oval in shape, with an average single fruit weight of 182.13 grams; the fruit apex has an indentation ring. The peel is relatively thin, with an orange base color overlaid with bright purplish-red; the flesh is deep orange with speckled or striped red patterns, the juice sacs are relatively thick and long, mostly upright. Testing shows: the fruit has an average soluble solids content of 11.3%; acidity of 0.76%; Vitamin C at 47.63 mg; edible rate of 71.63%; juice rate of 54.27%. The fruit is seedless, though when interplanted with seeded varieties, some fruits may contain a small number of seeds, averaging 0–1.8 seeds per fruit. The flesh is extremely tender, easy to separate from the peel, juicy, with a sweet-rich or well-balanced sweet and sour flavor, featuring a rose-like aroma, and is of premium quality. The fruit matures in mid-February of the following year and has strong storage and transport resistance.

　　    (4) Yield Performance: Early bearing and high yielding, flowers and fruits appear in the third year, enters full production from the 6th to 7th year, with an average yield of 2000–3000 kg per mu.

　　    (5) Cultivation Key Points: Main rootstock is Ziyang Sweet Orange; planted in spaced hills with a spacing of 4×5 meters. Cultivation management and pest and disease control are the same as for other blood oranges.

　　    (6) Suitable Planting Regions: Sweet orange suitable areas in Sichuan Province.