Handbook for Fertilisation of Citrus in South Africa, Pieter Raath 2021

Citrus fruit production in Southern Africa has a long and illustrious history, with recorded origins dating back to 1654 when Jan van Riebeeck had orange trees planted in the Company Garden. The first commercial export of citrus fruit from South Africa took place in 1902, and there are records of good quality South African citrus fruit being on display at the 1906 Royal Horticultural Society Show in London. This marked the start of great things to come. The Southern African Citrus Industry is today a global leader in technologically advanced fruit production, and is strongly focused on export of fresh citrus fruit to the widest possible range of markets, including the most quality discerning consumers. Being able to deliver the highest quality fruit to highly demanding global markets starts with perfecting the basics of optimal production practice, and that is where nutrition takes centre stage.

CRI was fortunate to secure the services of Dr Pieter Raath in 2018. One of Pieter’s first goals was to oversee the production of a set of up to date, authoritative and practical citrus nutrition guidelines. It was a daunting challenge to distil the multitude of recommendations into a handbook., but Pieter and his team of contributions have excelled in their task. This handbook represents an invaluable tool in enabling the Southern African Citrus Industry to continue producing the best quality fruit for global markets, and is a must for all horticultural advisers and citrus producers.

Vaughan Hattingh

Chief Executive Officer

Citrus Research International