Citrus

The citrus crops grown commercially in the Northern Territory (NT) include lemons, limes, red fleshed grapefruit, mandarins and pummelo.

You must comply with current quarantine entry conditions if you want to import citrus trees from interstate.

Grower advice

The lack of cold nights in the NT causes erratic flowering in many citrus varieties. Flowering in some varieties can be forced through moisture stressing or droughting after the wet season.

Grapefruit

The red fleshed grapefruit is grown successfully in Katherine and Darwin.

Ray and Henderson varieties are the most productive in the NT, although Rio and Flame varieties have better colour.

Lemon

Lemons are grown in the Darwin and Katherine regions.

Eureka and Lisbon are the main commercial varieties. Lisbon tends to do better in dry areas.

Pests and diseases

There are some significant international pests and diseases affecting citrus, including citrus greening and citrus canker.

Read about citrus greening PDF (645.3 KB) and citrus canker.

Insect pests

To identify an insect pest and the damage it can cause, go to the Northern Territory Insects Database.

Research results

Read the following industry and scientific research for citrus:

• Grapefruit - Selecting suitable grapefruit cultivars for commercial production in Central Australia PDF (256.7 KB)
• Lemon and lime - Economic assessment of tropical lemon and lime production in the Katherine and Darwin region PDF (662.9 KB).

Get the guide to managing citrus orchards with less water on the New South Wales Government's Department of Primary Industries website.

You can also do an online publications search to find the results of research regarding individual fruit and plant types.

General information

For general horticulture advice and information, read general advice for fruit and vegetable growers.

Industry associations

For information about the citrus industry, go to the Citrus Australia website and NT Farmers website.