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Cultivation

There are different possibilities for the cultivation of the key lime. Seeds should be stored at least 5-6 months before planting. An alternative option for cultivation is the vegetative propagation from cuttings or air layers, which can lead to fruit production within one year. The use of different rootstocks is recommended in account of high vulnerable seedlings and susceptibility to gummosis (examples for rootstocks are the wild grapefruits, Cleopatra mandarin and the Tahiti limes). Climatic conditions and fruit maturation are crucial in cultivation. However, under warm conditions potted trees can be planted anytime, while in areas with higher distinct seasonality the late winter or early spring is ideal. The best environment for the Lime tree is given by sunny sites, well-drained grounds, well circulating air conditions and a cover from cold winds. Because of a shallow root growth, the Key lime is planted in chiselled trenches or into prepared and broken rocky soil to give the roots a better anchorage in the ground and thus shelter from winds. At the same time, pruning and topping is performed and that leads to more air and sun flow through the tree. This provides drying off of the crown, allows better accessibility for the harvesting process and decreases the susceptibility to gummosis.

Harvesting

Depending on the cultivation of the tree, the bearing varies a lot. For trees cultivated from seedlings it will take 4-8 years before having fruits. The reach of full bearing will be at 10 years of age. Cuttings and air layers are carrying their fruits considerably faster (first year after planting). It takes approximately 9 months from the blossom to the fruit. When the fruits reached the harvesting size (specification of the size given in diameters) and turned yellow, they are pulled from the tree without clipping. After harvesting, the Lime is still in a ripening process and is usually stored between 12.5 to 15.5°C with a relative humidity of 75-85%. Important for the appearance of the fruit is the time when harvested. When picked in early morning hours when the turgor of the fruit is still high, the fingerprints from picking can lead to oil escape over the skin and can result in spoilage of fruits. In principle, the optimized long-storage conditions are temperatures between 9-10°C and a humidity over 85%.

Postharvest Process

To guarantee the supply of Key limes, the objective of fruit producers is to increase shelf life. There are a lot of different possibilities of post-harvesting processes to influence shelf life, for example the use of growth regulators, wax emulsions, fungicides, low storage temperatures, calcium treatment, silver nitrate treatment, chemical applications and the use of optimal packing material. Despite of all this possibilities, the post-harvesting losses are still high. In India, most of the key lime producers are small scale farmers and they do not have access to most of the previously mentioned post-harvesting processes. An accessable procedure is a coconut coating that provides a longer shelf life and at the same time leads to a constant market-support of key limes.

Yield

Depending on the age of trees, the yield varies a lot. For young orchards the yield is among 6 t/ha (5-7 years old) and stabilises then around 12-18 t/ha. Better yield is received with trees from seeds than budded trees.